Pres

My last fire was last August and when I read the QotW I thought I'd best skip this one. Well, I feel much better after reading Pres' comment about not firing since last September!  I keep a log.  Began in 2014 , when was doing 6, then 4,  then 3; since 2020, averaging 2.   Always low production w/ hardly any pressing deadlines, a too-big kiln, and self-permission to just go w/the flow of Lee-Life.  I should have a kiln load ready by March. I've had to adapt  "everything" involved w/the process to minor cognitive impairment (MCI), a result of minor TBI (traumatic brain injury). It is not--or so they say--progressive.  So, theoretically, once I get the hang of what I really can & can't do, I should be good to go w/no surprises. My motivation & level of acceptance took a near fatal hit, but I'm beginning to enjoy exploring a new style. The next fire is my first post-diagnosis test run--will she sink or will she swim?? The main challenge is that construction is fairly rough & funky , but I don't want the pieces to look too rough & too funky,  so I need to turn the heat up under the burner labeled "visually appealing", and pray.

yes the popsicle stick tool has been my go to.  I will double check the thickness of both.  the micro details matter.  thanks 

Have you mastered the whistle yet, working with the whistle will help you to get to the ocarina. I taught a few sessions  for the music teacher that taught theory and harmony  at our school. We had them making whistles, but some got into doing the ocarinas after completing a proper whistle. these are more difficult and his book explains about needing to tune them. I made a few along with the teacher and found that the body wall thickness was important. For tools we found that bamboo chopsticks worked really well for cheap tools in abundance. a little whittling and you had all the tools you needed. Your pic does not show exactly what I need to see as the position of the top hole depends on the shape of the mouthpiece and throat. The air hole has to be over the curve of the throat .
 
best,
Pres
 

Have you mastered the whistle yet, working with the whistle will help you to get to the ocarina. I taught a few sessions  for the music teacher that taught theory and harmony  at our school. We had them making whistles, but some got into doing the ocarinas after completing a proper whistle. these are more difficult and his book explains about needing to tune them. I made a few along with the teacher and found that the body wall thickness was important. For tools we found that bamboo chopsticks worked really well for cheap tools in abundance. a little whittling and you had all the tools you needed. Your pic does not show exactly what I need to see as the position of the top hole depends on the shape of the mouthpiece and throat. The air hole has to be over the curve of the throat .
 
best,
Pres
 

I would estimate around 30  times a year,  I have past that number and my year starts in another 3 months.  I bought some clay Friday and started some hard blocks softening,  I hope to get some work done tomorrow.    I don't know if there is any football fans out there but it sounds like the 4th of July here.   My husband and I aren't sports fans but we watched the last 5 minutes of the Super Bowl.   The entire state of Kansas are fans of the Kansas City Chiefs.    Denice

I aim for 2 glaze loads a week. During the busy times I have 1 kiln firing while the other is cooling. 

https://digitalfire.com/glossary/liner+glaze  Liner Glaze
The term "liner glaze" refers to two things. First, it is a technique (links below), where the inside and outside of a piece have different glazes that meet at the rim. Second, it refers to the practice of choosing a glaze for the inside food surfaces of utilitarian ware based more on its durability and resistance to leaching, running, crawling, blistering and crazing (problems common with reactive glazes). Glossy whites, transparents or modestly colored glazes are most common as liners. Liner glazes can have other practical purposes also. An example is their use in  combination with intensely colored or variegated glazes, such are often runny and form a lake in the bottoms of vessels - this can lead to glaze compression failure.
...

Do some test tiles and put them on a cookie. A tile (or sacrificial piece) with a large vertical surface will help you interpret how the glaze runs. The only problems I foresee are a runny glaze that goes all over the shelves and an uninteresting result. A lot of raku glazes are specifically designed to become interesting on being thrown into a trash can full of straw, red hot.
“Around cone 04” sounds a little vague. I would trust what the label says, no more, no less. Mayco is not exactly a fly by night operation. It does seem like they say cone 06 is the target for these glazes. Prepare for runs at 04. 

I think it's probably an application issue. How long are you waiting between applying the two glazes? My guess is that the inside is still too wet when you apply the second glaze, and it's failing to get good adhesion, which is causing the crawling. I imagine the ash glaze takes forever to dry?

