gary navarre on wed 9 jun 10
Hay Folks,
So far I've gotten about a third of the way into the load ...
http://public.fotki.com/GindaUP/ca/kpap/unluphf2/
... after firing the Hobagama a second time for 63 hours. At first glance a=
nd feel I was certainly anxious because of the secondary ash flow sticking =
to the pots as the kiln cooled. Rick suggested and I agreed there are too m=
any leaks in the roof of the Pignose (rain washed out some lag) and possibl=
y the Bourry box so since I'm thinking of adding some length inside the Bou=
rry I might as well take the front apart, change a couple dimensions, and r=
e-lag everything tight so there are no air leaks. Since my buddies have wan=
ted to see some kind of metal stoking door I'm gonna see if I can come up w=
ith something easier than lifting a standard firebrick and a couple soaps t=
wice for every Bourry Box stoke (28ft.lbs. labor). An adjustable metal fram=
e flap with some refractory fill might help save strength for the long haul=
.
Since I only got one attempt to persuade me to leave everything as it came=
from the kiln as an aesthetic statement and no one recommended any other m=
ethods for softening the scratches from ash buildup on soft glazes while th=
e kiln cooled I got to using 400, 600, & 800 grit silicon carbide paper wet=
on the lips and insides of the bowls and a few cups. It reminds me of the =
time I went to camp and we found Petoskey Stones to polish. You'd find one =
in the water that looked cool and start rubbing it for weeks with emery pap=
er until your finger tips bled and it shined and you could see the fossils.=
For a real sharp grain or chunks of loose lag from the kiln settling in I'=
ll chip at it like a stone age arrow head maker with my trusty little 1.5" =
square of kiln shelf. When I misplaced it for a minute I used a chip of gra=
nite that just fit my fingers and the spot inside a jar that had a particul=
arly objectionable sharp you couldn't see. With enough practice I
don't usually damage the good part of the glaze and most times I loose whe=
re the sharp grain was by the next day. If I left it there you'd know it bu=
t with it gone you'll never know if it was so here are a few samples while =
I make an album of a bunch more new pots...
http://public.fotki.com/GindaUP/ca/np10/
Some of this stuff is real different from what I was expecting so if I hav=
e anything here that amounts to something it's up to you folks to let me kn=
ow what it is. After all these years I can't believe I wanted to see smooth=
shiny transparent same color glazes throughout the load. I find it hard to=
justify charging $175 for a 3" or 4" bowl that might hold a large slug of =
tea or a double shot of hooch. I suppose I could tell a guy it's a ring bow=
l for his girlfriend for her to put her wedding rings in when she comes ove=
r to a visit just to show her how much he cares. She can even keep it in he=
r overnight bag.
Thanks for looking and any comments and stay in there eh!
Gary Navarre
Navarre Pottery
Navarre Enterprises
Norway, Michigan, USA
http://www.youtube.com/GindaUP
http://public.fotki.com/GindaUP/
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