What’s on your workbench?

[Marcia Selsor]

On 10/13/2019 at 5:22 PM, liambesaw said:

Holy cow mark, you never stop do you?

 

I spent this weekend building a work table / fume hood for my work with soluble salts and lustres.  Sulphur, and mercaptans (thiols) are part of synthesizing a lustre overglaze and these are some of the smelliest compounds on earth.  I did an open air run of some palladium mercaptan a few weeks ago and you could smell it from blocks away.  I decided instead of subjecting my neighborhood to a somewhat regular barrage of rotting smells that I'd go ahead and do it proper.  A 350 cu ft per minute fan pulled through an activated carbon filter rated to match.  It won't get rid of the smell entirely but will trap a lot of it.

At least that's the hope.  This combined with an acid gas face mask will hopefully keep me better protected from hydrogen sulfide and other byproducts that are unhealthy to breathe as well.

I know it's pretty janky as far as lab equipment is concerned but it actually works so I consider it a win!

 

I like that exhaust filter. I could use one. I use a vapor mask for the chlorides and sulphates I am using. 

Marcia

[Min]

Thank you Liam and Hulk! Ouch on the hornet sting Liam. There have been a couple Giant Asian Hornets found here recently, really nasty things with a wingspan of about 3".

39 minutes ago, Hulk said:

Are those shelves wafer board? ...just curious; also curious what your bats are made of.

Those shelves are just odd boards and strips of ply with leftover laminate flooring on top of them so I can wipe them down without the sponge getting caught up on the rough boards. Batts are homemade plaster ones, no pins, stick to a Xiam Batemate. 

[Denice]

I managed to get some clay soaking so I can recycle it,  we are still moving my mother in-law.  We have started cleaning up the house to get it on the market.   We have had some help but need a lot more.   Everyone thinks they have done their part and quit.   Can't wait to get back in my studio.    Denice

[liambesaw]

14 hours ago, Marcia Selsor said:

I like that exhaust filter. I could use one. I use a vapor mask for the chlorides and sulphates I am using. 

Marcia

Works really well, I was working with toluene (really volatile paint thinner) and I couldn't smell it at all.  Really happy with that, it allows me to work inside as it gets colder and wetter. (Although it rapidly sucks all the heat outside)

 

 

[Denice]

Min that sounds like a wasp/bee we have around here,  it is called a Cykada  killer,  it was imported here in the twenties when Kansas had the locust invasion.   A sting from them will put you in the hospital.  Just got back from the Senior housing,  my mother in-law was eating dinner and couple of ladies sat next to her.  They asked her where she use to live and she told them down the street,  she asked them where they use to live.   The one lady said she didn't remember and asked her friend,  her friend told her she came from Timbucktoo!   My mother in-law is 96  and has all her wits could barely keep a straight face,  living in a senior village might be fun after all.   Heading out to my studio.    Denice

[Marcia Selsor]

On 10/27/2019 at 9:26 AM, liambesaw said:

Works really well, I was working with toluene (really volatile paint thinner) and I couldn't smell it at all.  Really happy with that, it allows me to work inside as it gets colder and wetter. (Although it rapidly sucks all the heat outside)

 

 

I may have to spray raku glaze inside. Will build a plastic tent on my drying rack. Low tonight will be MINUS 3 F. Too early for this to happen! 16" of snow on Sunday and 7-9 inches expected tonight. Got a bisque firing done yesterday.

[Denice]

Marcia is that 7-9 inches of snow on top of what you have in your photo?   That is pretty snow you have,   we don't get enough snow for it to be pretty.  We have a prediction of a half of inch Thursday but the weather man said it probably wouldn't happen.   Some years we don't get any snow.  With your new fuming set up you will be able to get a lot more work done.  Have fun!    Denice

[shawnhar]

2 feet of snow... ya'll are crazy! 

Feels good to have something on the bench, life's been busy, wife sold her store, we opened a new one in a nearby small town and I've actually sold a few things there already, tried a booth at a local shop that rents booths but  it's not done much better than the rent. We had to practice like 30 hours for a gig at a friend's party, that was awesome, made people cry, felt good to nail it for a change.

