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

[Crawforde]

Just pulled from the ashes.
The big one is ready for kintsugi already.

 

[Crawforde]

And, after a dip in the pond

 

[LittleDingus]

@HorseloverFat I didn't see that you posted your final plot? What did you end up getting up to? Did the temps stall as predicted? For how long?

I know nothing about pottery, but enough chemistry and thermodynamics to be a danger to myself and others

 

[HorseloverFat]

@HorseloverFat I didn't see that you posted your final plot? What did you end up getting up to? Did the temps stall as predicted? For how long?

I know nothing about pottery, but enough chemistry and thermodynamics to be a danger to myself and others

I ended up stalling, then struggling/dancing between 1000-1100.. then when i started climbing again after some “positional flame changes”..i killed the tank at 11.5(ish) hours... DAMN!!

I’ll post the map when I get home.

 

[HorseloverFat]

 

[HorseloverFat]

Mixing up mud/sand/clay/grog/mortar impurities for “sealing clay” for tomorrow’s fire..
..or as it’s known by my kids, “poop-clay”

 

[HorseloverFat]

Loading up..

Witnessing with some 06 Bars.. and also some 05 Cones sent to me by this BadAss friend of mine...

I’m not too obsessed with the notion of “stuffing” my kiln to capacity just yet..... just looking for some “normalcy” in firing success FIRST.
I also built a small intake “gate” with claybrick... when measuring/anticipating the smaller diameter of the forge-blower.. this, just about, closed that diameter gap AROUND, which we had spoken of earlier.. erring to more air.

I figured this would start me out at the best neutral baseline, whilst allowing adjustments to be made to that secondary intake at that 800-900F range where we struggled last time with the smaller blower... i may be incorrect in my thinking.

 

[sorce]

You ought be jamming them cones in some clay and standing them flat on their bottom.

Good project for setting around the kiln, making them up for next firing.

I don't know what the "H" you got going on there!

It doesn't matter yet, you're reading your clay and glaze well enough.

Sorce

 

[HorseloverFat]

You ought be jamming them cones in some clay and standing them flat on their bottom.

Good project for setting around the kiln, making them up for next firing.

I don't know what the "H" you got going on there!

It doesn't matter yet, you're reading your clay and glaze well enough.

Sorce

Thank you, friend!

I was trying to use extra bars on sides.. trying to satisfy the “kiln sitter” diagram.

It’s not sealed yet.. i can stick ‘em down.. the kiln will be on the grill lighter all night.. so it would dry before “the big heat”

 

[HorseloverFat]

 

[HorseloverFat]

 

[HorseloverFat]

200 in the first half hour with the “forge blower” and unobstructed environment... lookin good

 

[HorseloverFat]

I was rising.. about 750.. and my meter stopped giving accurate readings.. so I untaped the wire.. to find that it was fine.. re-taped with stupid blue masking tape.

 

[HorseloverFat]

Would 2 fires have drained the 9v?

 

[LittleDingus]

Would 2 fires have drained the 9v?

Hehe...probably has more to do with hours on than number of fires

...and possibly. These types of meters are not known for their energy efficiency...

 

[HorseloverFat]

Hehe...probably has more to do with hours on than number of fires

...and possibly. These types of meters are not known for their energy efficiency...

My fires be long lol

 

[HorseloverFat]

But i only turn it on when I’m checking...

 

[LittleDingus]

But i only turn it on when I’m checking...

My light meter chews through batteries quickly. It's only on for very short times when I'm taking readings too. But I need to replace the battery about once a year.

I use it maybe 2-3 times a month

 

[LittleDingus]

My light meter chews through batteries quickly. It's only on for very short times when I'm taking readings too. But I need to replace the battery about once a year.

I use it maybe 2-3 times a month

9V too. So I usually raid the stash of backup batteries for the smoke alarms...so, if I die in a fire because my smoke alarms battery died...well, priorities?!?

 

[HorseloverFat]

Got everything “sit’tchated”



3.5 hrs.. 500..and rising
(i realized the super high earlier reading was probably a result of the Battery issue)

Back on track... the “slow track”.. but on track, just the same.