Hi Sierra, welcome to the Forum!
Is there an information plate on the kiln - model and serial numbers, brand/maker, voltage and amperage requirements?
If so, please post a close up image of the info plate.
While you're at it, a pic of the inside also?
That hole in the lid seems, err, too big!
Perhaps it had been fired with a baffle over most of that hole?

I tend to want to finish work than dry slowly. I use plastic sheets from laundry bags (for delicate work) to thicker plastic from my banana boxes which has some holes in it.
So say handles throw dry on plaster and handle same day cover that night and then dry fast 
If its slab built fish than its cover  with plastic sheets and keep in cooler place either down a few levels  in shop or is shade outside in summer-depending on the season .
I have not had a wet box since collage-(thats 48 years ago) I'm way more into drying faster than slowing the work down.Its a production potter thing .Now some work like teapost need to slow and again it wrap in plastic and keep on lower level in shop. I may be done making teapots come to think about it.

I have a utility cabinet that I  bought as a drying cabinet.   It works great it dries very slowly,  if I want more moisture I put a bucket of water on the bottom.  I will wrap or bag anything  to  keep them wetter.    Denice

The only reason I sold my kickwheel is because I was 68 at the time and was having trouble kicking up the wheel fast enough.   I also had my knee separate on vacation,  a doctor took a  x-ray of it and wrap it up.  He told me that I had extremely strong bones in that leg and asked how I did it.   I told him it was my kicking leg  I used on my wheel for throwing.   I used that wheel for forty years and it has gone to a new home.    I think a potter should use  the wheel of their choice,  to me a wheel is personable.   Denice

Google searches on Japanese pottery throwing methods do bring up quite a bit of information. You may find some Utube videos that will help you also. Years ago, I was having problems with S cracks in the bottom of small vessels off of the hump.  . a utube video showed me to make a pancake on the hump and then bring up the sides and then pull the walls. This was a Japanese method.
 
 
best,
Pres

The easy fix is use a liner glaze on inside and ash glaze on outside-issue is done.
If that sound to hard (an inner and outer glaze job) try- below
Since you are using a iron clay a hotter bisque any help by making sure all organics are burnt out 
yes it looks like the glaze is peeled back clean to me as well. burnouts or ash peeling it back is my guess. Even in oxidation as Kelly said the inners are a slight more reduction  or lets say not as oxidized. One nice liner glaze inside will fix this in a heartbeat

I have to jump on the train and say that not only will it be easier to find video references for what you want to learn, but they’ll probably give you more information faster. You can use your experience to interpret what you see: How soft does the clay look? How are different sizes of pots approached? What is the relationship between work done on the clay and work to keep the wheel moving, and does it change as the piece progresses? I like to read more than I like watching videos, but some things are easier to apprehend seen than read about. 

A good example of the type of video you might hope to find, which also illustrates a potential problem. Pres explains the technique works because it helps align the clay particles in a good way, but this is not obvious from seeing the video. You really want to know both how and why, although seeing how can help you discover why.
 

You might get lucky finding someone with bamboo growing in their yard who will give you some - keep your eye out for bamboo!
Bamboo sticks are sold for staking plants, try searching "bamboo sticks" or "bovitro bamboo sticks" - Amazon carries them.
As for selecting hair, see https://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/40726-qotw-have-you-ever-experimented-with-making-you-own-brushes for some ideas.
This Blick page has a paragraph at the bottom on "Ceramic and Glazing Brushes" Ceramic and Glazing Brushes | BLICK Art Materials (dickblick.com)
Keep an eye out for brush hair sources! Carry your scissors, tape, and plastic bags with you.
:|
I use "chip" brushes more than anything else in my Studio; they are also called "throw-away" brushes. I get them in several sizes, and trim the bristles as necessary.
...I don't do much brushing, however.
Please do report back on your progress?

