Lili Krakowski on tue 8 feb 05
Poor Kate. I am truly sorry you do not have your own kiln, and that =
the person responsible for firing is such as, well, slob. Maybe if you =
told us where you live there would be suggestions about other kilns you =
might share. (Worth a try.) |
I have had to use communal kilns, and the knowledge and caring of the =
Stacker/Firer is all important. I am astonished that others do not =
protest....
Yes, you can grind out the offending kiln wash, and reglaze that =
spot--but if your refire with same Firer the same disaster might hit =
again. May I suggest you approach others whose work has been destroyed =
by this Messy Firer and suggest someone talk to him/her? No good can =
come of not saying anything. Much good might come of speaking to =
him/her.
Very thickly applied kiln wash will chip off after a while. I honestly =
cannot give you the scientific reason why, but I know/expect someone who =
knows will!!!
The idea is to keep the wash clean and, as over time it will wear down, =
apply new wash, not too much, on a clean shelf.
Now when I was teaching at the Gibbes Museum Studio in Charleston, SC, =
when we wintered there, we had the problem that some students did not or =
would not understand about runny glazes. =20
1. Shiny or glossy glazes will run if applied too thickly.=20
=20
2. Cleaning off the bottom or waxing cannot undo too thick a coat of =
glaze. Think on this: A drop falls vertically. So if you have a bowl =
or plate that rises at a low angle from the base 10 degrees, 15 degrees, =
the drop that wants to fall is only about 1/4 from the shelf.
3. One needs to impress everyone that a glaze, a runny glaze, should =
end at least 3/8 inch vertically, straight up, from the shelf. No there =
need not be a ghastly, shocking bare strip. Applying a pleasant slip at =
the base before glazing will make that void nice looking.
4. The firer should have both the knowledge and right to refuse to fire =
pots glazed "too low." If necessary glaze tubs should be marked with =
some message such as "Very runny glaze. Do not apply closer than x from =
base."
Jann Welch, prime firer, was terrific about enforcing these rules, and =
vast improvement took place. =20
Lili Krakowski
Be of good courage
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