glazenerd

(Time for the young people to step in. )
I wish some young potters would step in around here but as of late there are no takers. Seems nobody wants to be a full timer anymore around here.Might be a sign of the times.
Even at shows in other nearby states I never see young potters coming into this field.

That's what it feel like to be retired,  I had my husband retired as soon as we could afford it.   The company he worked for was going to kill him.  His boss retired so he had to cover his work,  the hazmat personnel was fired another job for Stu.  Millions of questions to answer from amusement ride owners and government officials  and when he had some time he could do his actual job of technical publication,  writing the huge manuals that went out with each ride.  He has been retired for two years  finished restoring a rusty 74 Challenger last spring .    January he started working on a man cave in our unfinished basement.   He hired a few jobs out but did everything else framing, plumbing, wiring, painting, trim work and tiling.  Most of the theater and bar is finished  he still has to tile the bathroom.  It sounds like a lot of work but he loves doing it and he starts and stops whenever he feels like it,  even sleep late in the morning now and then.   You can keep doing what you really enjoy  with out any pressure of a schedule    Denice

Mark:
One of the drawbacks of any trade: downsizing when the time comes. Took off before Thanksgiving, and not going back until Jan1-12. Never took that much time off in 45 years. I like it!

Like Min; moving is in my near future- next year or so. Will have to decide which kilns to keep, which to sell; along with other equipment. I built a 26x44 work studio over a decade ago that is stuffed with equipment and supplies; most of which will not go with me into my golden years. Truthfully, I wrestle with just walking away all together. Would not miss the glaze so much as I would miss the clay-chemistry.
Tom

Mark: built my last house in 2018: sold off ski steers, trucks, backhoe, trailers, etc in .2018/2019. Since then, I only do high end finish work. Custom cabinets, wainscot, crown work, custom only wood/Ceramic. Already put the word out; cutting back to 7-8 months next year. Time for the young people to step in. 

Mark:
One of the drawbacks of any trade: downsizing when the time comes. Took off before Thanksgiving, and not going back until Jan1-12. Never took that much time off in 45 years. I like it!

The car kiln and the updraft are maybe only a few of the reasons I cannot move.I'm thinking about pouring a large slab in kiln area for an 18 cubic Geil kiln I have access to add to my kiln quiver as well now. All my stuff is heavy-the many tons of Bronze in the yards from shipwrecks is also a deterrent . I did sell about 2k worth last year in salvage and have at least that again to sell. Heck I have one blade of a bronze ships propeller that weights over 750 #s in driveway.Now its a 40 foot x 14 solar array that I put in that also a chain around our ankles now. The two dive compressors I can still move -The  house is only 1250 square feet so thats not an issue all same level as well. Its the near 1 acre yard work that will be an issue-I have a rider mower now but the day will come we hire a Gardner-its just in the plan.
The zillion tons of glaze materials also slows down the move process as well as just about everything I do is so heavy.
In my next life I think car salesman so all my hand s have to do is point towards cars-that a good one over there see where I'm pointing .Its also a high milage unit-yes Desoto is an older brand name but just look at that styling.

Like Min; moving is in my near future- next year or so. Will have to decide which kilns to keep, which to sell; along with other equipment. I built a 26x44 work studio over a decade ago that is stuffed with equipment and supplies; most of which will not go with me into my golden years. Truthfully, I wrestle with just walking away all together. Would not miss the glaze so much as I would miss the clay-chemistry.
Tom

Well Mark- you have a 35CF car kiln=== just sayin... I would love nothing more than to stay where I am at. Yet, I know that I will not be able to take care of it as time marches on. 

