Sunday, February 9, 2014

Yeha, sort of success...

Well this morning I cracked the kiln after turning it off at 4:30 as I could not seem to find my temperature cones. I wasn't sure whether it was due to my eyesight and the colouration within the kiln or I had overfired due to the double firing. Orton cones are not just a temperature indicator but also the amount of heat absorbed.
My sister took a picture while I was on kiln watch.
On kiln watch
So here is what it looked like when I cracked it open.
First glaze firing
and this is what I found

You can see in the bottom left of the pictures that the cones are all well bent over and melted so officially overfired!
I have found that the white matt glaze has worked awesomely, the two browns, need to be dipped or sprayed rather than brushed but they both have possibilities. This was really a test run for these glazes and I only made up small amounts.
The underglaze colours (purchased) look good, the green is a bit muddy but may turn out better with a clear overglaze.
I am really happy with the little boxes and lids that I have made, they are great and will be the base for my work from here on in.
The weird looking things that have a round base and the upright thing is actually a spoon holder for when you are cooking. The base collects the bits that drip off the spoon after stirring etc.
The kiwi shapes and the vege shapes are for garden markers/identifiers but not sure that they are going to work. More experimentation needed here. BUT the simple pointed markers look great.
It looks like my niece will get her purple platter when I do a clear glaze over it. The underglaze worked well.
All these are done with Abbots White earthenware clay.
So off to Matamata today to get my Certificate of Fitness! (CoF)


1 comment:

  1. Waiting for pottery to cure is as great as watching paint dry!

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