Most of my teabowls made it safely into the second dirty firing. (More on that later.) This firing was exciting for a bunch of reasons. First, I used six new flashing slips. Second, I used four new glazes. Third, all these new recipes were applied to new forms. Anything could happen. Loading went well and was a cheerful event: I coached while three of us loaded. Two or three others visited, one bearing beer. Any kiln event should be a social event!

Safe journey, see you in a couple days! Loaded kiln, pre-firing. Click here for full-size image.

Next day was the firing. It went fine. Not completely smoothly, but fine. I worried mid-afternoon for a couple of hours when the kiln started doing its own thing, hoping I wouldn’t be up all night. But the kiln recovered, and so did I. And then there was the time that a piece of wood went in a little too vigorously, landing just shy of the mouth of the burner, shutting the kiln down. Luckily I was still in the room fussing with something, though it took a few minutes to get restarted. (Note to self: reset the electronics first, next time, even though theoretically there are three failed restarts before it’s necessary.) The firing was not such a social event, but Fred and Moji were around to help get the soda into the kiln. Soda can be done solo, but two are always easier. Made it to temperature easily and under good reduction, with enough wood to make it to the end. Added some water post-turn-off as well as burning some more wood. The end sequence was completely improvised, but well enough recorded to repeat. When I left, the outdoor air was perfect for cycling; I rode around the neighborhood for a couple of miles and tumbled into bed at 3am. Just one more reason to fire on Saturday.

First peek. Click here for full-size goodness.

Monday evening, the unloading. Great carbon trapping on glazes. A lot of purple, some black. Not much gray on the porcelain, surprisingly. (Was it the water? I need to do more reading.) Some super-blasted work. Good coverage everywhere. Very well-reduced slips and clays, too. Helmer-based slip went earthy black. And, mysteriously, there was a copper red that seemed to completely oxidize, near the top of the kiln. Glossy sky blue. I was in the kiln, pulling pieces out, and pretty excited about the results. I can’t stand full height in the kiln, so alternated between standing/stooping and crouching.

Success!

Then the cleanup. Cleaning the firebox was a toasty experience; the kiln walls were holding a lot of heat, but Emily would be loading the next day so it had to be done. Did I mention that it was hot? Not bad, a very few glaze runs, the kiln floor had some particularly unhappy spots. Huge thanks to Fred, Mike, and Judy - these three dirty firing enthusiasts each had a bunch of pieces in the kiln. They pitched in for the unloading and cleanup, which was speedy and cheerful. Here they are scraping shelves:

Four pairs of hands make for quick work!

So, though the firing was back on June 21, it’s taken me a long time to digest the results, and I’m still digesting. The teabowls are boxed and at the studio, so I can pull them out for show-and-tell with anyone who missed seeing them. And so that I can pull them out and look at them. There’s a lot to take in.

Next installation: a few results photos and more commentary on the new forms, slips, and glazes.