Bending cones and The Frozen Tank
I love the look of pots all laid out whether they be green ware or pots waiting to be loaded in the gas kiln, as these are. The mugs almost remind me of a regiment of soldiers, or a tightly packed school of fish all swimming in the same direction.
I’ve been finishing up a gas firing this morning, busily trying to keep the gas tank from freezing up until the propane truck finally makes it here this afternoon. We’re cutting it pretty close though.. down to less than 5% in the tank and I have the garden hose dribbling some water on it so I don’t lose gas pressure completely. Thankfully though, cone 9 is bending evenly top and bottom so we’re in the home stretch.
I made a little adjustment to the way my target bricks were positioned this time (an experiment) in hopes of making the firing more efficient. Evidently it has had some effect because the last time the kiln was stacked similarly, I had a good cone or 2 difference from top to bottom . I guess I’ll only know for sure once the kiln is opened.
Looking forward to this kiln opening. I have several pots in there with clay from our new clay deposit I mentioned in my last post.
December 5th, 2008 at 6:57 pm
I am not familiar with the term “target brick”. Could you please explain what that is? Thank you.
December 5th, 2008 at 7:16 pm
Hi Jerry..
When firing a fuel driven kiln, you want the flame to reach every part of your kiln so that it fires to an even temperature throughout. With that in mind, you try to place a brick at an angle which will help to accomplish that. In my case, my kiln burners point from the back toward the front of the kiln. Instead of that flame just hitting the flat front wall of the kiln, I have placed a brick at approx a 45 degree angle to direct the flame in an upward direction. That brick is called a “target brick”.
December 13th, 2008 at 2:41 am
Wow! You really cut it close! I know it is nerve-wracking to run that low on gas and you’re a champ to go for it. More power to the brave and confident! Love your stuff! Have you ever thought about wood firing? You’re probably not that crazy.
December 20th, 2008 at 8:21 pm
I love the way these mug are all lined up too like a school or the terracotta army!
I don’t understand enough about gas firing, but hear lots of discussion about bag walls, target bricks etc. at the guild…
Hope your sale went well!
January 1st, 2009 at 9:15 am
Do you throw your mugs off the hump or directly on the wheelhead?
January 2nd, 2009 at 3:59 am
How much clay (weight wise) would you say you measure out for a standard size mug?
I find that I use to much clay when throwing off the wheel head. I have large hands being 6′2 and I’m very good at making flower vases, but since mugs are a bit smaller I’m unsure on how much clay to use.
Thanks again.
January 5th, 2009 at 6:12 am
Simply amazing.
I’m so glad I live in an age when I can get help from people miles away!
January 5th, 2009 at 6:33 am
Fail Sauce…
The only book I could find was “Functional Pottery: Form and Aesthetic in Pots of Purpose”
but it’s not on amazon or B&N. But I’ll keep and eye out for it.
December 13th, 2008 at 10:21 pm
Thanks Gary. I just went as long as I could thinking, of course, “no prob, the propane truck will be here ANY time..” Little did I know.. So I was just plain lucky
A wood kiln are in the plans, actually. The price of propane and natural gas both have been skyrocketing along with the price of gasoline these last few years (Propane has more than doubled in 5 yrs), so we were thinking wood as a more affordable and potential alternative for when we can’t afford to fire with propane anymore. ..would be an adaptation out of necessity. I love woodfiring btw and I like the idea of being able to be potentially even more self-reliant when it comes to making pots.
January 1st, 2009 at 3:03 pm
I *have* and *can* throw mugs off the hump, but I prefer to throw them right off the wheel head (most of the time I use a bat). I find I use less clay and trimming takes less time.
January 3rd, 2009 at 3:35 pm
Well.. it depends on the size mug I want to make. For a 12 ounce mug I usually use around 1 1/4. For a 10 ounce, maybe a pound. Of course, depending on the clay you’re using and its shrinkage, mug sizes will vary. I usually weigh out my clay before I start.
Robin Hopper’s book “Form and Function” has a great reference chart for how much clay to use for what kind of pots. (Actually, the book is an excellent all round reference book that really goes into the nuts and bolts of design and functionality). You can probably check it out at your library if you don’t already have it.
January 5th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
Hey Brian.. sorry I must have been having a bit of a moment. The name of his book is actually “Functional Pottery: Form and Aesthetic Pots of Purpose” ..that’s the one. I just found it on Amazon for around $29
http://www.amazon.com/Functional-Pottery-Form-Aesthetic-Purpose/dp/0873418174/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1231174286&sr=8-2 Hope that’s a help!