Learning Expereince(s)

This is a blog about learning experiences! They all seem to be but the last 3 days in particular have been chock full!....

The glaze turned out okay for the most part. I actually do need a sieve(graduation present hint #1 Mom and Dad-They have a "studio sieve 80 mesh" for $57 on bigceramicstore.com) for the Opulence glazes(Learning Experience #1). However, the Amaco Potters Choice glazes are fine but the Blue Rutile needs to be thick(LE #2). It was really nice this go around to have some buckets for glazing. About half of the work turned out nice. I had a very dark blue that looks almost black that I don't think I could drink out of but my friends loved them(LE #3)! Had some people over to cookout, and I got them to take some of the pieces. Enjoy!!!!! Also learned that if you cook in your garagio, it WILL smell like hot dogs the next day(LE #4).


Friday night my mom got into town late so I had some evening time with the wheel. This meant classic pop punk full blast, belgian wheat beer, and throwing some big ass pots. Definitely a fun night. I think I should get another wheel just so I can have someone to do this with. If I am having this much fun by myself, with another person it would probably be magical! I threw this bowl which I am going to say is the best piece I've ever thrown. Used about 5 lbs of clay, wet it was about 13 inches across. Hopefully it doesn't shrink too much!

My awesome dog promptly ran in and tails are very dangerous objects. Do not let dog near wheel when work is on there (LE #5). Somehow only the hairs scraped it and it survived. I remain the luckiest person I know. Next comes trimming. Hopefully I don't mess it up. One day I am hoping to have a Giffin Grip. (cough cough graduation present hint idea #2 Mom and Dad-They are $165 at bigceramicstore.com and then I can start making vases that don't weigh 10 lbs!)

Next up was what I thought was going to be a good bisque firing. As multiple people keep telling me, no piece is ever safe until it is done and on a shelf, and even then, who knows (LE #6). Here is an example of how NOT to pack your kiln. There are 3 10 inch bowls stacked inside each other. The weight and shifting will cause the middle one to break and no, not even the bottom one will survive (LE's #7, 8, & 9). When these three bowls shatter, they will then knock the other pieces that will also break(LE #10 & 11). It will then be a complete pain in the ass to meticulously pick out every last fragment from the heating elements (LE #12). The next blog might very well be about what happens if you miss a piece.
I then figured I would at least have the bottom shelf. Refer to LE #6. The only thing I can figure is that the pieces were not actually dry yet and they actually will explode if still wet (LE #13). I had a bowl and 6 mugs, the bowl and 2 mugs exploded. So a kiln with 6 mugs, 4 bowls, and 2 vases produced 4 mugs. Those mugs are going to be $50 each.

Finally threw out a bunch of pieces. Mom tried to save them, hopefully in the next few months she will realize why those pieces are not worth keeping. SO MUCH MORE LEARNING TO DO.
Now off to get my bike workout in! Happy Sunday!