Lori Doty on mon 1 may 06
Well all the time I spent yesterday morning with my hand held propane
torch did get the sawdust caught and it smoldered all day. I pulled one
piece yesterday evening and it was a dark black with some iridescence
of green to it. With this being my first barrel I am actually rather
pleased. The sawdust was not all dry and it had been used by some cats
for a litter box so I didn't know what to expect. I had also put in
some generic plant food to try and get some color.
This morning I pulled some more pieces. Some had variegation of grey to
black with an orange like tinge and I did notice some bright green
spots. I expect the orange is from the wood tar but I like it none the
less. Scrubbed a few of the pieces with old toothbrushes and lava soap
to get the last bit of char off of them and then used a lotion bar on
an old towel that is made of mostly bees wax to buff the surfaces
with. I didn't have floor wax and didn't want to have to run to the
store this late so I gave the hand lotion bar a shot. Shined up nicely
and the pots smell of smoke and vanilla (nice).
The visitors for the open studio tour were interested in the process
but did not want to get dirty. I did sell a couple of pots and got a
larger mailing list. Quite a few people took my business card and I'll
see how much of a response I get over the next few months.
Again thanks for the advice and I will keep trying different
combinations to see what really gives good color for what materials I
have on hand. I plan on using some ground up expired medications in the
next barrel to see if they do any good. (There are benefits to working
full time as an office nurse other than having weekends off)
Lori Doty
Nurse/Potter
Slowly turning the tide.
Rolla, Missouri
Where it rained again today and so far no leaks in the basement unlike
last year.
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