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" s" cracks -tommy

updated wed 18 apr 01

 

artimater on tue 17 apr 01


Hi ya,
What are you doing??!!??
Uhh? Tommy, I don't remember seeing any "S" cracks when I was up =
there at Marshall....Lots of open racks in a big shop....Lots of pieces =
drying.....I don't remember any plastic covers.....Do you just turn =
everything upside down and let it dry on up?....I don't remember seeing =
any plates drying....Do you do them the same....And how bout pieces that =
have uneven tops like pitchers; does that effect them.....I Know your =
clay, being from Texas, is well behavedHEHEHE but I always like to cover =
stuff up for days and days(results in some little bastard air current =
sneaking up one side and drying it one sided usually)....Would I do just =
as well by just letting it go 'head and dry?....Do ya'll have a special =
drying room I didn't see?....How bout pieces that need work on toward =
leather hard?....Do you just catch 'em at the right time?
How bout that Chris that wants to have NCECA in Odessa?....Bet =
there are plenty snakes for the delegates to handle out there =
huh?.....Have some Crown from a nice cup for me...I'm a little behind in =
my celebrating having just mailed my tax return......
Feel free to send me a page full of questions....fair is =
fair.....but don't expect me to know the answersHEHEHE
Rush

"I only indulge when I've seen a snake, so I keep a supply of =
indulgences and snakes handy"
http://www.geocities.com/artimator/index.html
artimator@earthlink.net

Tommy Humphries on tue 17 apr 01


Nope, no S cracks here...{knock...knock...knock} most of our pots just sit
there and dry, no special care is taken. Only with plates and other pots
that have a very wide bottom with relation to height do we turn upside down.
Just the past week I finished throwing an order of 900 pie plates, had 2 of
those racks full, each board stacked 6 high with pie plates. This clay we
use has a very consistent grain, the coarsest particles is probably 200 mesh
silica. I guess that has something to do with it, I don't know.

Most of the pots end up drying to bone standing up, and then they are
either dry, or wet finished by scraping/sponging, we have very little loss
in drying this way. Don't cover the handles either, just let 'em go and
dry...of course we use really soft handle clay and pull on leather hard
pots, so the handles take a bit of time to catch up to the pot. Usually the
handle is white when the pot is white 1/3 the way down.

Like today I was makin grease jars. I made 130 by 2:00 and went to lunch for
an hour, came back made up some handle clay extruded the handle blanks then
started pulling handles by 3:30. The first pots I made at 10:00 were just
right and the last ones were do-able by the time I got to them at 4:30. The
pots will be ready to finish tomorrow, dry 2/3 the way to the bottom. They
will then be stacked on a pallet waiting to be glazed and fired 7-10 days
from now.

Does that sound like your typical studio atmosphere? :^)

Tommy

PS. taking your suggestion, to heart...CHEERS!

----- Original Message -----
From: "artimater"
To:
Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2001 12:14 AM
Subject: " S" cracks -Tommy


Hi ya,
What are you doing??!!??
Uhh? Tommy, I don't remember seeing any "S" cracks when I was up
there at Marshall....Lots of open racks in a big shop....Lots of pieces
drying.....I don't remember any plastic covers.....Do you just turn
everything upside down and let it dry on up?....I don't remember seeing any
plates drying....Do you do them the same....And how bout pieces that have
uneven tops like pitchers; does that effect them.....I Know your clay, being
from Texas, is well behavedHEHEHE but I always like to cover stuff up for
days and days(results in some little bastard air current sneaking up one
side and drying it one sided usually)....Would I do just as well by just
letting it go 'head and dry?....Do ya'll have a special drying room I didn't
see?....How bout pieces that need work on toward leather hard?....Do you
just catch 'em at the right time?
How bout that Chris that wants to have NCECA in Odessa?....Bet there
are plenty snakes for the delegates to handle out there huh?.....Have some
Crown from a nice cup for me...I'm a little behind in my celebrating having
just mailed my tax return......
Feel free to send me a page full of questions....fair is fair.....but
don't expect me to know the answersHEHEHE
Rush

"I only indulge when I've seen a snake, so I keep a supply of indulgences
and snakes handy"
http://www.geocities.com/artimator/index.html
artimator@earthlink.net

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