terrim8

I thought we were cold at -8C here. Stay warm.

And here I thought it was cold at 40F

sounds nice !

I am not too short just getting old.  I put a false floor in my electric.   I laid old firebricks with space between them on the bottom being careful not to cover my vent holes and then a shelf of top of the bricks.  The shelf was one that had broken in half  so I made sure it had a nice gap.   I called Skutt about it and they said they didn't think it would fire properly.  I think it fires  more evenly than it use do.   I have a dual pyrometer and really had to adjust for a cool bottom and hot top.  Now there is a minor difference.   Denice

sometimes things work out for the best!

It seems to dry/absorb so slow- its still in there! It was the right SG too so I'll keep it right side up . I may have complicated it all by having a paper-plaster mix behind the solid wall.

Can you send some pix?

with the next try-  decided to start again- back to the model to remove any imperfections so it will be totally smooth & then I'll insure its a smooth one-shot pour for the plaster.

I hate cookin. Problem is I like eatin.

so do i.  proof is making potato salad from the pot of potatoes that i forgot and let burn .   sorry looking potatoes with half an inch of black burned skin and meat make fine food when the black is cut off.   don't know what to do with the pot.

Hope you feel bettrsoon terrim!

   ...soak that pot, soak it goood

Snow and ice here in PA, seems like one storm quits and another is behind it. 4hrs a day shoveling and scraping just isn't fun.

best,

Pres

Maybe you folks can build snowmen and creative with your carving tools to make it interesting....

Spend too much time in the snow as it is. The ice is granular, and not very carvable. It does not pack, and is very heavy. What bit of snow is there is between layers of the ice.

Oh you're trying that too, eh? I started mine at about 1. 

terri, were you ever a weatherperson in florida???  their vocabulary list contains only two words,  "chilly" or "warm".  it is NEVER cold or hot.    i think your temp reading places you in the definitely instantly freezing category.

should have said "a tad chilly" like the Brits

It would save freezing our butts off. 

wouldn't it be great if that actually worked?  (butt freezing) Like that "cool sculpting" you see advertised all over the place

But then we couldn't get all ragey about the guilt tactics that diet manufacturers and health clubs use this time of year!

Your wheel work is outstanding from what I can see on your Instagram site. I like the Raku yarn bowls and tea light holders in particular because I've gotten requests for both recently. Your work is an inspiration for me! As for the mold making, like anything else in ceramics, there is a definite learning curve. It's just a matter of whether or not you want to spend the time on that side road of your journey...

Thank you ! Got up this morning and had a look at yesterday's disaster & thought of another way to tackle it. You're right about time and having to just do it to learn.

Mold making for me is not as immediate as wheel throwing. I make lots of mugs, each a little different even thought they start with same amount of clay. Making all the same would be boring on the wheel, but mold making not so much if I could get through the first part to the second part. However, I am not really interested in going with all the slip casting process.

best,

Pres

When you are dealing with temperatures around 2000 F, for a ceramic firing, you are ready for anything.

A couple hundred degrees, in the kitchen, autopilot is engaged...

ouch! hopes it's minor! 

just two small spots 

Back in the day, one issue with Gerstley was its variable chemical content. Natural materials are always variable over time , depending on what part of mine it came from, etc., but Gerstley was variable from batch to batch, and some even gave it the nickname Ghastley Borate. When Laguna bought the whole mineyard (but not the mine, nothing new coming out of the ground anymore), they processed it all at once and thoroughly mixed it all. So now the many years worth stock in the warehouse is all pretty much the same. But also slightly different than what it was 20 years ago. The published analysis of the current stock compared to ~1999 show somewhat less silica than before, but other fluxes are about the same +/-. So get some Gerstley and make a test batch of your glaze recipe to see if it needs any tweaking.

Terri:

given your background: study ulexite.

another evaporite mineral! - I just bought a 50 lb bag of Laguna Gerstley Borate so I didn't need a substitute. Started mixing up glazes today. Will add a few touches to the raku kiln in the morning so I can operate it by myself, then I'll have more pictures for the gallery.

See that picture above . That's from heavy reduction at Medalta. That was fun. So's the new kiln 

I kept the avatar because of the similarities. 

Plus I'm cool like that 

What do you plan on burning?

anything I want! I now have 220,000 BTU's

That's not a burner, that is a flame thrower. Cooker deluxe!

Yes. For small batches, soak toilet paper over night, squeeze dry, put it into a blender, add powdered clay body to be repaired,  Use about 25% paper to clay

about add some vinegar, and a smaller amount of sodium silicate 

Blend into a paste. Ad a little water if you need to. 

Dampen the bisque well before applying or else the patch will peel away.

Re-bisque before glazing. I have repaired students' handles and some of my own architectural work using this.

Marcia

Thanks Marcia!

Pinecones are better than the slugs and snails that my neighbour keeps sending over to my garden. 

You know, the scientist are saying about 6 southern states are in an unusually cold pattern that has been going on since the 1960's. They call it a "Warming Hole" - go figure... 

Dam Russians!

yes. I am. Thanks!

My raku pieces are also in Raku; a practical Approach by Steven as well plus lark's book on Raku and Advanced Raku by Bill Jones and Alternative Kiln by Watkins and Wandless.

Marcia

They know something we do not. 

it was 6 below here this morning....but I am certain it must be that cold or colder in Canada.....