Jeanette Harris on sat 2 jul 05
I just fired my first attempt at stoneware plates. I used the
stacking plate sitters and they seemed to do an okay job, but the
rims warped on a lot of the plates. Also, the clear glaze bubbled on
the underside of the rims and in some places on the surfaces.
So, after looking at the problem carefully, I have deduced:
The rims have to be the same thickness as the body of the plate. Only
the thinner rims warped. And they were being supported by the plate
sitter points.
The stacking-type plate stilts are pretty stingy on the support wire
height. And I observed that if I stack more than two plates high, the
stilts tend to bend inward due to their design. That could contribute
to the warpage also.
I might stilt the rims with more than three sitters. Mebbe four
would work better???
Anyone know of a better stilt system?
Would trimming the bottoms and firing the plates on the kiln shelf or
a set tile work better?
I must dip the plates in water to eliminate any dust that could cause
tiny bubbles*
* Did you know that tiny specks of dust in a champagne glass are what
those tiny bubbles? And no matter how well you clean the glass, you
cannot eliminate the motes, so don't even try.
Cue Neil's voice from "The Young Ones"
"Man, what a downer. Kinda take the romance outta it."
--
Jeanette Harris
Poulsbo WA
Potter's Council member
And the Queen of Trivia
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