Hulk

Hi Lesley! Yeah (runnin' out to studio to check firing notebook ...person I bought antique kiln from advocates keeping a log, aye that), about 30 mins. Manual kiln is fitted with a decent pyrometer; as temp reaches next critical temp, I'm twiddling the switches to keep it near there for half hour to forty minutes, yep! Excepting foot ring - which isn't glazed anyway - most walls are 4-6 mm (dry) or so; I'd go a bit longer for thicker stuff. Oh, sufficient oxygen during bisque firing likely also important; if you're not fitted with a fan, perhaps leave out a peep or two? Perhaps my bisque fire is a bit slow, haha! I've shortened the run some by coming up to 200F the night before, leaving the kiln fan on all night, then cranking right through and past 212F the next day, as I'm assuming all wet water has been driven off ("bound" water still present, of course). The source post, hrmm ...aha, copied from another thread: Detailed article: https://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/17903-critical-firing-temperatures/ Compilation of links: https://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/20132-slow-bisque-kiln-help/ Tony Hansen's article: https://digitalfire.com/4sight/glossary/glossary_glaze_bubbles.html

fwiw, have one set of test tiles and a few small test pieces in Cassius Basaltic; the same clear glaze that's working for red clay lays down smooth on the Basaltic as well, "Wollastonite Clear" (Bethany Krull) ...some of the coloured glazes look good as well, some froth up and come out crusty. Next glaze fire will include a few more pieces... I'm firing a modestly paced bisque - wouldn't call it slow - however, significant pauses at the three temps (per GlazeNerd) 752, 1063, 1500F

Eerie, the quiet here, and so little traffic - like the 70s, 'cept the roads are better, mostly. Are you considering a battery for your solar system Mark? We didn't, as it doesn't pay, unless there are outages (then the outages came...); many electrical providers don't credit 100% of power given to "the grid" - in those cases, looks like storage batteries are the way to go.

Hi ChloeElizabeth! You might pick up some technique watching others, at your studio and online (You Tube). Starting out, a fully mixed ("wedged") clay ball gives you a better chance - no dryer or wetter bits in there, which will definitely disrupt the flow of clay. From there, well stuck to the bat (or wheel head) such that the clay doesn't shift around ...there's more, of course, just mentioning two factors that don't seem to get much attention. On to trimming, centering may be a compromise, as pieces may get out of round whilst drying, the lip may not be even, the bottom may have been cut off out of level, etc. Check your center with a pin tool, get as close as possible and reasonable. From there, cutting level and round isn't easy, as the tool will tend to follow the work. Once I've trimmed away the rind (dry-ish skin) and any bulk, I'll use the needle tool to establish a level foot ring and a round (vertical) edge to the foot ring, cutting away the uneven bit. The transition from the foot ring to the wall may take some fudging for a wonky piece, however. In short, use trimming tools such that they aren't following the contour of the work to establish round and level! Hope that helps - interested to see what others may offer...

Aforementioned brother, pulling our friend Gwen (rip); myself and big brother; the bunny hill in Italian Alps, Jan '64, a somewhat dry winter, if me recall ...my brother showed me how much faster lying down on the sled is, aero an' all that, hence, took a running start and bellied it, however, having not yet learned how to effectively brake and/or bail, hurtled through the snow fence (off to the left in the panorama pic) and was tackled by a friendly Italian man and ground to a halt some twenty feet from the precipice. He walked me over so I could see the thousand plus drop to rocks below, then instructed me in sled braking and kindly pointed out how much heavier than my brother I am, "...ti piace la pizza" (you like the pizza, eh)? You gd right I do I said - oh, we laughed! How I blushed, din' expect that he spoke the English, which he did, perfectly.

Looks like Clay Planet (Santa Clara, CA) is open - curbside only - hence they're probably shipping; they carry some Laguna clays. We picked up some of their "smooth red" and "Venus white" when last up that way. I like it, haven't fired any yet tho' Looks like US Pigment is still open as well, ten bucks to ship 25 lbs o'clay anywhere USA; they have some Laguna clays. Industrial Materials (Sacramento, CA) is open - curbside only - hence they're probably still shipping as well; 50 lb box o' their mid range "'50/50" is $36.81, shipping included.

