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

[sorce]

My mother used to run a small pet shop. She could not compete with Walmart in a geographical location such as this. All the “storefront” product remains in basement storage, however, and I often “snoop around” and see if there is anything I can use for my various projects.

I found this today. Now I know this might not mean much.... but to someone experimenting with low-fire glazes (it’s own animal)... it’s a neat find.
View attachment 342925View attachment 342926

The other day, I found some useable things in the trash. One was fireworks, and the other...



It could be less grog....

Grog doesn't shrink, so too much leaves nowhere for shrinking clay to shrink to.

Almost every break is related to shrink in one form or another.

That foot stuck cuz the heavy reduction it took melted the outside of the clay too far. The other feet stuck a bit too, but it only needed on tension release point. Good news, more oxidized bits of that dark clay I mixed came out with a pimp sandy texture, lovely orange to brown color, and vitreous.



Sorce

 

[HorseloverFat]

The other day, I found some useable things in the trash. One was fireworks, and the other...

View attachment 342943

It could be less grog....

Grog doesn't shrink, so too much leaves nowhere for shrinking clay to shrink to.

Almost every break is related to shrink in one form or another.

That foot stuck cuz the heavy reduction it took melted the outside of the clay too far. The other feet stuck a bit too, but it only needed on tension release point. Good news, more oxidized bits of that dark clay I mixed came out with a pimp sandy texture, lovely orange to brown color, and vitreous.

View attachment 342944

Sorce

Hehe! Nice! (About the ear cleaner)

And I meant along the lines of, “More broken, bisque-fired pottery to pulverize FOR grog.”

That(those) color(s) is(are) Tigglin’ Jitties for sure!

 

[HorseloverFat]

So I needed a little shelf for my little kiln.. the fact that I haven’t made/been using one is, in hindsight, somewhat ludicrous as this one fabrication would assist me SO greatly.

So using some of the remaining “fabric-clay” batch from the construction of my new lid, I made this..

A stupid.... little.... shelf.... hooray!

 

[HorseloverFat]

Some ingredients for glaze experimentation... sUh-weet!

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

So, when you start producing good pots, will you ship them to Europe?

 

[HorseloverFat]

So, when you start producing good pots, will you ship them to Europe?

We’ll beat that particular horse when we get to that particular river!
(I enjoy mixing and matching analogies to make them nonsensical )

Once I start making decent products.. I will re-assess.

 

[sorce]

I will re-assess

Emphasis on ass!

Mule up!

Sorce

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

We’ll beat that particular horse when we get to that particular river!

Look, sorce isn't budging. There's a market gap, demand but no supply.
I believe in you man, you got this!

When in Rome, make terracotta! It wasn't built in a clay, but that's mostly what's left! All roads lead to Europe.
I'm not growing ponderosa, banksiana, longaeva, ERC, J. Osteosperma and scopulorum to end up in European pots, I do it to form a bond. Re-establish old trade routes. Alliance.

 

[HorseloverFat]

Siftin’ down some ashes for experimental “Diviner’s Glaze”... mostly Mary-Jane, Sage, and Palo Santo .... but theres some juniper, mugwort and rolling paper ash in there as well... I’m doing many ash experiments... just wanted to share the most SEEMINGLY interesting idea.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

Have I been using too many of my own rolling papers or is there an ash gecko curled up in that pot?

 

[Kanorin]

Since I know you're into tinkering, I'm just going to send a tinker-target idea for you that you might find fun.
Super craggy rocks/slabs for landscape plantings.
Jan Culek has done some nice examples of what I'm talking about.

 

[leatherback]

Have I been using too many of my own rolling papers or is there an ash gecko curled up in that pot?

stop rolling

 

[HorseloverFat]

Have I been using too many of my own rolling papers or is there an ash gecko curled up in that pot?

NICE! Even the deviation where the “tail-fat” reserves start! I totally see it!

 

[HorseloverFat]

Since I know you're into tinkering, I'm just going to send a tinker-target idea for you that you might find fun.
Super craggy rocks/slabs for landscape plantings.
Jan Culek has done some nice examples of what I'm talking about.

Thanks for this! That got bookmarked! Those would be so much fun to construct!

Dig a pit on the beach and “light em up”...

Also could use BARELY processed materials in strategic areas...

My mind’s going on it now..

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

stop rolling

You're ruining my diplomatic joint effort, no need to be blunt! ;-)

There's definitely a gecko in there.


Or as Seth Rogen might say: A Toke-eh?

 

[HorseloverFat]

So upon recently immersing myself in the world of glaze “fabrication”.. instead of “purchasing”.. and realizing that MY situation cannot be termed under “normal” or standard” geared my efforts towards fluxes that both my heat source... and clay bodies could utilize... boron, lithium, CERTAIN magnesium oxides.. and was quite happy in my knowledge obtained...

It dawned on me that I should probably do some more research into firing schedules of people in SIMILAR “boats”... and as I consumed more information it became very apparent to me that I have been operating on “normalized, standard operations”...

And “normalized, standard operations” are for people who buy clay in bags, and whose kilns have buttons/levers.

I “gobbled” up MUCH firing schedule theory related to MY low-fire applications...and added THIS apparatus to my inventory... to provide the “overnight pre-heating” quite common in low-fire schedules... allowing more control and balance for when the firing ACTUALLY starts...

So we’ll see what kind of temps we can get to with it today.

 

[Kanorin]

Be careful, Icarus, of flying too close!

 

[HorseloverFat]

Be careful, Icarus, of flying too close!

It DOES look a tad ridiculous, also... the electrical cord and charcoal “lighter”... seems...OPPOSITE of the current direction... i am just hoping to get the entire kiln environment to retain, and hold at least 150, so expectations are low. Hehe! I noticed the charcoal lighter, lying dormant ‘mongst some “junk”, thought, “I’ll take it for a spin!” ... just to “pre-heat” that puppy overnight... THEN start throwing in the wood that I work so hard to collect and handsaw.

 

[HorseloverFat]

Charcoal temper experimental batch...

Just drying a wee bit, waiting for “foot work”

 

[HorseloverFat]

...and SPEAKING of experimental glaze-tester “tiles”... whoops.. wrong thread.