Pres Posted February 11 Report Share Posted February 11 I was looking at my poor kiln today, thinking I needed to fire a load soon, when I realized I haven't fired a load since September of last year. It used to be that I would fire a kiln at least once a month, sometimes twice. Back then I had a an L&L 23 that had 5 sections. I would mostly fire the 4 sections, but often in the Summer it would be all 5. It would hold a lot of pots, and I could fire some pretty tall thrown vases and jars. However, when it came to plates it was tough to get very many in with the diameter at 23. The new kiln fires many plates at a time since it is a 28" diameter, but it is shorter so tall stuff is more limited. I really don't make a much of the taller stuff anymore mostly limited to 36' including the lid with handle/decoration. Seems of late I will get a load ready at an average of once every 2 months in the good weather. QotW: How many times a month/year do you fire your kiln/s? best, Pres Hulk, Kelly in AK and Hyn Patty 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted February 11 Report Share Posted February 11 Good question I post my yearly firings for many years here and did so a few weeks ago here Kelly in AK and Hulk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted February 12 Author Report Share Posted February 12 @Mark C.I knew this, and thought it would be good to urge others to post how often they fired. No Snark about you pointing it out! best, Pres Hulk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denice Posted February 12 Report Share Posted February 12 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 Hulk, Kelly in AK, Pres and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Min Posted February 12 Report Share Posted February 12 I aim for 2 glaze loads a week. During the busy times I have 1 kiln firing while the other is cooling. Hulk, Kelly in AK, Hyn Patty and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeU Posted February 13 Report Share Posted February 13 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. Hulk, Kelly in AK and Pres 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyn Patty Posted February 13 Report Share Posted February 13 (edited) I fire daily some weeks, and only a couple of times a week other weeks. But I am often firing my very small Olympic Doll kiln and only have one to three pieces in it at a time. I only once in a while fire my larger Skutt. If I'm working on a larger piece then I may fire it a few times a week for a while until that project is done. Then months may go by without using my larger kiln unless I have a larger load. A lot of my equine sculpture gets fired several times in the underglaze layers, then clear glazed, then may be fired a few more times with overglazes to build up the complex finishes I am known for on my horse pieces. Especially if I did any claybody resculpting to the bisque then a piece might easily be fired 10 or 12 times (and in rare cases more). So that can be a lot of trips in and out of my kilns! Some days I have both kilns firing at the same time so they each have their own dedicated breakers. Even with such a heavy firing schedule I have managed after 20 years to keep both of my kilns in pretty good shape. My Olympic is starting to show wear and tear and needs to be rewired now (still haven't gotten to that yet) but my Skutt still looks shiny and almost brand new. If I had to make an average over the whole year, I fire about twice a week. Some weeks I fire every day, some weeks I take off from firing to work on sculpting, molds or resin casting, etc. But my art studio is my full time job and I am best known for my ceramics, so... Edited to add a couple of photos. This was a larger piece than usual for me, almost 15 inches long. So I had to fire him in my larger Skutt instead of my little Olympic. This was a porcelain bisque I resculpted the mane and tail on, made a new custom base for, and then custom glazed. He was fired, I kid you not, exactly 20 times. What a PITA! Not a project I will take on again for a client anytime soon but he did come out very lovely and my client was well pleased! Took a little extra TLC with packing him too, foam blocked and double boxed of course. I was firing my Skutt a LOT when I was working on his china painting and enamel layers to build his color. This is the Cybis 'Nashua' racehorse sculpture by JK Slick. The brass halter ring was added after firing and due to the sculpture being porcelain, I attached the earthenware base using epoxy rather than trying to attach it in the kiln (and likely recracking later). So anyway, pieces like this are why I fire so often. Many layers can be delicate and need to be set and built up with a number of firings. It took me all year to complete this commission due to various delays & distractions, other deadlines, etc. I think it would be cool if you all posted a sample of your work with your reply or a shot of a typical kiln load, something! Edited February 14 by Hyn Patty Pres, LeeU, Hulk and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hulk Posted February 14 Report Share Posted February 14 Rainy today, good, err, ok for glazing! "Good" on account o' I don't bike or yard work in the rain, hence more time to glaze. "OK" on account o' no midday sunshine to warm up the Studio and no setting pots out in the sun to dry faster*. Was doing seven to ten glaze loads/year, however, an accident (October 2022), then moving, some projects, and a few other things came up ...one glaze load in the new kiln at our new (to us) home since Fall 2022, glazing for the second load now. Hope to get back to filling the kiln every month or so. Before, I felt like there's a volume/time threshold where improvements ramp up, where there's some longer sessions and higher frequency, bringing along established "standards," and making time to explore variations, new shapes, sizes, forms, clay ...new stuff as well as moving along with the most familiar. I like having a seven (6.7) cubic foot kiln to fill. There's enough repetition to get rhythm, but not too too much. *I'm letting the pots thoroughly dry after liner glazing before glazing the outside - sunny weather is faster. ...add on that I wax, cut the transition, sponge for a sharp line - there's wait for the wax to dry, wait for the sponge-away moisture to dry, that's three waits. Getting part of the load to the next step asap helps march them all along, like pipeline processing, heh. Hyn Patty 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denice Posted February 16 Report Share Posted February 16 Isn't it annoying how life gets in the way or working in the studio. I wanted to test some more slip recipes, I was getting my glaze materials together and realized I was out of it. The next formula I was missing a material for it. I decided to go pick them up the next day. It was such a beautiful day we ran errands and went out for a nice Valentines dinner. Today my husband woke up with a terrible cold, I got up and discovered the home we left in a mess. Grocery that we had pick up were all over the counters, the dishwasher needed to filled and ran and the laundry I had started was all over the laundry room. To top it off it was trash day. I spent the day putting the house back together. Maybe tomorrow life will give me a break. Denice Pres and Hulk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly in AK Posted February 28 Report Share Posted February 28 The gas/soda kiln (finished work) gets fired 4-6 times a year. Sometimes it’s jam packed, others it’s a little more roomy. I had to scroll through photos to double check my guess. That’s two of us making pots in the studio. No big operation, but steady. Of course at school it’s different, the kiln’s going constantly, feels that way anyway. Though it’s not my work or kiln I still squeeze some tests in there and things that work for me I’ll use with my kids. It’s been a great opportunity to learn and be a better ceramics teacher. Pres, Hyn Patty and Hulk 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted February 28 Author Report Share Posted February 28 @Kelly in AK, I became a much better potter after teaching others, and a much better potter also. I look at teaching ceramics more like coaching, because we are teaching a skill that requires certain movements and body positions along with assembly of parts. I believe shop managers/supervisors of last century were much like coaches also. best, Pres Kelly in AK, Hulk and Hyn Patty 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denice Posted February 28 Report Share Posted February 28 I taught a summer ceramic class one time, it was a level two throwing class. I was surprise that most of the students didn't know about body movement and the type of tension in the hands and arms. I was just filling in the regular teacher was there with injured hands she guided them with the assembly of parts and glazing. Denice Kelly in AK and Hulk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinR Posted March 1 Report Share Posted March 1 I think I will be firing my kiln for the last time tomorrow. At 84 it is getting too hard to lift those full shelves into my 7cu ft Olympic 5 burner updraft kiln. I think I'll go back to doing my firing at the studio that my group runs. Lin Kelly in AK, Pres, Denice and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hulk Posted March 1 Report Share Posted March 1 I'm-a start saving for lightweight shelving! Kelly in AK and Pres 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted March 2 Author Report Share Posted March 2 Im hoping to snag some lighter half shelves at NCECA this year. I need a few more shelves to pack a few more patens into the kiln. Kit came with only 8 half shelves. One more witll allow me to fire 16 patens to a firing. best, Pres Hulk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hulk Posted March 2 Report Share Posted March 2 I broke a half shelf in the moving process last year. The pieces (I'd trimmed off the ragged edges with the tile saw (wet saw) can be handy. A full shelf, or another half shelf is on my shopping list; the vendor was all out last time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pres Posted March 2 Author Report Share Posted March 2 My bad, my E28M kit came with 6 half shelves. So adding the extra two would allow me to have 12 to 16 depending on the size of patens and whether I use a broken shelf to raise two of the patens to fit 4. I am using the kit shelves that are pretty heavy, but the half is light enough. I will get the lighter shelves for the second layer from bottom as that is the furthest bend/reach. Next two layers are easier. best, Pres Hulk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denice Posted March 2 Report Share Posted March 2 I also use my lighter shelves on the bottom and the heavier one on top. I would like to find someone to mentor, they could learn from me and help with heavy lifting. I had a couple of people in mind who started in clay during Covid. Once things got back to semi normal they lost interest in it. It would also be good to have someone that could put the studio equipment to good use when I am no longer around. I would rather give it to someone who is a serious clay person than sell it. Denice Pres and Hulk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawnhar Posted March 3 Report Share Posted March 3 Twice a week when I am trying to catch up and restock, otherwise twice a month(ish), stupid life stuff gets in the way of my pottery all the time! Pres and Hulk 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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