Jo's kiln reached it's temperature for this glaze firing, a little over 2300º F. She has the controller set to "fire down" slowly -- as opposed to simply shutting the kiln off and letting the temperature drop.
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10 years ago
Showing posts with label glaze firing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label glaze firing. Show all posts
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Monday, December 1, 2008
Journal: Monday, 12/01/08
► A very light dusting of snow is being blown around by a gusty north wind. 29ºF/-1ºC @ 1:30 AM.
► Time to throw a couple more logs into the wood stove and then go to bed. (28ºF/-2ºC @ 4:45 AM)
► Blog Post on Nature in the Ozarks: Buck Deer in the Garden
► So far today is much better than yesterday -- and better than today's forecast too. (Partly cloudy, blustery north wind and 40ºF/4ºC @ noon)
► Unfortunately, the weather seems to be coming into compliance with our forecast. Clouds are moving in and we appear to be heading toward overcast. (40ºF/4ºC @ 1 PM)
► Jo made a run into town. She had some orders to mail plus routine grocery shopping, etc. Jo said the line at the post office was long, but she'd used Click-N-Ship and her packages were ready to be mailed. All she had to do was hand them to the clerk, which is exactly what she did. Some of the other people in line acted as if they did not appreciate her jumping to the front of the line, but she really didn't. She stacked her packages on the counter in front of a closed clerk's window. She didn't take up any of the one working clerk's time. And, anyone who wants to spend the time online can use the Click-N-Ship service.
► Jo also bought some "extra" food. When we do Christmas Showcase down in Little Rock, we stay with a friend. A couple of other artist also stay. Everyone brings food and we have potluck meals in the evening after the show. Jo is making King Ranch Chicken.
► Spent several minutes looking for my knit cap before heading outside. Only when I gave up looking and decided to put on a ball cap instead did I discover the knit cap on my head. Nap time? (Still 40ºF/4ºC @ 3 PM)
► Back from our afternoon walk. Can't believe I found a violet blooming. (Varying between partly and mostly cloudy, moderate north wind and 35ºF/1ºC @ 5 PM.)
► After alternating between partly and mostly cloudy all day, our skies finally cleared around sunset. We got a good look at the conjunction of the moon, Venus and Jupiter.
► Jo is loading her kiln for the last glaze firing before our last art fair of the season. Not all the glazed pots will fit. Which pots go into the kiln and which stay behind? What are we going to sell this weekend? (Mostly clear, light north wind and 30ºF/-1ºC @ 8 PM)
► Last pre-show glaze firing underway. 29ºF/-1ºC @ 11 PM
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► Time to throw a couple more logs into the wood stove and then go to bed. (28ºF/-2ºC @ 4:45 AM)
► Blog Post on Nature in the Ozarks: Buck Deer in the Garden
► So far today is much better than yesterday -- and better than today's forecast too. (Partly cloudy, blustery north wind and 40ºF/4ºC @ noon)
► Unfortunately, the weather seems to be coming into compliance with our forecast. Clouds are moving in and we appear to be heading toward overcast. (40ºF/4ºC @ 1 PM)
► Jo made a run into town. She had some orders to mail plus routine grocery shopping, etc. Jo said the line at the post office was long, but she'd used Click-N-Ship and her packages were ready to be mailed. All she had to do was hand them to the clerk, which is exactly what she did. Some of the other people in line acted as if they did not appreciate her jumping to the front of the line, but she really didn't. She stacked her packages on the counter in front of a closed clerk's window. She didn't take up any of the one working clerk's time. And, anyone who wants to spend the time online can use the Click-N-Ship service.
► Jo also bought some "extra" food. When we do Christmas Showcase down in Little Rock, we stay with a friend. A couple of other artist also stay. Everyone brings food and we have potluck meals in the evening after the show. Jo is making King Ranch Chicken.
► Spent several minutes looking for my knit cap before heading outside. Only when I gave up looking and decided to put on a ball cap instead did I discover the knit cap on my head. Nap time? (Still 40ºF/4ºC @ 3 PM)
► Back from our afternoon walk. Can't believe I found a violet blooming. (Varying between partly and mostly cloudy, moderate north wind and 35ºF/1ºC @ 5 PM.)