wow Neil said it best ( it'll likely be glowing orange outside the kiln) I will add in no time fast. You need a damper in the chimney they work best about waist height. As he said natural draft burners need the stack (chimney) to be tall and even with your 4 feet more of steel its still way short. I have a stainless steel stack after 8 feet of brick on two kilns. look for that stuff at a salvage yards near beer or pulp mills or any large plant that uses stainless piping. 3/8 is good but still not good enough-Yes you can get some life from it but you still need a damper and way more height.  You can get a fast fire in maybe 8 hours -remember the furniture need to take the heat and cooling as well. I'm not talking lawn chairs I mean the kiln shelves and posts
now to answer the other questions-I would put a digital thermcouple in the door so its swings out of the way and is not in the burner direct path.
If you want to be fancy (i use oxy probes) a oxygen sensor will last longer in the chimney except in your case it may not as the flue flow is so tightly contained. The new to be geil I palces my probe in the flue as it will last many hundreds of  fires before burning out. My other two gas kilns have the sensors in the middle of the load in the doors. They get all of cone 11 so they do burn out in a few  hundred fires. I fire a lot every year over the past 50 years and have a few platinum elements replaced
If you are a beginner really just a good eye is all you need for reductiuon firing-a potter who knows thier stuff would be an asset on the 1st firing or two.
Most newbies put to much gas in thinking more is better-this is where the cheap digital pyrometer come in as it show the exact temps going up or stalling. You need one that goes at a bit more than the cone you are firing to.. 
You need to keep that kiln dry-no rain or snow on it-ever as soft brick and fiber are like sponges and once you dry them out (slow start the 1st fire to dry it out) you want it to stay dry.
What is the flue dimension 8x8?

Your journey into ceramics and the impact of teachers like Stanley Zuchowski is truly inspiring. My first exposure to ceramics was in a high school art class with Mrs. Anderson. Her guidance sparked my love for the medium, and I'll always be grateful for those early creative experiences.

Hi folks, I am getting ready to get back to work in the shop and I was thinking of things I need to get ready for the work I will be doing. I have decided to do some more teapots, and chalices myself and for orders. Much of what I do is in batches, where I may throw 15 stems for chalices, and then throw 15-16 bowls. Teapots, I usually throw 6 bodies, and then the lids, and spouts.  This requires storage for the pieces until the bodies are trimmed. Same happens with the chalices. My best way of storing large amounts of pieces is to have a rubbermaid type container with a damp sponge across the bottom and a board over the the sponge. The stems are usually stored in a round container with a plate over top of the damp sponge. I know that several of you have talked about plaster in the same type of containers, but these work for me. Larger slab/wheel constructions I store under a plastic bag.
QotW: What is your preferred method of storage for work in Progress?

Years ago I moved from a soft water area (Liverpool) to a hard water area (Essex), and my skin stopped wrinkling when I had a long baths.  (Also I needed to use more soap, as hard water reduces its effectiveness.)
A suggestion that the effects of moving  from hard water to soft may be self-correcting over time.
https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/wrinkly-fingers.html
I suppose you might try experimenting with:
- pre-exposure skin/barrier creams
- slightly hardening the water you use for throwing (slightly because it may effect the clay)
https://sciencing.com/make-hard-water-8191733.html
https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/hardness-water
General guidelines for classification of waters are: 0 to 60 mg/L (milligrams per liter) as calcium carbonate is classified as soft; 61 to 120 mg/L as moderately hard; 121 to 180 mg/L as hard; and more than 180 mg/L as very hard.

Atlanta refs to confirm your suspicions about water hardness.
https://www.atlantisplumbing.com/articles/city-water-vs-well-water/
City Water Vs. Well Water
2. Generally speaking, well water is hard water so a water softener is recommended for homes that use well water.
https://www.hydroflow-usa.com/georgia-water-hardness
Georgia water is considered soft water. The average water hardness for the Georgia resident is around 60 PPM. Atlanta, the most populous Georgia city has a water hardness level of 21 PPM which according to USGS water hardness measures is very soft.
PS In this context mg/L = mg/kg = PPM

Simply to get into the studio. I'm cutting back on my kiln repair service area so hopefully that will allow me more (some) time in the studio. So far it has not helped, still busy with repair work every day. Maybe next week...

@Pres thank you, I will give it a try!
@Mark C. I think you guys are right and I am kinda relived because I feel like a poor connection is easier fixed than a clay/glaze issue. 

February is almost hear, and after some time where the shop has been frozen, I have to start planning for the coming months of  getting started in the shop. February will start with  a little more clean up and organization from the November effort. However my one of my first tasks once that is done is to get a glaze load of pottery in that I held off on purpose. I had made urns for my sister in law, and my 97 yr old Dad.  The inner lids for both of those have to be fired so that the folks ashes can be sealed in for internment. I now know the dates of death that go on the top of the inside lid. Got me to thinking about what you will be doing in the shop in February, or March ceramic wise.
QotW: What are your plans ceramic wise for February and March?
best,
Pres