Post 53 Fire in the Hole

Well not exactly.  Certainly hot but not explosive.

 It's ok with the naked eye to look into the kiln when it's running at >1300C (2370F) but the camera didn't want to do it. Its hard to stay away when its happening, knowing what is going on in there! And its SO hot but you can stand right next to it.

The insulating capacity of the firebricks is amazing. Here I am holding the vent plug, just withdrawn. As you see the end of it is running at the kiln temperature but the part in my hand is only just warm. The secret is non conductive refractory materials with lots of air, making a very light material. It's actually quite soft too and can be cut and shaped with blunt knife.

Life and other demands have taken more than their fair share of my time in the last 2 weeks and I'm running behind where I'd like to be. It's been a challenge to find the 12 consecutive hours I need to be here during a firing.

But it is done now and I have 4 new pots cooling down. Through the just open door it looks like some great results. More glaze recipes not previously used on pots, with good differential  colouring. One looks like an ancient patinated surface which will be a great result. I just have to be patient and let them cool.

Tomorrow with luck I'll get the camera into action and will then have some pictures to post. With these four pots it's looking like I will have enough to open the shop and I'm looking forward to populating the Sale page with some pots for sale. Very close now and just in time for Christmas.

Post 52 Bisque, moonrock and defoliation

I had a good firing on Sunday.

 The good news is no displaced feet so the extra effort of recent times to make sure the bond is a good one has paid off. Now on to glazing, the real fun.

In one of my idle monments lately, or perhaps the idle moment, I threw a little clay into making another root over rock, rock. This one is going to have to be called a moon rock after all the mini craters over the surface. I guess this makes it look a bit volcanic too. I'm going to glaze this one with a very matte glaze, when I can get some kiln space freed up, with a mix of colouration for better natural simulation.

 The same positioning issue arises here as with a bonsai - just which is the front. I think this is and the next shot is from the 'side'.

My bonsai starting and propagation has slowed right down over the last couple of years so I've had no stock to call on.  This season a friend gave me some cuttings of a Port Jackson fig and also a South African variety and so I've set them up growing in tubes. With the warmer weather they have got a wriggle on so I might be able to set them up next growing season. No rush to get this rock finished.

On the bonsai front the trees are running well. My focus this season has been to get some vigour and mass into the lower branches of some of my deciduous trees. To do that I've tried to progressively suppress the apical dominance which puts the energy into the top and tends to want to leave everything else behind.

This Chinese Elm is a good example.

At the top of the tree I've fully defoliated and pruned the branches and after 10 days or so I now have two or three fresh shoots on all the secondry branches. This will give fine branches to dome out the top with more and hence smaller leaves.
Further down the tree where I've just wanted it to hold its position I've just pruned. The tree's usual response to this is to shoot at only the single outermost bud. As this happens they are tipped.
And then finally further down the tree some of the spring growth has been allowed to grow, to develop more mass in the lower branches. They have a little further to go before coming off. It's time now to do a little wiring of these new branches, but making sure to keep the terminals pointing upwards.
Next step after a little more growth and  the new shoots harden off will be a complete prune and defoliation.

Now I have to go and select some glazes:

Post 51 Bisque load

Pot drying has gone well and a final touchup for the next 5 done; now ready and loaded for a bisque firing.

Each of these pots are quite different. The one in the middle is a new shape; a super short version of my big tub oval, and second from the bottom is one of the classic ovals with a heavily horizontally textured drum section.

The other pieces you can see are various bibs and bobs, tools, templates, test sections and some props.

I need to be around all day - 12 hrs for the firing and it's looking like Saturday will be the next opportunity. Better get the kiln god ready!
If you don't know about them they are worth a quick Google. What happens after you close the door and hit the switch are in the hands of the gods so a little recognition can't hurt, or so the story goes. Sounds like one of those things that if you start then you can never stop!