► After alternating between partly and mostly cloudy all day, our skies finally cleared around sunset. We got a good look at the conjunction of the moon, Venus and Jupiter.
► Jo is loading her kiln for the last glaze firing before our last art fair of the season. Not all the glazed pots will fit. Which pots go into the kiln and which stay behind? What are we going to sell this weekend? (Mostly clear, light north wind and 30ºF/-1ºC @ 8 PM)
► Last pre-show glaze firing underway. 29ºF/-1ºC @ 11 PM
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Saturday, November 29, 2008
Journal: Saturday, 11/29/08
► Overcast, calm and 43ºF/6ºC @ midnight.
► A very brief, very light rain shower earlier. 42ºF/5ºC @ 4:30 AM.
► The tops of our sweet gum trees are full of cedar waxwings scarfing down the seeds in the recently opened sweet gum balls. (Overcast, calm and 45ºF/7ºC @ 10 AM)
► Blogger is moving too slowly for me and my dialup to accomplish anything. (Overcast and dreary , calm wind and 47ºF/8ºC @ 1 PM)
► Light drizzle fall off and on. (45ºF/7ºC @ 2 PM)
► Not quite mizzling, but very, very close. 44ºF/6ºC @ 4:45 PM.
► Heading back down to my dungeon -- I mean "shop". (45ºF/6ºC @ 7 PM)
► Jo is in the final stages of a countdown, waiting for the pots in the kiln to cool enough she can safely remove them. Then, she'll reload and do another glaze firing. Pots removed while still too warm cool too fast and can crack, or the glaze might craze badly at the very least. I'm not looking forward to seeing this month's electric bill.
Jo got the kiln reloaded with no problem. A few hours later, I started the glaze firing at midnight. The reason we waited a few hours before starting the firing was so that Jo will be up and around Sunday morning when the firing reaches the point where in needs monitoring.
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► A very brief, very light rain shower earlier. 42ºF/5ºC @ 4:30 AM.
► The tops of our sweet gum trees are full of cedar waxwings scarfing down the seeds in the recently opened sweet gum balls. (Overcast, calm and 45ºF/7ºC @ 10 AM)
► Blogger is moving too slowly for me and my dialup to accomplish anything. (Overcast and dreary , calm wind and 47ºF/8ºC @ 1 PM)
► Light drizzle fall off and on. (45ºF/7ºC @ 2 PM)
► Not quite mizzling, but very, very close. 44ºF/6ºC @ 4:45 PM.
► Heading back down to my dungeon -- I mean "shop". (45ºF/6ºC @ 7 PM)
► Jo is in the final stages of a countdown, waiting for the pots in the kiln to cool enough she can safely remove them. Then, she'll reload and do another glaze firing. Pots removed while still too warm cool too fast and can crack, or the glaze might craze badly at the very least. I'm not looking forward to seeing this month's electric bill.
Jo got the kiln reloaded with no problem. A few hours later, I started the glaze firing at midnight. The reason we waited a few hours before starting the firing was so that Jo will be up and around Sunday morning when the firing reaches the point where in needs monitoring.
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Thursday, August 21, 2008
Journal: Thursday, 8/21/08
Midnight: Started a glaze firing for Jo. Actually, the kiln is programed to start the firing
automatically. All I do is start the exhaust fan and take an electric meter reading. Jo keeps track of how many KW are used for each firing.
Jo's been putting off this firing for a couple of days because thunderstorms were in our weather forecast. Losing electricity at the wrong time could ruin this load of pots. Rain continues in our forecast, but the chance of storms looks small, so she decided to risk the firing tonight.
3:00 AM: Went back over to the studio and closed the lid on Jo's kiln. During the early part of the firing the lid is left open slightly so that the fumes emitted by the glazes as they heat can escape.
The rain has stopped again for the time being.
Pandorus Sphinx Moth posted on Nature in the Ozarks.
4:00 AM: Bedtime. Jo washed the dogs' bedding, but our rain and overcast skies prevented it from getting dry. Jo substituted an old towel inside the dogs' crates. Our problem child, Bucket, didn't want to go the bed because the old towel did not meet with her approval. 70º
10:00 AM: Light rain and drizzle continue. Another .9" of rain in the gauge since this time yesterday. That makes a total of 2.4" since this session of rain began. 73º
10:45 AM: OMG! The sun just broke through the clouds, a very brief glimpse of sunshine.
