Brenda Z on sat 5 jan 02
John said:
"But to get good results from an electric kiln you have to put the same
level of effort and attention into learning how to fire the kiln and
supervising the actual firing as you would for a gas kiln. You probably
have to put more effort into learning how to formulate a decent glaze."
Jonathon said:
"We all have different requirements but the starting point has always
been and will continue to be sound fundamentals and the desire to make
them not only better, but to work in an exemplary fashion for each of us
in our own particular situation."
I think that those of us who started in clay in community centers look for
recipes because we don't initially understand that recipes don't travel. We
also don't have the necessary skills for formulating our own glazes.
Before I set up my own studio, I took night classes from community centers and
local potters for many years. In all those courses, glazing was always treated
as an after-thought, and the kiln was always loaded and fired outside of class
hours. When I first fired my kiln I thought that the "proper" way to fire was
to turn on the kiln at night, then let it turn itself off in the morning when it
reached the "cone 6 temperature". This is how things were always done in the
studios where I took lessons.
I was also lacking in the "sound fundamentals" that Jonathon talks about.
As far as I know, in my area these fundamentals must be "self-taught" through
books or clayart (unless one is lucky enough to find a mentor who knows
something about glaze formulation). There are about thirty different places to
take "pottery classes" within an hours drive of my house. I haven't been able
to find a glaze course or a glaze workshop at any of these locations.
It is only in the last little while that I have begun to find books that have
been helpful in learning how to formulate cone 6 glazes. I have yet to find a
helpful book on how to fire an electric kiln. I am sure that the new book by
John and Ron will remedy this situation.
Brenda Z.
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