Ceramic Design Group on fri 15 apr 05
Jon touched on the drying issue and just to add to this...
Potters often look at drying as just putting the finished wares out in
the shop and just having the temperature and humidity differential
between the ware and the atmosphere in the shop do the trick. Usually
works. But handles crack, pots deform, slabs warp.
However, drying is often the most under-looked area in how potters
approach making their wares. In fact, drying is a HUGE science and
there is alot of literature out there devoted to it. Lawrence talks
about it quite well in "Ceramic Science for the Potter" and ACERS has a
new text about drying ceramics. Its quite technical.
Industry devotes much time and energy(no pun intended) to drying their
products. My colleague Cameron Harman(Ceramic Services) makes dryers of
all sizes and shapes for both potters and industry. They use
microprocessors to control the flow of warm air and controlled humidity
reductions over time, all programable based on the load, to dry the
ware correctly, that is, remove the water from the inside of the ware
outward in a controlled way to eliminate warping and other defects.
They are beautifully constructed and ruggedly designed, and yes,
costly. Put a ware cart of trimmed ware in, set the computer, and in
the morning, load them in the bisque kiln. Bone dry, and dried
correctly.
Jonathan
Jonathan Kaplan
Ceramic Design Group
PO Box 775112
Steamboat Springs CO 80477
(970) 879-9139
Plant location for commercial deliveries excluding USPS
1280 13th Street Suite K
Steamboat Springs CO 80487
info@ceramicdesigngroup.net
www.ceramicdesigngroup.net
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