Noon: That bit of sunshine earlier was just a tease, and not even very much of one of those. Have seen no more sun.
Kiln fired okay. Jo is holding it at upper temperature for a while and then will slowly reduce the temperature before letting the kiln begin fully cooling.
2:00 PM: This could be just another tease, but the sun really seems to be breaking through the clouds now.
3:00 PM: Another very brief shower followed by the sun again. Our temperature is slowly beginning to climb and it's getting a little steamy.
5:00 PM: Skies continuing on a trend toward partly cloudy. Took our afternoon walk up to the gate. Non-threatening enough that I took the camera along. I'm glad I did because we found a terrific dung pile just teeming with insect life.
7:00 PM: Jo made a trip up to the main county road. She'd ordered a pair of shoes that were being shipped via UPS. The UPS tracking site said they'd been delivered, but we hadn't receive the package. That generally means that the UPS driver has left the package with our neighbors instead of bringing it all the way down to the house. Sure enough, Jo's package was at the B's house.
The B's also had a stray dog they were trying to find a good home for. It was a long-haired dachshund, not your typical country stray. Jo said it was very cute. I'm sure it was, but Jo knows as well as I that with our two dogs we already have about one-and-a-half dogs too many.
The dogs' bedding hanging out on the porch finally got dry today. I'm sure Bucket will be glad to have her crate furnished more to her liking tonight.
automatically. All I do is start the exhaust fan and take an electric meter reading. Jo keeps track of how many KW are used for each firing.Jo's been putting off this firing for a couple of days because thunderstorms were in our weather forecast. Losing electricity at the wrong time could ruin this load of pots. Rain continues in our forecast, but the chance of storms looks small, so she decided to risk the firing tonight.
3:00 AM: Went back over to the studio and closed the lid on Jo's kiln. During the early part of the firing the lid is left open slightly so that the fumes emitted by the glazes as they heat can escape.
The rain has stopped again for the time being.
Pandorus Sphinx Moth posted on Nature in the Ozarks.
4:00 AM: Bedtime. Jo washed the dogs' bedding, but our rain and overcast skies prevented it from getting dry. Jo substituted an old towel inside the dogs' crates. Our problem child, Bucket, didn't want to go the bed because the old towel did not meet with her approval. 70º
10:00 AM: Light rain and drizzle continue. Another .9" of rain in the gauge since this time yesterday. That makes a total of 2.4" since this session of rain began. 73º
10:45 AM: OMG! The sun just broke through the clouds, a very brief glimpse of sunshine.
Noon: That bit of sunshine earlier was just a tease, and not even very much of one of those. Have seen no more sun.
Kiln fired okay. Jo is holding it at upper temperature for a while and then will slowly reduce the temperature before letting the kiln begin fully cooling.
2:00 PM: This could be just another tease, but the sun really seems to be breaking through the clouds now.
3:00 PM: Another very brief shower followed by the sun again. Our temperature is slowly beginning to climb and it's getting a little steamy.
5:00 PM: Skies continuing on a trend toward partly cloudy. Took our afternoon walk up to the gate. Non-threatening enough that I took the camera along. I'm glad I did because we found a terrific dung pile just teeming with insect life.
7:00 PM: Jo made a trip up to the main county road. She'd ordered a pair of shoes that were being shipped via UPS. The UPS tracking site said they'd been delivered, but we hadn't receive the package. That generally means that the UPS driver has left the package with our neighbors instead of bringing it all the way down to the house. Sure enough, Jo's package was at the B's house.
The B's also had a stray dog they were trying to find a good home for. It was a long-haired dachshund, not your typical country stray. Jo said it was very cute. I'm sure it was, but Jo knows as well as I that with our two dogs we already have about one-and-a-half dogs too many.
The dogs' bedding hanging out on the porch finally got dry today. I'm sure Bucket will be glad to have her crate furnished more to her liking tonight.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Unloading the Kiln
Jo found the remote shutter thingy and decided to photograph herself unloading the kiln after a glaze firing.
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