Eleanor on mon 11 feb 02
Under the benign influence of The Book, I fired my Skutt 1020KM
(controller) using the slow cooling program suggested by Ron and
John, with one minor change. Up to now, I had used the Cone Fire Mode
at slow speed which is automatic and which the kiln does
well---witness cones are always properly bent.
I have a bunch of glazes, some from CM, many from Clayart (thanks
Alisa) and some from books I own or have borrowed from the library.
Many of them are nice, but not perfect.
For this firing, I used the glazes I like plus three from The Book.
The clay is Tucker's smooth white.
Unloading the kiln was a joyful experience. The glazes I like are
perfect: no pinholes, pings or runs. And they have NUANCES:
highlights, depths, crystals. They were nice before--now they're
gorgeous! Two of The Book glazes are wonderful: the liner is smooth,
creamy and inviting inside the mugs and a blue matte looks just like
the picture. One glaze didn't "travel well"--I will try to modify it.
As a person with a mental block against chemistry, I like the
approach in this book. It is gentle, unintimidating, calming. I think
college students would find it useful. It ought to be a college text.
The Book: Mastering Cone Six Glazes--John Hesselberth and Ron Roy
Eleanor Kohler
Centerport, NY
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