Kiln opening

rockm

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A bonsai friend and I ventured up to Ron Lang's workshop this weekend. Ron was opening up his kiln that was loaded with bonsai pots. I was amazed at what came out of the kiln. Picked up a couple of pots, wished I could have brought back a dozen more.

First pic is the front door of Ron's huge wood-fired kiln as yet unopened. The second is of the fire box used to stoke the thing for a few days. The third photo is Ron opening the door up--yeah it's still warm--even though the air temp is around 40 F and raining. Fourth shot is the full kiln. That's only the first row of about five rows back in the kiln.
 

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mcpesq817

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I made the 3 hour trip with rockm, and I have to say that it was well worth it. Ron was kind to make a great custom oval for me that came out exactly as I had hoped it would, and I ended up picking up three other pots as well :rolleyes:

Ron Lang doesn't seem to get much press here, but I have to say that I've been really impressed with his work - great proportions, well crafted bottoms with plenty of drain and tie holes, and an amazing range of glazes that work perfectly for bonsai. He really "gets" what pots for bonsai should be. To top it off, he and his wife are incredibly nice people, and they really make you feel like you are valued customers.

Hopefully this thread, along with the others that rockm posted, will encourage more people to consider him for their pot needs. His website is: www.langbonsai.com, and he does travel to various shows, including the Spring Show in early May at the National Arboretum in DC.
 

Brian Underwood

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Awesome! I always wondered if anyone was wood firing bonsai pots, and now I know. Any pics of individual pots/glazes?
 

JudyB

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my pot is in there somewhere, can't wait to see it. Had him make a custom pot for my beech... it's a round blue gray...
 

rockm

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Kiln opening final

Here are a few more (closing) shots of the opening.

The first is a big cascade that will hold a big San jose Juniper. The tree was at the opening, as the owner had commissioned the pot for the tree. He brought the tree along to make sure it "fit." The tree was a stunner, won in a raffle for $10 and designed and worked by a California/japanese expert (can't remember the name as I am getting old).

The second photo is of the shelves deeper in the kiln. Note the huge pot at the top of the pic. There was one larger which was a 24" or more wide glazed dish that was to comissioned to hold a huge ficus. I didn't get a pic of it though.

Third pic is more detail of more pots. The fourth is of the empty kiln...
 

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tmmason10

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Awesome pics and great pots, I will keep his website handy I really like their work.
 

mcpesq817

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Here are some new pictures of Lang's pots...I might have bought one or two of the ones I am posting :rolleyes:
 

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mcpesq817

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More pots...
 

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mcpesq817

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And some more...the first one was a custom job Ron made for me for an american hornbeam (though I may end up using it for a trident), and the second I will likely use for a collected cedar elm.
 

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Fangorn

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Thanks for sharing the pictures. I've always been a fan on Ron's pots at Mid-Atlantic
 
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rockm

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Mike,

Thanks so much for posting these.

That last pic of the 27" round doesn't convey the scale -- that was one BIG pot.
 

mcpesq817

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I should have added that it was really easy working with Ron in ordering a custom pot. I sent him a few pictures of my tree, along with a virtual to show ultimately what I thought the "final" image might look like. I had some basic ideas on glaze color, shape, feet, etc. which I shared with Ron.

In return, Ron gave me his thoughts, and sent me a number of pictures of sample pots showing different glazes, shapes, rims, feet, etc. A couple of emails later we were all squared away. The most difficult part of the whole process was trying to decide from the many nice options :D I believe that Ron also charges the same for a pot, whether it is a custom job or not.

So, in case anyone is worried about the difficulty or cost in ordering a custom pot, I just wanted to pass along that the process is actually quite easy, and not any more expensive than buying a pre-made pot at a show. It was actually a lot of fun, and felt better than going to a show and buying a pot where you're taking a good guess that it will work for a particular tree. The added benefit of the kiln opening is that you feel like a kid at Christmas time when the doors to his kiln open :D
 

JudyB

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I should have added that it was really easy working with Ron in ordering a custom pot.

I have to agree strongly with you on this. I went through the same process with Ron with a pot for my beech tree. You actually show it in your pictures, it's the 16" blueish round.

But here is where it's really a statement about how great it is to work with him, and how much he cares about the product.

This was the first time he's tried for this particular glaze combo, and it didn't come out as expected (too blue, not a cool enough blue...) So he is going to do it over and make me a new pot for the Feb. firing. He didn't even bat an eye, offered to do it before I even asked. THAT is great customer service. So if anyone is looking for a really nice blue/grey round pot, he has that one for sale.
 

mcpesq817

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Ron had a lot of really nice blue glazes that came out of the recent firing - it sounded like he was experimenting with various combinations and coming up with really cool results. I'm sure you'll be very satisfied in the end :D
 

JudyB

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Ron had a lot of really nice blue glazes that came out of the recent firing - it sounded like he was experimenting with various combinations and coming up with really cool results. I'm sure you'll be very satisfied in the end :D

Yeah, I know I will be, thank goodness it's not spring yet, I can visualize the tree in it's new pot already. I may actually go over if he does another opening to pick it up...
 
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