"...thick bats, hulk, what are they made of?" 5/8" powder board of some kind, finished with oil stain, then spar varnish, made up three square ones, three big circles, and three more circles of 3/8 material, these are my fav bats for just a few no hurry pieces; when feeling more "productive," will roll with plaster bats. Excepting six years in Sierra Nevada foothill town - a few snow events almost every year - over fifty years removed from real snow, not missing it much, however, fond memories of my brother catching my eye as he initiated a furious snowball war (half hour drive uphill from Paradise, alla snow one could wish for), culminating in perfectly timed duck as he sprinted across the field, hence my fastball caught the b in law flush against the side of his ******* head, priceless, ahem. I prefer my snow brewed into IPA, heated for shower water, circulating in the lap pool, bubbling in the hot tub, a left on Left Spot...

mugs and bowls

Hi Cenk! You might try slowing the drying process - so the piece can dry more evenly; once you've finished joining the seams, burnishing, etc., invert a container (looks like a half gallon pail would be big enough) over it. Mist the piece lightly with a spray bottle (water), and shoot a little cloud of mist in the bucket before enclosing the piece. I cover pieces to control drying, mostly until I get around to trimming and finishing, but also to avoid cracking handles. One of the clays I'm trying is inclined to crack handles... I abhor plastic film for controlling drying, as the weight of hanging plastic can deform pieces, it can stick and leave marks, and any clay on the plastic dries out and goes airborne - yuck alla way 'round, imo, hence assortment of containers for enclosing in progress work! Where the container rim is flush against the counter, work dampness can be maintained indefinitely, given periodic misting (watch for mold). Although a "damp box" could be very handy, just haven't got around t'that, and I can only work on one thing at a time...

fwiw, Skutt pedal, here https://skutt.com/skutt-resources/diagrams/other/

Not finding any info regarding pottery plaster warping. We put our bats and slabs outside to dry after removing from molds, rounding corners and scraping the tops - more for air movement than sun, although surely the radiant energy helps - on cardboard, as the plaster is delicate whilst still damp, flipping over periodically. https://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/1550-drying-plaster-molds/ Moving air - as you no doubt see with your clay - makes all the difference, where the leeward side will dry slower, so rotate! Detailed article: http://www.ceramicsmadeeasy.com/cme-articles/about-ceramic-molds/storage-and-care-of-ceramic-molds/127/index.html

Hi JFS, You might set cones on each shelf to get an idea how each level did. If you're able to see the cones through the peep holes, that can help you as well (be sure to wear eye protection - the infrared will hurt your eyes, and there's always chance of something going "ping" at just the wrong time - eye protection!); however, given your pyrometer provides consistent/repeatable feedback, once you've seen your cones after firing is complete and check your firing notes a few times, you'll be dialed in. Taking notes can be helpful (tip from former owner of my ancient kiln), times, temperatures, control settings, cone indications, results... How did your pieces come out? Did the glazes melt?

Threaded hole may be for zerk fitting ( there are several sizes and threadings https://www.saeproducts.com/grease-fittings.html); as you've noted, if the fitting is removed, a plug should be used to keep out contaminants. imo, quality bearing grease for upper and lower, at least a few times per year. Could be the wheel head and shaft cannot be separated - older models - per a bit of research, "...on the older wheels the hed[sic] is permanently attached to the shaft and so must be removed as a unit. Newer wheels have the head and shaft as two parts." Here's a thread to pull on: https://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/3058-advice-for-restoring-an-old-lockerbie-kick-wheel/ …however, the link fails - looks like Laguna now owns Lockerbie? If so, Laguna may be able to provide specific help. Here's pics of both bearings (Laguna and Axner are owned by same parent company, I believe) https://www.axner.com/lockerbie-kick-wheels.aspx

Hi BarbaraLouise! You might try mastic - that's what we used to mount backsplash tile in places where there's no actual splashing - or very little splashing. As typical with tile, apply with a notched trowel thing, scrape away excess mastic (or thinset), use wedges to hold the tile in position until the adhesive/thinset cures, then grout.

Interesting on th' colour mix Liamb! How thorough the clean has been dependent on how much colour change, most thorough on change to white and after black; hence, the white and black - also red - runs are longest. I've separate wedging boards for white, red, buff-ish, black.