David Hendley on tue 26 aug 08
----- Original Message -----
>I have mentioned Robert Genn's Twice Weekly newsletter before on Clayart
> http://www.painterskeys.com/subscribe/#top
> Todays newsletter Unconscious Confidence is a good read that answers
> the statement I will only make pots for me better than I could.
> I think Taylor in Texas still reads this newsletter.
> All the best,
> Tony
I've been reading the Twice Weekly newsletter for 2 years,
since Tony first recommended it. I don't see how the guy
can keep it going week after week. After 8 years I
sometimes struggle for a new topic to write about for my
Clay Times column, and that comes around just 3 times a
year at this point. Anyway, I certainly admire Robert
Genn's commitment and generosity.
I guess I have been fortunate that I've always wanted to
make things that are also easily accessible to an "average"
customer. Even though other potters have implied that
I am "selling out", I truly like making rutile blue bowls
and mugs, use them myself, and am constantly trying
to refine the forms, decorations, and glazes. It's okay
for others, but I have no desire to make gnarly pots.
I do believe that you should make what you want to
make. It may be a tough sell and hard to get established,
but eventually you will be able to develop a market for it.
Since I haven't checked in with Clayart in a while (but
have been scanning it), here's what else has been
happening around here:
I bought 3000 pounds of Blackjack clay filter cakes last
week. John Morrison is selling the business, but at least
they are back in production. To that 3000 pounds, I add
another 1000 pounds of kaolin, fine grog, feldspar, and
silica and run it through my big pugmill. It is a big, tiring
job, but I will have clay for more than a year.
I dragged out my International Harvester hammer mill,
to make grog out of broken bisque ware. Unfortunately,
I had not used it for several years, so I had to spend most
of a day cleaning the gas-turned-to-sludge out of the
engine. The rest of the day was spent rotating the
"hammers" (they are expected to wear down, and there
are 4 surfaces that can be used on each one).
So, I spent a whole 8 hour-plus day to make about 30
pounds of grog. How's that for efficient use of time?
Regarding all the "fast fire kiln" discussion, all I can say,
after 18 years of experience in firing one exclusively, is
that you will be hard pressed to find a better design,
if you want even, reproducible, and reliable
firings. Any wood kiln without opposing fireboxes will,
without a doubt, not be as even. There is not even a
half-cone differential in my kiln, front-to-back,
side-to-side, or top-to-bottom.
My modifications to the design (they will be explained in
Mel's book-video project) make it a very long-lasting kiln.
The grates are designed to be reversible and flip-able.
I recently had to install new grates - the previous ones
lasted for 10 years of steady production work, with
firings at least once a month. I seriously doubt that any
other design involving ceramic grates could last so long
without cracking a breaking.
These are substantial grates! One inch diameter sucker
rod (high quality steel used in oil wells), with thick 2"
angle iron sides, welded with a big AC welder and about
50 pounds of high penetration rods. I paid my local
welder $320 for them. Since they should be good
for another 10 years, that comes out to maybe $2.50
a firing. I can handle that.
David Hendley
Maydelle, Texas
david(at)farmpots(dot)com
http://www.farmpots.com
Lee Love on tue 26 aug 08
The most common uneven heat temp in the original Olsen I have heard
users of the design describe is a cool spot at the bottom, opposite
the flue.
This could be easily dealt with buy doing a flue channel between
the boxes and then using brick spacing under the first kiln shelves to
disperse the path of the exiting flame.
Euan firers his design very evenly. I purposely set up my
flue bricks to create heat zones that range from cone 13/14 at the
fireface where you don't have to put glaze on the outside of pots
(does anybody know of anybody who fires an Olsen that doesn't have to
glaze or salt all the work?) 11 at the top door for shinos, cone 9 for
the traditional Mashiko clay and glazes and cone 6 Bizen in the flue
channel.
You can get four types of work without having to fire four
different kilns.
Commercial makers make us think even is the only way to fire.
They don't understand how traditional potters listened to the kiln,
understands the different zones and gives the kiln what it needs.
I am with Mackenzie on this when he once said, "An even firing
kiln isn't worth a damn." ;^) Except maybe, for bisquing.
