Now to clean the studio

[CactusPots]

Just got a glaze fire lit.  Can I ever destroy the studio in the process of glazing and loading the kiln.  Every brush, every pour tub, it looks like someone picked up the building and shook it.  I just figure it's my way to absently put down a tool when the next idea comes so I have to search to find it.  If I was my own apprentice, I'd be screaming non stop.  Oh well.

Does anyone else work like this?

It's a big kiln, 36cf.  No consistency with regard to pots, so no actual plan to loading.  Pots inside pots, no glaze on interiors.  Somewhere around 125 pots total, all different sizes and shapes.  It takes me a week to finish loading even with prep work like iron wash, wipe and wax done on 40 or so pieces.

[Hulk]

Perhaps clean/neat studio and opening up a glaze load will coincide, eh? Happy days, congrats!

My kiln is 7cf, so my mess is a bit smaller... I am my own novitiate - he does get a bit peeved during glazing, lol! Usually, promise of a bowl of Our Little Rebellion Popcorner chips an' a beer shuts him up tho' (local discount grocer has the big big bag on rad sale).

I do set lids on glaze buckets, sponge up all the dribbles off the counters, clean tools, and run a mop on the floor after each session, as I don't want dried glaze laying around poofing powder into the air when it gets agitated. ...hard to see how much stuff is floating around in the air, however, monitoring accumulation on slick flat surface (e.g. a shelf at face level) tells the tale.

[Denice]

My studio isn't that dirty right now just over crowded.   Obsessed with working not selling,  I have about 100 pots sitting on shelves and in boxes I need to sell.   Denice

[liambesaw]

I try to clean up as I go, but eventually it gets too gnarly for me and I do a big hose down and sweep out.

But I'm like @Denice where I have so much bisque and greenware stacked around right now that it looks insane.  I'm going to have to do a big clean out this weekend though, going to be doing a big 100 bowl challenge to celebrate 100 subscribers on YouTube and need a lot more room to store them all.  Can he do it? Can he throw 100 bowls to a gauge in one sitting? Find out next time on "Lofty Goals with Low Energy"!  Hah.

[Callie Beller Diesel]

My studio looks like a bomb hit it after glaze day. Usually clean up day comes after glaze day, including a good wet mop. If I have a clean(er) space, it makes room to begin again. Preferably while the kiln fires. 

[Benzine]

1 hour ago, liambesaw said:

I doing a big 100 bowl challenge to celebrate 100 subscribers on YouTube and need a lot more room to store them all.  Can he do it? Can he throw 100 bowls to a gauge in one sitting? Find out next time on "Lofty Goals with Low Energy"!  Hah.

I'll have to add to that!

[CactusPots]

What I learned about myself is that I can't "multi task" at all.  Loading the kiln, that is, picking out the next pot, it's companion pieces, decided and executing the glaze combo, is consuming for me until I'm too tired to go any further.  If I put lids on the buckets and clean brushes at the end of a session, I get a good boy from myself.  Maybe half the time.  Otherwise all cleanup is left for the end.  Yikes.

Even in a big kiln, it always comes down to 1/16"

[liambesaw]

1 hour ago, CactusPots said:

What I learned about myself is that I can't "multi task" at all.  Loading the kiln, that is, picking out the next pot, it's companion pieces, decided and executing the glaze combo, is consuming for me until I'm too tired to go any further.  If I put lids on the buckets and clean brushes at the end of a session, I get a good boy from myself.  Maybe half the time.  Otherwise all cleanup is left for the end.  Yikes.

Even in a big kiln, it always comes down to 1/16"

Since most of what I make is repeat forms it makes decoration really easy like an assembly line.  I scotchbrite the grog down, wax out my mark, pour insides, first dip outsides, second dip outsides, decorate, clean up and into the kiln. Usually by the time I'm done with each step the first pots are ready for the next step, very handy and organizable.  But if I had a bunch of unique pieces I'd probably have a disaster scene like yours by the end as well.  Also I glaze outdoors so cleanup for glazing is just a hose onto plastic folding tables.

[Min]

I try to stack bisqued pots roughly according to height then when I'm prepping a glaze load I have a posterboard template of my kiln shelves size. I fill up the paper template, write on the pots with pencil which glazes I'm going to use then repeat for all the shelves in a load.  I think it makes glazing go faster if I know what I'm doing before I start. 

[CactusPots]

Every pot that comes out of the bisque fires gets a pencil mark of the size post required to accommodate.  I try somewhat to sort according to size.  Once I commit to a set of posts, I can try to cram the shelves.  Helps a lot, but I don't even know how many forms I'm dealing with.  Maybe 10% of my load is repeating forms.  Most pots are experimental to some degree or other.  It's pretty fun, but not really at glaze and load time.  So cleanup's intimidating.

[Callie Beller Diesel]

I hated glazing with the passion of a thousand fiery suns when I left all my glaze decisions until everything was bisqued. Having a plan in the making phase, even if the plan is subject to change, makes the job a lot faster and a lot more manageable. I don’t usually go so far as to plan my kiln stack, but I try and cluster things of a similar height on my shelves. 

 

Having a plan does not lead to less glaze on my floor, however. Or fewer glaze dishes to wash. 

[liambesaw]

7 minutes ago, Callie Beller Diesel said:

I hated glazing with the passion of a thousand fiery suns when I left all my glaze decisions until everything was bisqued. Having a plan in the making phase, even if the plan is subject to change, makes the job a lot faster and a lot more manageable. I don’t usually go so far as to plan my kiln stack, but I try and cluster things of a similar height on my shelves. 

 

Having a plan does not lead to less glaze on my floor, however. Or fewer glaze dishes to wash. 

I find a limited number of glazes and glaze combinations helps too!

Another thing I do, is I will save bisqued pieces that are glazed and pull one down once in a while to do some extra decorating on.  Sometimes I only have a half hour to work and that's not enough time to sit at the wheel so I'll just grab one off the shelf and go at it with some glaze or oxide or even lustre if I have some glazed pieces sitting around.  

[kraythe]

I am just a hobbyist but id advise being careful. Powdered clay and silica floating in the air is super bad for you. I use a shop vac with a HEPA filter, a good mask and damp shop towels to clean up anything powdery.