Min

I live in a rainforest. I would take a picture of the coniferous tree covered mountain outside our living room window but it's raining today and not visible. From the snow-line down to the ocean there are forests.

I'm in the "no" camp as well, except to give up an electric kiln for a woodfired one, if it came with people to help chop wood and fire it.

My hunch is there probably always were people who work like this and always will be. Agree that it seems to be more in our faces now than pre internet / widespread computer access times. I think it's hard to change some peoples beliefs; doing so makes them admit they were either wrong, misinformed or need to update their knowledge. If a pot looks nice and sells well then isn't that enough kind of attitude. I had a read through Laguna's article, "Why Are There So Many Different Clays From Laguna Clay Company?" interesting that they referenced midrange claybody recipes they acquired through some of their acquisitions that date back to the 40's and 50's from recipes from Southern California and the easter seaboard of the US.

Sure. Will pin it for now, if it doesn't get much traffic I will unpin.

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.

Use the same spar, kaolin and silica but in different ratios and it's cone 10, is this all it took, a couple fellows doing a triaxial? Nobody thought to do this before?

My hunch is it wasn't a direct move down from high fire or up from low fire to get to cone 6. I think it went to midrange first then was fine tuned to cone 6. If you take cone 02 (approx 2016F) for the lowfire approximate cone/temp and cone 10 (approx 2345) as the high and split the difference you get a hot cone 5 (2180F). We see some clay suppliers giving a midrange for firing like cone 4 - 6 or Laguna's practice of calling their midrange bodies cone 5 even though most can do cone 6.

Bingo. To me a wifi enabled controller is an improvement/advancement of existing technology that makes firing the kiln easier. 3D printers are simple tech compared to current computer / robotics technology from which they are derived. Under Pres's definition of technology (as it relates to all things ceramics) both would qualify. @liambesaw , may I ask what your "normal definition of technology" is?

With all due respect @liambesaw I do think it's a useful dialogue to be having. From last weeks QoTW and the topic "Do you draw a line in the sand about technology when it comes to your studio or anything Ceramic?" it was your reply "I think 3D printers are the only real new technology to hit pottery since I was born, so maybe this is more a question for the older people here then?" that brought to my mind the possibility that we have different definitions of technology as it relates to ceramics. To me wifi enabled controllers that have only been available for a few years now would fit Pres's definition and yet it doesn't apparently fit yours. (or was an oversight) I believe Pres is very open to suggestions for a QoTW, yours sounds like an interesting one.

I think of wifi as being intangible but feel it would need to be included also. Or is the wifi the tool? Tough definition to nail down. Perhaps separating into old and new technology? Old could be anything that has been in use for X number of years, new technology after that?

It came with just the one thermocouple but when I replaced the controller I decided on using 2. The boards now have the option of 1,2 or 3 thermocouples being wired up.

- after so many dry weeks you got a 2fer

Easy suggestion for a QoTW following last weeks question of the week; would you give up any of the technology you use in ceramics now and go back to a simpler not as technology advanced method? Maybe starting with defining the term technology as it pertains to ceramics making.

Hi @grumpykidstudio , I swapped it out for a Bartlett V6 controller from Pottery Supply House / Euclids. They had a used one that I got a bit of a discount on. I use it as a bisque only kiln since the elements are such a pain to replace in this kiln (non segmented) and use 2 thermocouples. The board fit without having to alter the box. The original controller had very limited options and I was using it for glaze firing originally but after a little while a lot of the readout was illegible as parts of the numbers and letters blanked out and it had some stuck pads. I'ld contact Tuckers, send them some pictures of what you have and ask if they have a used board you can swap over. (or other vendors who might have a used board if you want to save a few bucks) Have to say I love the Genesis Controller on my ConeArt kiln.

Thanks for clarifying your position Liam. It seems we have 2 distinct conversations going on here, first one (topic Pres posted) is "Do you draw a line in the sand about technology when it comes to your studio or anything Ceramic?" Second conversation seems to be around the aesthetics of 3D ceramics and if it's a valid form of work for a potter or ceramicist to completely 3D print a pot / sculpture.

Exactly. Use the 3d printer as another tool in the tool box. If you don't like the aesthetics of the majority of the current style of 3d work then use the tech how it works for you; just like any other tool. Use it to make framework or armatures for example. In comparison to the centuries that handbuilding and wheelthrowing has been practiced the time potters have had access to this technology has been a blink of an eye. Instead of walking away from it we could be looking at how to make it work for us.

3d printed parts for humanity.

@liambesaw, come on tell us how you really feel Perhaps it's just a question that the relatively newer technique of 3d printed ceramics hasn't had enough time to be fully fleshed out yet. I get what you're saying about spotting the difference between those 2 artists you mentioned, how to capture that difference in programming? It will be interesting to see how this technology evolves.

I usually make ones similar to yours Callie but sometimes I make them with the holes just in the bottom part with either a flange type rim or small handles then it can be used as a steamer too. (used on a stove inside a pot with the pot's lid on top of the steamer/berry bowl)

@Hulk, looks like things are back to normal now. @oldlady, arrow is back to enlarge images, it's in the upper right corner of the image.

Stay tuned...

Thanks for the heads up Tom.

@Laura Loo, JoReid hasn't been logged on the forum since May, you could try send them a PM (it will show up in their email), more likely to see that. Click on their name then the little envelope when their page comes up and follow the prompts. Welcome to the forum!