Anyway, uggg, you don't throw for a while and for me anyway, let's just say the first few mugs will have carving around the bottoms, a couple might not make it due to thin bottoms, and I felt a bit rusty, lol. Sure does feel good to spin some mud though, nothin' like it.

 

[liambesaw]

26 minutes ago, shawnhar said:

2 feet of snow... ya'll are crazy! 

Feels good to have something on the bench, life's been busy, wife sold her store, we opened a new one in a nearby small town and I've actually sold a few things there already, tried a booth at a local shop that rents booths but  it's not done much better than the rent. We had to practice like 30 hours for a gig at a friend's party, that was awesome, made people cry, felt good to nail it for a change.

Anyway, uggg, you don't throw for a while and for me anyway, let's just say the first few mugs will have carving around the bottoms, a couple might not make it due to thin bottoms, and I felt a bit rusty, lol. Sure does feel good to spin some mud though, nothin' like it.

 

Good to see you back @shawnhar

[liambesaw]

So I spent the weekend making more of these, and I really like to make them.  I keep improving on the design which means I'm learning.  Learning makes me happy!  So anyway, was able to finally glaze fire some and I like the result.  Here's one from the batch

[Benzine]

@Marcia Selsor  Nope, that's too early for that weather!...

 

@liambesaw  Love the form and glazing.  My Dad has a "birdbath" shape he made in college, where he sprayed some oxides, similar to that.  He still has it, though it probably has some damage from the dang kids!...

What is the exact function and usage of that form?  Is it like a pour over coffee carafe?

[liambesaw]

19 minutes ago, Benzine said:

@Marcia Selsor  Nope, that's too early for that weather!...

 

@liambesaw  Love the form and glazing.  My Dad has a "birdbath" shape he made in college, where he sprayed some oxides, similar to that.  He still has it, though it probably has some damage from the dang kids!...

What is the exact function and usage of that form?  Is it like a pour over coffee carafe?

Yep, it's a pour over carafe ala chemex: https://www.chemexcoffeemaker.com/

[Benzine]

16 hours ago, liambesaw said:

Yep, it's a pour over carafe ala chemex: https://www.chemexcoffeemaker.com/

That's some Gale Boetticher level coffee brewing, right there!

[Bill Kielb]

So I spent the last Month off and on to: 

Congratulations Dawn & Ray!

We Just finished the fourth Kiln monitor, interfacing with their Geil car kiln,  and made further improvements to the programming to help folks reduction fire more easily, repeatable, and hopefully share their results with everyone in the pottery community.

First reduction test run was designed to calibrate and hopefully allow schedules to be created that are effective and finish in about eight hours.   From an initial peek inside the kiln, All test tiles reduced everywhere as expected ……… they are on their way to creating cool stuff and sharing their results and new schedules / techniques. Next build I think we are gonna find a cool dressy enclosure though.

Generation  Four- Finished!

Pictures of some of the peek inside the kiln and other stuff below

 

Edited April 2, 2020 by Bill Kielb

[Magnolia Mud Research]

2 hours ago, Bill Kielb said:

First reduction test run was designed to calibrate and hopefully allow schedules to be created that are effective and finish in about eight hours.   From an initial peek inside the kiln, All test tiles reduced everywhere as expected ……… they are on their way to creating cool stuff and sharing their results and new schedules / techniques. Next build I think we are gonna find a cool dressy enclosure though.

Bill,

 

good work!

what are the units in the reduction  measurement vs time plot?  Is the temperature measurement at the same location as the oxygen measurement?  Do you convert the oxygen probe reading to oxygen fugacity ( which is the variable normally used in the thermodyamic approach to the  chemistry of oxygen in silicate melts)?

LT

[Bill Kielb]

@Magnolia Mud Research

In  general we do not, much simpler.  So if you look at the typical  potters oxygen probe you will get an output between zero and let’s say 2 volts. The probes marketed to potters today are generalized by results (Fired work)  and the sheer Limit of a typical gas fire kiln utilizing primary and secondary air.

In the kiln above, the owner purchased a probe from Geil which can measure from  approximately 20.9%  to 1E-11 percent oxygen. Very similar to Atmos Engineering  probe (for industry). Generally these things use the Nernst equation %O2 = [Ref O2] x e (exp) (mv/(-0.02155xTemp. K) ) the output is generally logarithmic and correlates to partial gas pressures and therefore a related percentage oxygen content.

Of that 2 volts, the practical range potters experience are about 0 to 1 volt where 1 volt is near unachievable by ordinary kilns. Our 1 volt output corresponds to  let’s say .00001 - .00002% O2 content (temperature dependent) this small amount of oxygen or lack there of, results in a super heavy reducing atmosphere during ordinary reduction firings.

so for all the fancy stuff above we need to only report the output  (mv) and relate it to a chart that indicates its relative strength of reduction to a Potter with a gas kiln. Which generally simplifies to 0.7 v  is heavy reduction, 0.5v is medium and so on. So to answer your question, it’s really not converted to anything thermodynamically. Potters now know heavy reduction is X -volts, medium -Y, and neutral-Z so to speak

Take a look at the various charts below and it should make more sense with ultimately the simplest form you see there being a very popular potters form..

The plot is actually a spreadsheet we give them,  formatted so they can  easily creat their own  reduction profiles to follow and can easily install in the program for on screen display during their firing. Notice the R1.....R4 . So the goal here is to allow them to be programmers without having to do any meaningful programming. The X axis is time but dependent on their firing speed. The  demarcation temps are the O2 levels they have picked for their reduction schedule. Most simple schedules translate to: body reduction (heavy) from 1600 - 1700 degrees and some lesser reduction the balance of the way.

Most ordinary pottery kilns are powered and insulated such that at cone 10 they are lucky to maintain 100 degrees per hour in medium reduction anyway so this really ends up to limit their choice of reduction schedules toward the end of the firing. But having said all that, they can vary their schedule, formulate and glaze  and repeat once they discover the magic combination.

The PLC and touch screen allows them to store up to four of their favorites easily,  and does a whole bunch more as you can set alarm points, see your firing rate, get texts, monitor remotely on your phone or tablet, display on a TV as a lecture aid, record the entire firing and data etc..... 

So far we just help private entities  build these and license the software to them for nothing other than a commitment to give back to the community and promote any knowledge gained. It cannot be used commercially or resold commercially but is intended as a tool to help educate as well as develop new schedules, firings and glazes to be shared with the larger community. None of these  are automatic in anyway, they are simply monitors allowing the user to learn how to fire more readily. You would be amazed at the answers I get when I have to ask how fast do you want to fire?

so far so good actually. Anywhere that has had one the learning curve has accelerated greatly .

 

Edited April 4, 2020 by Bill Kielb

[LeeU]

Beginning "No. 7 " in my Hidden Mask series. This is a raku piece to be fired at Hampton Pottery, NH, in the spring.

 

Edited November 14, 2019 by LeeU

[Rae Reich]

On 11/14/2019 at 2:22 PM, LeeU said:

Beginning "No. 7 " in my Hidden Mask series. This is a raku piece to be fired at Hampton Pottery, NH, in the spring.

 

Looking forward to seeing the whole series! 

I have saved some mask forms with the idea of masks, but have yet to find my way. 

[Babs]

Love your brush holder...is it fired?

[LeeU]

5 hours ago, Babs said:

brush holder

Well thank you! Yes, it is wood fired w/a celedon glaze. The brush is one of those Mack automobile detailer brushes. 

[LeeU]

 

[liambesaw]

So I've been doing glaze combo tests on glazes that I use but didn't think would be any good together.  Got a few surprisers anyway.  But what I've been doing for a bit is making carafes.  Lots of them.  I'm sending my first shipment of 10 with matching mugs next week.  That is, weather permitting...  It's been 50 degrees at 98% humidity here for a week, so things are NOT drying.  Very frustrating, even when I have them on the tables next to the kiln, it's very slow drying.

 

[Hulk]

What's the brownish, topside of cup 2nd to last?

[liambesaw]

50 minutes ago, Hulk said:

What's the brownish, topside of cup 2nd to last?

Folk art guild white with behrens satin matte on top

Here it is with just folk art guild white

Edited November 19, 2019 by liambesaw

[Rae Reich]

@liambesaw, have you considered a small dehumidifier? Leave it running overnight (cover the throwing bucket). Under $200 could save you lots of waiting time. Of course, you want those carafes to dry more slowly than cups.