Opening the Kiln

Opening a kiln after the firing is always fascinating because you get to see things in layers as the bricks come down from the top to the bottom. I have a hard time resisting pulling pots immediately once I can reach them in order to have a photo like the one above with, well, most of the pots still in there (I'll admit to some back-of-the-stack swiping).

Once again the back corner was the hottest area in the kiln and had some great ash coverage. This also means the shelves are going to have to have a good cleaning (not my favorite task!).

The front corner was pretty dry again, and did not hit cone 10. I think I am going to make it more spaced out in that corner to get more air flow and try out some glazes.

Big decorated pot

I finally got around to firing a big pot I made while working with Joseph Sand last winter. It's been sitting for a little while, so I was glad it didn't break and was pleasantly surprised at how vivid the blue turned out! All of these pots are out just in time for the Triad Pottery Festival this weekend at the Greensboro Farmer's Curb Market! We'll be there on Saturday at the farmer's market from 6am-12:00 with fresh flour, produce, and pottery, and then I will be there on Sunday for the pottery show. Come visit!

Kiln Baking

 Perhaps it was the anticipation of a tasty snack after the kiln, or perhaps the excitement of trying something different. Either way, following the kiln firing today I took some biscuits I made with sausage patties I cooked last night and slices of cheese, wrapped them in aluminum foil, and baked them in the firing ports of the kiln.

 "How long do you bake a biscuit at 2000 degrees?" you might ask, well, not very long, and you should really flip it not just rotate it because the bottom gets a little too toasty.

I finished loading the kiln on Saturday, and we started it Saturday evening at around 7:00 pm. We wanted to try a different firing schedule. I also modified the exit flue in the back of the chimney by putting a row of bricks down the center to cut down on the airflow. I think this helped in the case of wood consumption and temperature climbing, but may have added to the increased reduction that I saw in comparison to the last firing.

We very professionally kept track of the temperatures by marking up a piece of wood with the temperature climbing. What fascinates me is that I could have had the kiln to temperature and probably salting by 8-9:00 in the morning, but because I was alone at the time and not expecting others to arrive for a while, I had to maintain and stall the climb. So it was nice to know that I can get the kiln rolling and possibly finished in under 15 hours, and that is with single firing. Here are some peeks into the kiln during the crash cool:

Ash covered wine cups

Cobalt blue decoration

Outline of an ornament

Fredericksburg Kiln Site

Sherds from the Fredericksburg site. From article: http://blogs.fredericksburg.com/newsdesk/2012/10/08/19th-century-pottery-site-is-major-find/

Some very exciting news from the Fredericksburg, Virginia area! A recently discovered kiln site in Fredericksburg will have the chance to be salvaged before the site is developed. This is an important aspect, because for the kiln project I have been working on there have been too many salvaged collections where the kiln wasn't found, or part of the collection was discarded, or only half of the site was able to excavated. As I tell people, for the thousands of potters we know were operating in America's history, the likely less than 200 kiln sites that have been saved/salvaged in earthenware and stoneware should be a sign of how important these sites and collections are.(Note: there has not been a comprehensive list of all of the excavated/salvaged/explored sites in America made. It would be really fun to compile, but probably a nightmare to try and locate where they are housed! Or depressing to know that they were thrown out -trust me on that one. I have seen over 30 stoneware sites in my project and a lot of other earthenware and mixed sites along the way). You can read more about the Fredericksburg site on the Fredericksburg News Desk link. The above smattering of fragments tells me so much exciting information that I cannot wait to see what else surfaces.

