primalmommy on thu 29 mar 07
Clay mixing: Dave, the semester's first "almost unusable" batch of clay
suffered dearly from a lack of good slop barrel liquid. It was dry
mixed, as you said, with just enough wet slop (plus sink water) to make
it workable. In retrospect, if the key really is wet sloppy mixing and
an excess of water, that would make sense. We also tried to throw with
it the same day we mixed it, and it was a new clay body for both of us.
Speaking scientifically, of course, the fact that we're now a) used to
it, b) better throwers and c) less whiny might all be considered
variables in why the current clay is better. I have to believe, though,
that it's the magic of the slop barrel, which now runneth over with
scrap from the undergrad classes (slaking, in all that extra water). I
have taken to bringing my own wet, aged slop buckets from home with a
mix of clays, to add to the class slop used as a base. The more really
wet stuff I use the better the clay feels. Maybe it is the extra
water/wet slaking. If I add just enough dry ingredients to make it
workable, I'm happy with the results.
That might be the secret with my slop buckets at home, as well, since
they are stored as slop with a few inches of water on top, and freeze
and thaw with the seasons.
Oddly, I have made a similar discovery about artisan breads. Adding
enough flour to a loaf to make it easily workable with the hands can
result in a cakey bread with sad crust, a tight crumb and no air
bubbles. Bread that begins in a sponge or batter-like poolish, and rises
wet and relatively undisturbed on a floured towel or in a rising basket,
makes a lovely, chewy, crusty and bubbled loaf (especially in my wood
fired oven). Diana gave me some wonderful recipes for breads that
basically are left on their own to do their thing, overnight or longer,
and plopped onto a baking stone... the key is time!
Wood firing: The cat's away, but I'm wood firing this weekend with
Patrick Green (fellow MFA student, pal, part time roomie and Dave
McBeth's former student. Patrick's name is easy to remember, because if
you cover up the "A" on the kiln posts they all say "P. Green".) We had
planned to fire on the 10th, but one helper bailed, the weather looked
dicey, and then Diana came to town and offered an opinion that nothing
on my shelves looked good enough for the wood, so we cancelled.
This time, though, we're firing, come hell or high water. We're looking
at a short stretch until the end of the semester, when Patrick heads
back to Tennessee and I start making pots for sale in my own Ohio studio
to pay next year's tuition. I have a batch of new pots at EMU, and
either they are better than the last batch, or I have adjusted my level
of giveashit about what my profs will say ;0) so they're now in the
train kiln waiting for flame.
P. and I are working out a process for parceling out shifts and
work-slots for organizing future firings, and I would be grateful for
any suggestions clayarters might offer. We're keeping track of how long
each task takes, with plans to make a "firing sign up sheet" to be used
in the future by a rotating "firemaster". We don't want to get stuck
with cleanup once everybody has done the fun part and gone home, or end
up holding the bag when people don't show up to stoke a shift. We don't
want to get stuck doing all the loading, and then be blamed when
somebody's pot doesn't get good ash or flash. So we're keeping track of
time, and how many people might work together most efficiently on each
project, and hope to come up with some kind of
kiln-space-per-hours-worked formula.
Between putting the kiln shelves out on the glaze table to pre-plan how
many pots go in what spot, making the wadding, getting the kiln site
ready, and loading/stacking, P. and I worked about five hours tuesday
night and wednesday just getting ready to fire. There's still a lot of
wood to cut.
We're planning to start a small bright fire friday afternoon, stoke it
slow-and-easy, one person shifts overnight, then really hit it early
saturday morning to finish up by saturday afternoon. It's mostly my pots
and Patrick's in the kiln, with a few pieces here and there from
classmates who have offered to come stoke a shift.
We really are learning as we go, and know we're operating on theories,
but what a lot of theories we've developed! It's like fishing... so
many variables that we'll never run out of things to try, and talk
about, and speculate over. We're using some pine this time to get a
lower melting ash. (Patrick's dad makes cub scout pine box derby kits,
and he brought back bags of scrap.) We're burning some wood with bark
along with the usual hardwood strips because Jack Troy's book suggests
that provides better color. We're burning some green wood because Tony
C. thinks it helps push the heat down to the cool end and even out the
firing. P. sprayed some pots with soda ash to see what it does, and I
messed around with terra sigs. We'll never know what, if anything,
worked, but it will give us something to talk about later over hard
ciders at the Side Track tavern.
I love how many decisions there are to make. I have made choices about
my clay body. I have chosen to make pots that require lots of choices,
and then proceed to the decoration choices, glaze choices, and now the
firing choices. If I set this little ewer between Patrick's big jars in
the firebox end, where will the flame lick? Will the ash settle? Will a
long slow firing give us warmer temps at the cool end by the next day?
The farther we get into the process and the decision making, the more I
find my brain completely engaged.
I'm not all that thrilled with the notion of being alone on the edge of
campus after midnight, stoking, just as a safety issue. Patrick joked
that I should bring a big stick, and I told him that I have a nice
little stick made by Messrs. Smith and Wesson (I used to do documentary
work in a tent, alone, in Pacific Northwest logging camps) but I am
pretty sure campus regulations wouldn't approve.
So I have pulled the pop-up camper out to the driveway and am airing it
out and filling it with sleeping bags and mulberry limbs. I'll haul it
to the EMU parking lot near the kiln on Friday and then go to bed in it.
It seems like the best of both worlds. One person can stoke alone, while
another sleeps nearby, within shouting distance. If the flame attracts
bar-closing drunks to come and visit and they're not friendly (or
they're too friendly), I won't need a stick if I can whistle for
Patrick. He's really a polite, friendly southern gentleman (just ask
"Miss Diana") but at 300 pounds he makes a pretty imposing backup.
I am off to cut mulberry branches. I'll keep you posted. If I had
wireless on my laptop I could send updates from kilnside but you'll just
have to wait ;0)
Yours
Kelly in Ohio, where it's cold still but the grass is greening, the
forsythia hinting at buds, and one purple crocus has stuck it's head up
in the lawn, still looking for the elderly lady who planted it 20 years
ago...
http://www.primalpotter.com
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Lee Love on fri 30 mar 07
On 3/30/07, primalmommy wrote:
> each task takes, with plans to make a "firing sign up sheet" to be used
> in the future by a rotating "firemaster". We don't want to get stuck
Every kiln needs one captain. I don't think the Salmon can make the
Lamprey do much. You and Pat need another Salmon or two.
> that provides better color. We're burning some green wood because Tony
> C. thinks it helps push the heat down to the cool end and even out the
Once you get to a good temp, it works pretty good. You can also
put water on the coals or spray it inside, like soda solution.
> firing. P. sprayed some pots with soda ash to see what it does,
Spraying doesn't seem like enough. I dip bisque and also
refires in a saturated soda ash solution. It works well on porcelain
and light stoneware.
> I'm not all that thrilled with the notion of being alone on the edge of
> campus after midnight, stoking, just as a safety issue. Patrick joked
> that I should bring a big stick, and I told him that I have a nice
> little stick made by Messrs. Smith and Wesson
A big dog is good company. They don't complain about 4am and
can wake up at the drop of a hat.
--
Lee in Mashiko, Japan
Minneapolis, Minnesota USA
http://potters.blogspot.com/
"To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts." -
Henry David Thoreau
"Let the beauty we love be what we do." - Rumi
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