mel jacobson on mon 6 oct 08
just some observations...as many of you know, i do both.
we can fire our small stoneware kiln at the farm in
about four plus hours...a first firing when damp
may be six hours.
we fired twice this weekend.
bob anderson got some very nice shino, a few very nice
copper reds, and some wonderful variegated red to green.,
i did some black and red.
these are very fast firings.
we let them cool over night.
but, i must say...when i fire for 11 hours in my big
kiln, things are different. my rhodes is different...maybe
deeper and richer at 11 hours with a down fire.
one could say:
it depends on what you want, but bob's pots were
very nice...andy got some terrific pots. but, they
are different when fired slow.
it depends on what you want.
we probably used 12 gallons of propane and fired
about 40 pots per firing. the results were just fine.
i prefer the 11 hour firing with the down firing for most
of my work. i take my time.
start the kiln at full power and back off as i reach cone
3-4, reduce from cone 011 or so, and keep it in light reduction
for the entire firing. as i reach cone 9 i turn the kiln down
even more. if i fire on high gas at cone 9 the kiln will stall.
it is barely on at cone 11. i bend cone eleven to almost touch
the shelf. my glazes need heat.
i like to roll the cranberry red at the foot ring. i use a glaze catcher
just above the foot ring. it works well.
so. it depends on your glazes, how fast your kiln will fire and
the amount of fuel you can get by with. i like to conserve fuel.
never waste a drop. that is my motto. but, what i need to fire
the best pots possible for me, is what i use.
i try to fire for 100 percent perfect pots in my kiln.
so:
i never over load the kiln.
i never over power my kiln to get heat rise.
i never block the flue.
i never over reduce...it just ruins pots and wastes fuel.
i never have smoke or flame coming from my chimney.
(as i say...`neighbors never know when i fire, ever`.)
we even fire our wood fueled kiln in a prudent manner.
same for salt. prudent gives the best results. the macho
drinking, beer spilling, ass grabbing does not happen at our
kilns. the kilns site is clean and well organized. we try to
keep things orderly and safe. we watch our kilns like hawks.
i have five fans going in my kiln room when firing. keep the air
moving. no hot spots. lots of fresh air.
i use alarm clocks to keep me alert.
i start my kilns in the early a.m. and always load the kilns in the
evening and fire early morning, nothing in my way til the kiln
is satisfactorily fired, then buttoned up.
it is like flying a plane.
do it with precision and perfection.
you get to place a from point b. every time.
you follow a map and save fuel. no real short cuts.
you know what you want, what it should look like, and then
you are happy. others do not tell me what to make, or what
it should look like...i make those decisions.
i never need the next issue of cm to help me decide
what my aesthetic is.
it is like driving your car. you are in charge...if you let
the guy behind you make you go too fast...you are stupid.
let him speed on ahead...pull over if you need to.
but, he or she does not affect my driving...i want to get to
point b...healthy. as happens...i guy roared by me saturday.
gave me the finger....i just smiled as he was pulled over by
the sheriff on the county road...that cost him at least $200
and the cop has a credit card reader on his dash...you just
hand over the credit card, or you spend the night in jail.
not for me. just like my kiln...i do it my way.
mel
from minnetonka:
website http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
clayart site:
http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html
=?ISO-8859-1?Q?Elliott_Faur=E9?= on tue 7 oct 08
Greetings Mel,
You stated:
*"i never block the flue."*
and*
"i never have smoke or flame coming from my chimney. (as i say...`neighbors
never know when i fire, ever`.)**"*
Could you further elaboration on how you induce reduction. Burner intake
adjustment?
I have read before that you have an Oxygen probe which I assume you use to
confirm a reducing atmosphere.
Interested!,
EF
On Tue, Oct 7, 2008 at 12:15 AM, mel jacobson wrote:
> just some observations...as many of you know, i do both.
> we can fire our small stoneware kiln at the farm in
> about four plus hours...a first firing when damp
> may be six hours.
>
> we fired twice this weekend.
> bob anderson got some very nice shino, a few very nice
> copper reds, and some wonderful variegated red to green.,
>
> i did some black and red.
> these are very fast firings.
> we let them cool over night.
>
> but, i must say...when i fire for 11 hours in my big
> kiln, things are different. my rhodes is different...maybe
> deeper and richer at 11 hours with a down fire.
>
> one could say:
> it depends on what you want, but bob's pots were
> very nice...andy got some terrific pots. but, they
> are different when fired slow.
> it depends on what you want.
>
> we probably used 12 gallons of propane and fired
> about 40 pots per firing. the results were just fine.
>
> i prefer the 11 hour firing with the down firing for most
> of my work. i take my time.
> start the kiln at full power and back off as i reach cone
> 3-4, reduce from cone 011 or so, and keep it in light reduction
> for the entire firing. as i reach cone 9 i turn the kiln down
> even more. if i fire on high gas at cone 9 the kiln will stall.
> it is barely on at cone 11. i bend cone eleven to almost touch
> the shelf. my glazes need heat.
> i like to roll the cranberry red at the foot ring. i use a glaze catcher
> just above the foot ring. it works well.
>
> so. it depends on your glazes, how fast your kiln will fire and
> the amount of fuel you can get by with. i like to conserve fuel.
> never waste a drop. that is my motto. but, what i need to fire
> the best pots possible for me, is what i use.
>
> i try to fire for 100 percent perfect pots in my kiln.
> so:
> i never over load the kiln.
> i never over power my kiln to get heat rise.
> i never block the flue.
> i never over reduce...it just ruins pots and wastes fuel.
> i never have smoke or flame coming from my chimney.
> (as i say...`neighbors never know when i fire, ever`.)
>
> we even fire our wood fueled kiln in a prudent manner.
> same for salt. prudent gives the best results. the macho
> drinking, beer spilling, ass grabbing does not happen at our
> kilns. the kilns site is clean and well organized. we try to
> keep things orderly and safe. we watch our kilns like hawks.
>
> i have five fans going in my kiln room when firing. keep the air
> moving. no hot spots. lots of fresh air.
> i use alarm clocks to keep me alert.
> i start my kilns in the early a.m. and always load the kilns in the
> evening and fire early morning, nothing in my way til the kiln
> is satisfactorily fired, then buttoned up.
> it is like flying a plane.
> do it with precision and perfection.
> you get to place a from point b. every time.
> you follow a map and save fuel. no real short cuts.
> you know what you want, what it should look like, and then
> you are happy. others do not tell me what to make, or what
> it should look like...i make those decisions.
> i never need the next issue of cm to help me decide
> what my aesthetic is.
>
> it is like driving your car. you are in charge...if you let
> the guy behind you make you go too fast...you are stupid.
> let him speed on ahead...pull over if you need to.
> but, he or she does not affect my driving...i want to get to
> point b...healthy. as happens...i guy roared by me saturday.
> gave me the finger....i just smiled as he was pulled over by
> the sheriff on the county road...that cost him at least $200
> and the cop has a credit card reader on his dash...you just
> hand over the credit card, or you spend the night in jail.
> not for me. just like my kiln...i do it my way.
> mel
>
> from minnetonka:
> website http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
> clayart site:
> http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html
>
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