--
Lee Love in Minneapolis
http://mashikopots.blogspot.com/
http://claycraft.blogspot.com/
"Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground." --Rumi
June on tue 26 aug 08
David, I'm with you on your love of rutile blue. I've never had any of the color prejudice we often see from other potters. I used rutile blue for twenty something years until I got in soda firing. Now I use a bright blue in my celadon base that I use as a liner for small bowls and some mugs.
We've heard people on Clayart over the years rag on the color blue. Maybe we need to create an anti-defamation color league! LOL
Thirty five years ago I got interested in pottery after my first, hand made, piece of pottery - a Karen Karnes casserole. The love of that pot is what got me into clay.
I love making and using functional pots. No gnarly pot making here. I love some of those gnarly pots, but they don't live in me - at least not yet.
Don't remember who said this, but it's lovely wisdom: "You don't have to make pots you like. You just have to like the pots you make".
Regards,
June
http://www.shambhalapottery.com
http://shambhalapottery.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/sodasaltfiring/
----- Original Message ----
From: David Hendley
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Sent: Tuesday, August 26, 2008 3:45:19 PM
Subject: Robert Genn's Twice Weekly newsletter
----- Original Message -----
>I have mentioned Robert Genn's Twice Weekly newsletter before on Clayart
> http://www.painterskeys.com/subscribe/#top
> Todays newsletter Unconscious Confidence is a good read that answers
> the statement I will only make pots for me better than I could.
> I think Taylor in Texas still reads this newsletter.
> All the best,
> Tony
I've been reading the Twice Weekly newsletter for 2 years,
since Tony first recommended it. I don't see how the guy
can keep it going week after week. After 8 years I
sometimes struggle for a new topic to write about for my
Clay Times column, and that comes around just 3 times a
year at this point. Anyway, I certainly admire Robert
Genn's commitment and generosity.
I guess I have been fortunate that I've always wanted to
make things that are also easily accessible to an "average"
customer. Even though other potters have implied that
I am "selling out", I truly like making rutile blue bowls
and mugs, use them myself, and am constantly trying
to refine the forms, decorations, and glazes. It's okay
for others, but I have no desire to make gnarly pots.
I do believe that you should make what you want to
make. It may be a tough sell and hard to get established,
but eventually you will be able to develop a market for it.
Since I haven't checked in with Clayart in a while (but
have been scanning it), here's what else has been
happening around here:
I bought 3000 pounds of Blackjack clay filter cakes last
week. John Morrison is selling the business, but at least
they are back in production. To that 3000 pounds, I add
another 1000 pounds of kaolin, fine grog, feldspar, and
silica and run it through my big pugmill. It is a big, tiring
job, but I will have clay for more than a year.
I dragged out my International Harvester hammer mill,
to make grog out of broken bisque ware. Unfortunately,
I had not used it for several years, so I had to spend most
of a day cleaning the gas-turned-to-sludge out of the
engine. The rest of the day was spent rotating the
"hammers" (they are expected to wear down, and there
are 4 surfaces that can be used on each one).
So, I spent a whole 8 hour-plus day to make about 30
pounds of grog. How's that for efficient use of time?
Regarding all the "fast fire kiln" discussion, all I can say,
after 18 years of experience in firing one exclusively, is
that you will be hard pressed to find a better design,
if you want even, reproducible, and reliable
firings. Any wood kiln without opposing fireboxes will,
without a doubt, not be as even. There is not even a
half-cone differential in my kiln, front-to-back,
side-to-side, or top-to-bottom.
My modifications to the design (they will be explained in
Mel's book-video project) make it a very long-lasting kiln.
The grates are designed to be reversible and flip-able.
I recently had to install new grates - the previous ones
lasted for 10 years of steady production work, with
firings at least once a month. I seriously doubt that any
other design involving ceramic grates could last so long
without cracking a breaking.
These are substantial grates! One inch diameter sucker
rod (high quality steel used in oil wells), with thick 2"
angle iron sides, welded with a big AC welder and about
50 pounds of high penetration rods. I paid my local
welder $320 for them. Since they should be good
for another 10 years, that comes out to maybe $2.50
a firing. I can handle that.
David Hendley
Maydelle, Texas
david(at)farmpots(dot)com
http://www.farmpots.com
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