Catherine Yassin on wed 9 jun 04
In a message dated 6/9/2004 10:10:13 AM Central Daylight Time,
k.dec@COMCAST.NET writes:
> Second, the project item is loaded in the upper 4" of the kiln space! I was
> taught to cover the whole load with a kiln shelf to prevent cold air from
> cracking the work.
Melissa, I have never heard of using a kiln shelf as a buffer between the lid
and the clay pieces. Is that what you mean? I have fired pieces that are very
tall and narrow so that the bottom is on the bottom of the kiln and no shelf,
and the top is only an inch from the lid and have had not problems with the
piece cracking. I have also stacked my shelves and had pieces on the top shelf
with only a couple inches between the piece and the lid. I even have a gap
between the lid and the top of kiln so I can see at least 1/4 gap when white hot
in some places. I don't always have pieces so close to the lid, but I have on
occasions when desperate and never had a problem. I'd be interested to hear
what others have to say on this discussion.
-Cat Yassin
San Antonio (Enough of the Rain Already!!!)
sdr on wed 9 jun 04
Melissa said:
......I only have 3 nit-picking complaints: .......
I have not seen the show (and won't - no DIY), but
in response to your nit-picking:
I never cover clay while it dries; in my experience most
clay bodies don't require it. I never place a shelf over
the top layer of pots, and they don't crack. As an aside,
usually placing a top shelf is to even out the heat, and
not to prevent cracking). Finally, pots almost NEVER
require "sanding" at the bisque stage. They generally
don't require sanding at ANY stage, and sanding them
at bisque would be time consuming and put a lot of
silica in the air - not a good plan. Techniques vary, but
Bill Van Gilder's sounds like normal practice to me.
regards
Dannon Rhudy
kenneth dec on wed 9 jun 04
I have just viewed the first two shows of Bill van Gilder's "Do It =
Yourself Pottery". Bravo!!! Bill does a wonderful job. It is a testament =
to his expertise that he makes these projects look oh so simple when we =
all know, as experienced potters, nothing it that easy! Gee, who =
formulated the glaze, mixed it, tested it, built the molds, etc.! It is =
inspiring, though. I can't wait for the rest of the series. I am taping =
them, and anyone with internet access can see an encapsulated version by =
visiting the "DIY" website (www.diynetwork.com).
I only have 3 nit-picking complaints: First, Bill doesn't cover the wet =
clay while it hardens to the leather-hard state; my work always cracks =
if I don't. Second, the project item is loaded in the upper 4" of the =
kiln space! I was taught to cover the whole load with a kiln shelf to =
prevent cold air from cracking the work. Last, Bill skips a crucial part =
of the process: sanding at the bisque state. If there are any rough =
spots, they must be sanded and the dust washed of before glazing! I've =
never had a piece that didn't benefit from a careful pass around the =
edges with a sanding block.
All in all, terrific work! I only wish it were on at a more convenient =
time.
-Melissa Jeswald Dec
Melissa's Clay Designs
Boxford, MA
Earl Brunner on thu 10 jun 04
Well, it could be that your three things aren't universals. Whether one
covers or not while the clay becomes leather hard depends on a number of
factors, humidity in the area, and length of time, are just a couple. These
vary from place to place what you might need to do he might not. I would
suspect that if we polled the list MOST people do not cover the load with an
empty top shelf like you were taught. And I have next to NEVER sanded my
bisque.
Earl Brunner
Las Vegas, NV
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of kenneth dec
Sent: Tuesday, June 08, 2004 11:35 PM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Bill van Gilder's Show!
I only have 3 nit-picking complaints: First, Bill doesn't cover the wet clay
while it hardens to the leather-hard state; my work always cracks if I
don't. Second, the project item is loaded in the upper 4" of the kiln space!
I was taught to cover the whole load with a kiln shelf to prevent cold air
from cracking the work. Last, Bill skips a crucial part of the process:
sanding at the bisque state. If there are any rough spots, they must be
sanded and the dust washed of before glazing! I've never had a piece that
didn't benefit from a careful pass around the edges with a sanding block.
Carol Tripp on thu 10 jun 04
Hi Melissa,
I am almost completely self-taught via Clayart, books, videos and
experimentation. The one thing that sticks out in my mind about Pottery and
Clay is that for every RULE, there is generally an opposing method/opinion
and sometimes, several of them.
Covering work. Everyone has different clay and conditions underwhich they
work - humidity, dryness, differences in forms (thick/thin), and so on.
Some things need covering, others don't. Some times of year you must cover,
other times you would never finish if you did. Bill doesn't need to
cover...lucky guy or this could be "movie magic".
Top inside shelf in a kiln. I've tried firing with a top inside shelf and
without one and it makes not much difference at all - never had a pot crack
under any circumstance. I don't open the kiln above 150C and generally I
prefer to wait until it's a bit cooler than that. Adding that top shelf
takes away space and doesn't give any benefits as far as I can tell.
Sanding bisque is crucial?! Well, no, not really. There may some special
circumstances for doing this but in general, it is easier as well as
healthier to smooth the pots while they are on the wheel or at leatherhard
or at bone dry stage, not after they've been bisqued. For one thing, the
bits coming off get into your lungs and bounce around tearing bits off as
they go (non-medical explaination).
As for dust washing - there are loads of opinions and practices for this.
Some people never wash or wipe. Others dip the pots in a bucket. It all
depends... I live in a very dusty place and I wash all my bisque off the
night before I glaze. That's what works for me. Bill obviously lives in a
clean place where he doesn't need to wash or wipe the bisque. Lucky again.
Just remember, for every "Thou SHALT" or "Thou shalt NOT", even when voiced
on Clayart, there is just as often a "Give it a try and see what happens."
Best regards,
Carol
Dubai, UAE
Part of what Melissa wrote:
>I only have 3 nit-picking complaints: First, Bill doesn't cover the wet
>clay while it hardens to the leather-hard state; my work always cracks if I
>don't. Second, the project item is loaded in the upper 4" of the kiln
>space! I was taught to cover the whole load with a kiln shelf to prevent
>cold air from cracking the work. Last, Bill skips a crucial part of the
>process: sanding at the bisque state. If there are any rough spots, they
>must be sanded and the dust washed of before glazing! I've never had a
>piece that didn't benefit from a careful pass around the edges with a
>sanding block.
>
>
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