Francis Bell advertisement for opening a stoneware manufactory. From article: http://blogs.fredericksburg.com/newsdesk/2012/10/08/19th-century-pottery-site-is-major-find/

One of the most interesting aspects of this small collection from the site is the bisqued handle in the lower center section of the photo.The kiln sites I have seen in Virginia have had more bisque stoneware than the other sites I have seen elsewhere. I hope to explore this more someday, but I think it comes from the fact that several of those sites were making both earthenware and stoneware, and they created a great balance of their one kiln with the production of both materials. In the spring I am thinking to fire a load of earthenware in my salt kiln just to see what happens with the salt vapors and if the temperature will stay low enough so as not to create as much off-gassing. It could have also been from a very cool spot in the kiln, but if there is a lot of bisque ware coming out of the site, I think that will be a different story.
 Let's be hopeful that those salvaging the site are given ample time to perhaps find the kiln and collect as much material as they can! And that they save EVERYTHING because the importance of the object may not be noticeable until it is being cleaned and processed.

Decorating at Market

On Saturdays we are at the Greensboro Curb Farmer's Market with our farm, Emmaus Farm, and with pottery. Yesterday, because I am trying to wrap things up for a kiln firing next weekend, I took pots with me to market to decorate. It is always fun to show people that the slip I use is made with cobalt carbonate, which looks pink when I paint it on. Then to show them the blue color that it could turn in the kiln tends to make their eyes light up. If  you are in the area on Saturdays, be sure to stop by the Curb Market between 6:00 am and 12:00 pm to visit, check out our freshly ground wheat from our farm, and other available produce! Broccoli will be in soon!

Wildlife

Back side of the bird's feet  on edge of pot

Dan Finnegan sometimes experiences animals or insects eating on his pots in his studio. While I have (knock on wood) not had any nibbling mice or invasive insects, I did come back to one of my pots after lunch today and found two sets of footprints on one of my pots from what I presume was a bird hopping from one side to the other. It left a rather intriguing pattern on the rim!

Not a great photo (sorry) of both sets of prints across from one another on the rim

Front of bird's feet - see the three toe marks?

Yesterday I picked up some wood in the truck and while driving home looked in my rear view mirror to see a small lizard running very quickly up the pile of wood to the cab and then fluttering in the wind, hanging on for dear life.

Lizard transported in the wood pile

I assumed he may have met his demise by being picked up by the wind, but received a photo from my other half today showing that unless another similar looking reptile had taken up residence, it was still alive and well in the pile of wood!

Guinness, our chocolate lab, enjoying "cuddle time" in the chair (he has some sensory issues that need met every so often)

And then there's our not-so-wild life at the house including this 85 pound chocolate lab who decided it was a good idea this afternoon to spend time barking at me through the window while I was on the porch. He also peaks through the curtain while I wedge clay and generally keeps an eye on me, but the barking today was a little much.

This is what "cuddle time" really looks like because Guinness spends most of it wallowing in the chair

Pots from the Kiln

I thought I would share a few photos of some of the pieces from the kiln. The color of the clay body turned out well, a little more buff brown than the gray of the draw trials, but hopefully I will figure that out.

Some of the pieces had great ash coverage from the two consecutive kiln firings without unloading and a build up of ash. I did have a few mugs and small dishes coated in ash that didn't melt though and that was a little disheartening.

"Crock pot"

The only major piece of sculpture was the above piece where a flower pot and a pickling crock fused together at their bases. We're calling it the "crock pot" and might plant some flowers in it and put it on the front porch.
Here are a few more pieces:

Compost crock with white slip trailed design

Mug with blue and white design

First Kiln Firing Results!

Kiln door down!

 After two days of cooling, I was able to take the door down and start unloading this morning. Other than a few major stuck pots with running ash and a few pots with dry ash on them, I am very satisfied and excited about the results. Some of the cobalt blue slip designs I made on a few dishes got There was definitely a large ash build up from the first attempt last week and then the firing this past weekend. This photo is of an almost 1/2 inch build up of ash on the bottom floor of the kiln behind the door:

Ash build up

Here are the first peeks into the kiln:

Exciting blue!

Pots on the top stack when I first started removing the door

Here are the first two pieces out of the kiln, snatched from the top stack: