Terra Cotta: My musings on...and resulting actions with.

[HorseloverFat]

Tomorrow, I will be going to pick up this baby kiln's sibling, from the same gal I got the first one from! They're moving to CO.

So yours wants to go even more now!

Sorce

 

[HorseloverFat]

Went to check for my 14 hour (On big-boy flame) check.. and I had (essentially) run out of gas, and had choked out somewhere in that time period.. so I “called it”.. we shall see what happened in the morning...

No matter how the pieces turned out.. this first FIRE.. while actually being able to chart my “rise” and directly effect it/alter it to my benefit has been IMMENSELY satisfying!! I’ve learned SO much.. just today!!

 

[HorseloverFat]

Well.. matured my clay.. STARTED to “activate” my glazes.. so I’m RIGHT there.. SUPER exciting to stand back and observe my “data”

Also a piece of sandstone(?) got heated white and cracked off.. I shall use it!

Those shelves fit PERFECT!

 

[sorce]

Nice. This is going to get a lot easier for you.

Do you fire with the head all the way in like that?

They recommend I believe 2 ft for proper combustion of gasses before any obstructions, which you can't, actually you can reach it if you find a piece of 6 or 8 inch drain pipe, cast or clay, to blow that flame through before it hits the kiln.

I would worry that, without proper combustion, you may blast gasses into the wall, which may congregate and explode.

Probably just keep the flame lower too, and adjust your damper/chimney for rise if possible.

It kinda blows because 90% of the things available to read about gas firing are wrong, inefficient, dangerous even

Too, no one is firing bonsai pots from raw, this is a beast on a beast.

Sorce

 

[HorseloverFat]

That “x feet before obstruction will REALLY help me!!

I was wondering why my “oxidation flame/environment” LOOKED like a “reduction flame”

thank youuuuu!!

Firing again.. soon!

 

[HorseloverFat]

Nice. This is going to get a lot easier for you.

Do you fire with the head all the way in like that?

They recommend I believe 2 ft for proper combustion of gasses before any obstructions, which you can't, actually you can reach it if you find a piece of 6 or 8 inch drain pipe, cast or clay, to blow that flame through before it hits the kiln.

I would worry that, without proper combustion, you may blast gasses into the wall, which may congregate and explode.

Probably just keep the flame lower too, and adjust your damper/chimney for rise if possible.

It kinda blows because 90% of the things available to read about gas firing are wrong, inefficient, dangerous even

Too, no one is firing bonsai pots from raw, this is a beast on a beast.

Sorce

I’ve been called a “beast” my entire life.

 

[HorseloverFat]

I feel successful also in the fact that, besides the piece that “stuck”.. my “batches” and forms are holding up very well..

This guy has been fired twice... Sorce has dibs... if I can ever get my glaze to activate.


It also sat outside, between firings.. for my coldest months.. so that’s progress, as well.

 

[sorce]

forms are holding up very well.

I was thinking this as well, you haven't blown anything up and they are coming out sound!

I have been making



For side and upside down firing glazed pieces.
This wadding is fireclay, silica sand, coffee grounds, and firebrick dust.

The shells calcine and react with the glaze, but dissolve in water.

So if you had to fully glaze your pieces to keep em from taking water, it's possible.

Seems like you don't though!

Sorce

 

[HorseloverFat]

I was thinking this as well, you haven't blown anything up and they are coming out sound!

I have been making

View attachment 363039

For side and upside down firing glazed pieces.
This wadding is fireclay, silica sand, coffee grounds, and firebrick dust.

The shells calcine and react with the glaze, but dissolve in water.

So if you had to fully glaze your pieces to keep em from taking water, it's possible.

Seems like you don't though!

Sorce

COOOOOOOOOOL!!

 

[HorseloverFat]

...and “Thanks!”

 

[HorseloverFat]

Started a batch...

Fine Grog/ Slab “ash”

As i cannot 100 percent identify the composition of the super-heated and pulverized slab, this batch will not be able to be replicated...

So in about a week, after daily “workings”... I COULD start throwing shapes.

Clay pulling in a few days!

 

[HorseloverFat]

So back to some Alchemy... These are more on the “mad scientist” portion of the spectrum and less “shamanic”. I will resume my “ash experiments” soon. Realizing that, at the temperatures that I “play” with, MOST wood ashes are fairly useless (outside of the matte arena), as i cannot melt them, and you can’t flux ash (I do not believe, not enough boron in the world), changes my approach a bit..

HOWEVER.... herb/vegetable ash behaves differently... seems their ash composition, as well as if I JUST burned foliage, would melt down considerably sooner... so we will be doing some crazy stuff soon.
Also day 4 of wedgin’, poundin’, rollin’ and sweatin’. (On the slab”ash”/fine grog batch)

We’re getting there...

5 more days, at the VERY least...

...I’m pretty excited.

 

[HorseloverFat]

Clay pulling... also big, “oxide rock” which I took many crumbly pieces of.

 

[HorseloverFat]

Also found this crumbly stone.. it appears to be degraded.. but not by oxidation alone. hmm.

I shall pulverize, mesh.. and use it as temper.

 

[HorseloverFat]

Also my studies into the differences between the high-melting hardwood ash, and the (previously) unknown melting points of vegetable/herb ash led me to a few medieval glassmaking articles...

It seems that TeaLeaf ash/sand and PepperLeaf ash/sand melt down around 1100-1300...

Groovy!

 

[HorseloverFat]

@sorce ?

 

[HorseloverFat]

I’m at 500 in the first hour, with the flamethrower....

It that...

Ok?

 

[HorseloverFat]

This burner has a different.. “personality”...


SO fascinating!!!

 

[HorseloverFat]

4hrs.

 

[sorce]

4hrs.
View attachment 364562

I gotta feeling you are going to make it today.

Sorce