Electric Mid&Hi Fired Ceramics
Potters & Sculptors - Making Rock from Mud
Anagama Kiln Firing at Hambidge
It's not ^6 electric but this past weekend I had the pleasure of being a part of firing the anagama kiln at Hambidge Center in North Georgia. This firing was organized by Tom Egan and Rick Berman. I had a great time meeting new people and listening to stories about pottery and life, we had a pot luck on Saturday night that was full of delicious food and I learned a lot.
You may remember that I did a wood firing at Shorter College in the spring, this one was done a little differently. I'm not about to say one way was better than the other, they were just different so I expect some of the results to be a little different too. We won't know until next Saturday so you'll have to check back here.
One of the differences was due to the kiln construction. Ben Owen build this kiln in 1990 with a grate in the floor of the kiln entrance where the wood is burned. Some of the wood ash can fall through this grate and be raked out to permit air to be brought in under the fire. Tom also used this as a way to get the kiln to pull in embers that would turn to ash and glaze the pots. When the firing was finished and it was time to brick up the front of the kiln the ash that was in this area could be raked out and blocked off to help limit the amount of ash that is on the pots as they are cooling. I'm hoping that this means less cleaning after the firing. I wasn't at Shorter to see how Ian closed up that kiln but now I'm really sorry I missed it.
I'm really enjoying being involved in these wood firings, it was a lot of fun helping Tom load the kiln and it's really exciting to fire. But one of the best parts was getting to know new people who I hope to see again at more of these firings. Also, I have to mention what a magical and peaceful place Hambidge is, it seems like it would be a fantastic experience to stay there and work for a few weeks.
Here's a short video of some of the firing, I hope you enjoy it.
Other Stuff:
Kiln Design and Atmosphere
Construction of an Anagama Kiln
Anagama West - Very informative site about anagama firings
Comment
Videos
Use These Links to Support Us
Low cost flat lapping disc can be used on you potters wheel if you, drill bat pin holes in it, and provide a trickle of water to cool it. At amazon.com, 120 grit for aggressive material removal. Click the image to purchase
Members have had great things to say about John Britt's new book, Mid-Range Glazes. Click the image to buy from Amazon.com
Purchase Glazes Cone 6 by Michael Bailey, The Potters Book of Glaze Recipes by Emmanuel Cooper, or Making Marks by Robin Hopper, all available at amazon.com. Mastering Cone 6 Glazes by John Hesselberth & Ron Roy is now out of print.
Harbor Freight is a great place to find unbeatable prices for better HVLP spray guns with stainless steel parts and serviceable economy models, as well as detail guns, all tested by our members for spraying glazes, as well as compressors to power the guns. As yet no one has tested and commented on the remarkably inexpensive air brushes at harbor freight.
The critter siphon gun is a spray alternative that is well liked by some of our members, and is available at amazon.
Amazon is also a competitive source for photo light tents for shooting professional quality pictures of your work. They also have the EZ Cube brand favored by several of our members. You might also want to purchase the book Photographing Arts, Crafts and Collectibles . . .
If you are up to creating videos of your work or techniques you might want to invest in a flip video camera
Following are a few scales useful for potters. Ohaus Triple Pro Mechanical Triple Beam Balance, 2610g x 0.1g, with Tare $169.00
And finally a low cost clone of the OHaus. The Adam Equipment TBB2610T Triple Beam Mechanical Balance With Tare Beam $99.62
ebay is a great alternative for many tools and the equipment used in the ceramics studio - kilns, wheels, extruders, slab rollers are often listed there both new and used.
Tips for Members
If you just want to spout off, it is best accomplished as a blog posting. If you want to get more guidance and ideas from other members, ask a question as a new discussion topic. In the upper right corner of the lists for both types of posting, you will find an "+Add " button. Clicking it will open an editor where you create your posting. 4/16/2014
© 2024 Created by Andrea Wolf.
Powered by
You need to be a member of Electric Mid&Hi Fired Ceramics to add comments!
Join Electric Mid&Hi Fired Ceramics