Ruth Kravetz on tue 2 jan 01
Jackie, I have a couple of suggestions that work well for me. They =
are dependent upon the weight and size of the piece that you want to =
reduce and the ability to either make or acquire a set of tongs with =
which you may reach under and cradle the work.
The difficulty with the sphere is the easiest to resolve. Either =
"glad hand" (as someone else suggested) it or reach in with a pair of =
tongs that will craddle the sphere from beneath. Both are easy to do, =
though glad-handing is much more exciting (get a friend to take a =
picture of you pulling the pot out of the kiln with the wet folded =
newspaper. If you leave a bit of the paper dry it will burn and this =
makes for a pretty cool image......especially if the photograph is taken =
after dark or in reduced light.)
The sculpture may prove to be a bit more of a problem. If it's not =
to heavy, place it on a piece of broken kiln shelf that is nice and =
stout and is large enough for you to reach underneath with a pair of the =
tongs that I have described. Pick the shelf and the sculpture out of the =
kiln as a unit (the shelf supports the sculpture.) Place the entire unit =
into your favorite reduction chamber. I generally place three half =
bricks inside the bottom of the can in which the piece is to be reduced. =
Be sure that you carefully lower the unit onto the triangular =
arrangement of bricks. You'll need to take a dry run through this to =
make sure that there is enough clearance for the piece, the tongs, and =
the opening of the tongs once you get the piece, shelf and tongs into =
the can. This method has worked well for pieces up to about 2 ft tall. =
The largest spheres have been about 18 inches, though there is no reason =
that you can't go bigger.=20
The way to get to the height that you will need to be able to lift =
the pieces out of the kiln is to build or cobble together a stabble, =
sturdy platform that you can easily step up onto and off of. It is =
better to have wider steps than narrow ones. The reason that I suggest =
you build yourself a platform is that I don't think you'll have much =
luck reducing the work in place (though I could be mistaken.) There is =
the problem of the residual heat contained in the kilns firebrick and =
shelving. This prevents quick drop in temperature that is responsible =
for the crackle effect and has always resulted in reoxidation of my =
glazes.
A note on safety. When it comes to firing larger, heavier pieces I'm =
very careful!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My wife has christened =
me OSHA boy. Keep in mind that the margin for error is greatly reduced. =
I wear an adjustable helmet with a polycarbonate face shield used in =
foundries. My hair is safely tucked away in a bandana. I wear a good, =
loose fitting pair of jeans, a t-shirt, welders shirt and a pair of =
"NOMEX" coveralls (their fire retardant) that people wear in the =
refineries around here. I also wear a pair of safety glasses beneath the =
shield and a pair of elbow length Kevlar gloves. My feet are protected =
by a good pair of boots. If I had one, maybe you do, I'd wear a fire =
jacket for the larger pieces (I think you can purchase one from your =
local foundry or safety supply company though they were quite expensive =
the last time I checked.) When lifting, use your legs as much as you are =
able. I wear one of those lumbar supports when lifting heavier pieces.
If you want a drawing of the tongs (their not pretty but they work =
well) I'll be happy to send you one. Contact me off the thread. My =
e-mail address is mudman@hal-pc.org
=20
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