John Baymore on thu 1 nov 01
Actually the shells are still there after the firing and interestingly
enough it seems 3-4 days after they come out of the kiln they start to
flake
and turn into powder. But straight out of the kiln they are still rather
tough. Why being in the air for a few days finishes of the process I will=
let others figure out.
The shells are in theory more or less calcium carbonate. In
reality........ that plus a lot of trace stuff. THEN there is the sea sa=
lt
that gets into the pores of them!!!! The sea salt for me is a KEY
ingredient in their "fuming" properties..... the blush that forms around
each shell. =
If you use shells from a place like Ben Franklin Crafts.... where they se=
ll
packaged shells.... they seem to have been washed........ less blush. My=
wife and I go to the shore each spring right after winter storm season an=
d
collect a years supply for the wood kiln off the beach. Combined pleasur=
e
and business . Nothing like walking a beach!
The shells are crumbly when they come out of the firing for me too.... bu=
t
most times parts of them are still somewhat intact. Sometimes completely=
intact..... but VERY soft. I think a big mistake is to try to knock the=
shells and accompanying cookie off right as it comes out of the kiln. Ca=
n
often chip the contact area.
Placing the piece with shells and cookie intact into a bucket of water
causes the shells to disolve in a couple of hours. Then you can wire bru=
sh
off the contact area, and decide how much grinding will be necessary to
finish off the spot to the nature you want.
Leaving them out in the air for a while does this too....... as the
humidity from the air accomplishes the same thing as the water
bucket........ just far more slowly.
Best,
..............................john
John Baymore
River Bend Pottery
22 Riverbend Way
Wilton, NH 03086 USA
603-654-2752 (s)
800-900-1110 (s)
JohnBaymore.com
JBaymore@compuserve.com
John.Baymore@GSD-CO.com
"Earth, Water, and Fire Noborigama Woodfiring Workshop 2002 Dates TBA"=
| |
|