Like Min; moving is in my near future- next year or so. Will have to decide which kilns to keep, which to sell; along with other equipment. I built a 26x44 work studio over a decade ago that is stuffed with equipment and supplies; most of which will not go with me into my golden years. Truthfully, I wrestle with just walking away all together. Would not miss the glaze so much as I would miss the clay-chemistry.
Tom

written on a typewriter.!
Marcia

Marcia:
Speaking of crystalline glaze- I read a thesis paper on crystalline glaze written by a student at SIU-C in 1973. As a historical perspective: 1973 was 25 years before any formal books on crystalline glaze was published ( Macro Crystalline Glaze by Peter Isley) I have read it several times: the insights and theorem are well within the boundaries of modern crystalline chemistry. The author of this thesis paper was YOU.
T
 

Saw this artist on the History Channel a year back or so.
Anna Coleman Ladd was a porcelain sculptor who used her skill to make porcelain prosthetics for soldiers who had facial disfigurements after WW1. There was another woman from New York that made them for Civil War soldiers.. forgot her name.. sorry!
https://hyperallergic.com/314255/the-sculptor-who-made-masks-for-soldiers-disfigured-in-world-war-i/
Tom

Harvesting and processing wild clay is an emerging trend; more popular than most realize. Many are processing their own silica, fluxes, etc from wild sources. Natural basalt is gaining popularity for some amazing reds. The best looking celadon I have seen is processed from natural materials. Certainly not profitable or suitable for production: although some are heading that direction. Hunting wild clay is somewhere in the panning for gold category: hoping to find the perfect pit. Firing crystalline; absolute No for me- cannot give up modern kiln controllers.
Tom

Harvesting and processing wild clay is an emerging trend; more popular than most realize. Many are processing their own silica, fluxes, etc from wild sources. Natural basalt is gaining popularity for some amazing reds. The best looking celadon I have seen is processed from natural materials. Certainly not profitable or suitable for production: although some are heading that direction. Hunting wild clay is somewhere in the panning for gold category: hoping to find the perfect pit. Firing crystalline; absolute No for me- cannot give up modern kiln controllers.
Tom

Harvesting and processing wild clay is an emerging trend; more popular than most realize. Many are processing their own silica, fluxes, etc from wild sources. Natural basalt is gaining popularity for some amazing reds. The best looking celadon I have seen is processed from natural materials. Certainly not profitable or suitable for production: although some are heading that direction. Hunting wild clay is somewhere in the panning for gold category: hoping to find the perfect pit. Firing crystalline; absolute No for me- cannot give up modern kiln controllers.
Tom

Min: the first mention of slow cooling I seen was in an ACERS journal by Edward Orton, Jr. (The cone guy) in 1908. The mid 1970's is when I have noticed changes in modern pottery. However, I also noticed detrimental effects of technology in the last two decades. Modern kilns, glazes, and premix clays makes pottery easily accessible to any and all: which is a good thing. However, the ease of operation does not require the user to acquire any basic working principles of functional or food safety guidelines. We have all seen the end products on EBay and art fairs. 
That said: technology has opened doors on previously extremely challenging techniques and glazes. I spent all of one month attempting to fire crystalline glaze in an old kiln with a sitter before I quickly realized I was not spending 8 hours babysitting it. Kiln controllers rank high on technological improvement list. Anyone who had or played on a kick wheel: would say the same about an electric wheel. I have been playing around with self glazing clay bodies----one of these days....
T

Min: the first mention of slow cooling I seen was in an ACERS journal by Edward Orton, Jr. (The cone guy) in 1908. The mid 1970's is when I have noticed changes in modern pottery. However, I also noticed detrimental effects of technology in the last two decades. Modern kilns, glazes, and premix clays makes pottery easily accessible to any and all: which is a good thing. However, the ease of operation does not require the user to acquire any basic working principles of functional or food safety guidelines. We have all seen the end products on EBay and art fairs. 
That said: technology has opened doors on previously extremely challenging techniques and glazes. I spent all of one month attempting to fire crystalline glaze in an old kiln with a sitter before I quickly realized I was not spending 8 hours babysitting it. Kiln controllers rank high on technological improvement list. Anyone who had or played on a kick wheel: would say the same about an electric wheel. I have been playing around with self glazing clay bodies----one of these days....
T

OK, @LeeU, I'll bite on that, anyone else have something to add or change?
 
