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

[sorce]

Refractory Cement in that chair will only fall in like out of the lid.

Remember, the cement is to hold the bricks, the bricks insulate. The cement doesn't insulate.

Sorce

 

[HorseloverFat]

Refractory Cement in that chair will only fall in like out of the lid.

Remember, the cement is to hold the bricks, the bricks insulate. The cement doesn't insulate.

Sorce

Awesome... i’ll scratch that idea. Hahaha!!

i do still have my little refractory franken-bricks that i will be using inside.

 

[HorseloverFat]

Yes! That’s right.. the cement us just good at MOVING (transference) the heat, correct? A higher aluminum content.

 

[HorseloverFat]

It has been bouncing between rain and suuuper high humidity.. maybe today i’ll get that dirt around the kiln...

 

[sorce]

It has been bouncing between rain and suuuper high humidity.. maybe today i’ll get that dirt around the kiln...

Dry it first!

Sorce

 

[HorseloverFat]

Dry it first!

Sorce

Gotcha! I shall wait. Drying has been real slow-go ing because of the humidity and rain.. just getting antsy.

 

[HorseloverFat]

Still waiting for the kiln to dry out.. i’ll start lighting a stick or two in it at a time, or one little cardboard scrap at a time, tomorrow.

In the meantime.. more clay!

I’ve since worked on it a little more...just took a picture after my hands were clean the first time.

It’s relaxing me(ish) while I waaaaait.

 

[HorseloverFat]

Is it cracked and stupid-looking.. yes...

But it’s mine.. and I love it.

 

[sorce]

Nice. Do you have an IR thermometer? Or anything to read temps?
If it ain't popped yet, you're probly good! That a little raging fire!

Sorce

 

[HorseloverFat]

Nice. Do you have an IR thermometer? Or anything to read temps?
If it ain't popped yet, you're probly good! That a little raging fire!

Sorce

I do not.. yet..

For two days i would light small fires inside..(cardboard.. one two lats at a time) 1st day: open, 2nd day: closed

Then last night i started building REAL fires in it.. it was a nail-biter.. i just would peek my head out the door at it.

But the fire this morning went for almost two hours with no “Incident”....

Gotta get more wood.

 

[HorseloverFat]

 

[HorseloverFat]

So four hours in.. aaand I melted the lid a bit... aaand had some pretty serious “crackage” aaaand my frontmost fire.... uh.. “railing” fell in.

Not discouraged at all.. i’ll make a new lid and i’m going to be “burying” the main body.

 

[HorseloverFat]

 

[HorseloverFat]

After the “soak test”

 

[HorseloverFat]

 

[HorseloverFat]

We shall see...

 

[sorce]

Get yourself a rolling pin and some slats. I used plastic hangers as slats before affording a proper slats kit. Roll them slabs even.

Let it dry a bit more before rolling and shaping.

I been using a sink drain piece to cut holes, but in my search for something smaller, I found the metal of some broom handles thin enough to also cut holes.

Work on fabric, I pick up 4x8 sheets of thick woven stuff from Walmart. The stiffer the better. Stay on the lookout for some Hardie backer board too, it's better than fabric.

As a general rule, if it's sticking to anything, let it dry more.

Sorce

 

[HorseloverFat]

As a general rule, if it's sticking to anything, let it dry more.

Thank you!

This is NOT how i’ve been operating!

This changes everything.

 

[HorseloverFat]

 

[HorseloverFat]

Decided to take my weird lid “for a spin” anyways today.

About 4 and a half hours fed....

I didn’t get a pic through the hole at the pieces... but I believe i judged it correctly...

I will test them tomorrow to be certain.