best.
Pres

I think the other thing that has made a significant change to how electric kiln fired glazes turn out is the practice of slow cooling. I think that has been a game changer; being able to get the micro crystallization of dolomite mattes etc. that are possible with a high mass hard brick kiln that cools so much slower than the typical electric kiln. I was looking through an online CM magazine from the fifties, an article spoke of using the kiln sitter and propping it back up and turning the dial(s) back on to medium for a few hours. I didn't know it was a thing back then to slow cool (I wasn't around then), it's my understanding that the practice of slow cooling electric kilns really took off when it was written about in the Mastering Cone 6 Glazes book from Hesselberth and Roy. I know that when I went to school in the 90's the electric kilns were mostly used for bisque or earthenware firing. Can't remember anyone slow cooling the electrics.

As I remember much of the discussion on other sites, years ago, cone 4 was just above Earthenware range and into stoneware. Others believed that to be a little low, and went to cone 5. Then there were a series of clays and commercial glazes that were designed for cone 4-6.  It became apparent to many that the better surfaces for the glazes often occurred at cone 6. Over the years, I have often wondered what would have happened if we had not had the energy cost rise that precipitated the move toward mid range stoneware. The move towards Cone 4-6 has certainly done well for Ceramics in general as many schools in cities without the resources for gas fired kilns with teachers trained in gas reduction have benefited from the use of electric mid-range Oxidation. 
Aesthetically there is was also another shift as those advocates of reduction moving to mid range carried their likes/dislikes with them and early glazes for mid-range tried to emulate reduction glazes. However over the years the mid range glaze repertoire has become quite broad with many craters and artists ranging far from the olde aesthetic. The richness of surface seen in reduction, can be emulated in mid range with layering of glazes, often by spraying and underglaze/overglaze color and other strategies. Colors achievable at high fire may be synthetically developed as in Copper reds with local reduction.  However much of these are not as pleasing as the colors achieved in High fire reduction. At the same time, now we see more low fire type decoration and glaze done at mid range due to the durability of the mid range vs. the earthenware.  All in all, the last 50 years has done wonders for the science and art of ceramics.
 
best,
Pres

Bill: cone 6 rose up in the early 80's because of power shortages/costs. Ceramics/pottery uses extensive technology; but we only end up seeing the consumer product results. Mines use slurry technology, magnetic separators, and power sievesthat do tons per hour. Orton cones are based in technology (chemistry). The pentameter Laguna uses ensures clay remains reasonably consistent. K26 brick, magnesium insulation, advancer shelves, controllers, relays, and thermocouples.
T

U of I study found that KnaO was completely melted/spent at 2190F. Above 2230F =/- cristobalite begins to form. In a clay body 3/8-1/2" wall: potassium begins to melt (fluid) at 2044F and sodium 2012F. The combination of these factors is the basis of cone 6 firing target. Ougland & Brindley (British Ceramic Society) found glass content at cone 6 was 61% and glass content at cone 10 was 66%. Mullite at cone 6 was 19% and mullite at cone 10 was 21% Their study was based on a triaxle blend of 1/3 kaolin, 1/3 KnaO, and 1/3 silica. (porcelain).  So now you have the why!

Min: the difference between us doing a triaxle and them doing a triaxle: they have PhD behind their names.  Which comes back to the thread's premise: they have lab equipment of measure: we do not.
Bill- late 60's into the 70's. 
A standard cone 6 porcelain is 30% KnaO, and cone 10 is 25% KnaO. Heat work being the offsetting factor. 

U of I study found that KnaO was completely melted/spent at 2190F. Above 2230F =/- cristobalite begins to form. In a clay body 3/8-1/2" wall: potassium begins to melt (fluid) at 2044F and sodium 2012F. The combination of these factors is the basis of cone 6 firing target. Ougland & Brindley (British Ceramic Society) found glass content at cone 6 was 61% and glass content at cone 10 was 66%. Mullite at cone 6 was 19% and mullite at cone 10 was 21% Their study was based on a triaxle blend of 1/3 kaolin, 1/3 KnaO, and 1/3 silica. (porcelain).  So now you have the why!