The glaze is just a powder mixed with water. When it dries, the glaze is very fragile and must be handled with care. Even if you scrape it or whatever, generally it is easy to touch up. Here's another glazed pot waiting for the kiln. This sumac pot took me three times longer to glaze than I thought. I don't usually get glaze time estimates wrong, but this was the first Sumac, so it is understandable.
The pic above and below is the first Sumac pot I have made.
I started glazing about the first of April. Since I will be firing a lot in the near future, I checked out my kiln to see if it was up to the task. It was not. And a minor repair turned into an overhaul.
I replaced all the elements, which is normally not a big task. This time it was. The elements had expanded and locked themselves in the brick. It took half a day to get them out. You have to break the elements inch by inch to remove them. And it is hard on the kiln because you inevitably chip the kiln brick in the process. After I got some new elements made, I put it back together and was ready to fire. The kiln was tuned to run at more than maximum power. And it was the first time I have ever had a situation where the kiln fired up too fast. Some of the glazes didn't melt properly. Any way I loaded the kiln with those figures...
And ten pots on two layers.... Here's before...
And after firing...
Only two of those pots pictured above came out OK. One picked up a crack- a rare occurance- and three others have to be worked on and refired.
This pot was glazed while I was thinking how Maxfield Parrish painted. I tried to get that electric blue horizon with snow falling on a field of flowers. It turned out well. I'm happy with it.
This glazing cycle, I am really thinking like a painter. And I am stumbling a little until I see how my technique fails and succeeds. I got really carried away on the following pot...
The pot with the dramatic sunset in front will get more attention and be fired again. The sumac in the back is just fine the way it is. It's a beauty.
Hopefully, I will be firing another load of pots by the end of the month so I can put some pots up for sale. Out of the 14 pieces in the last load, seven were OK, one cracked, and six have to have some more attention. Generally, the load was a disappointment. But after not seeing a new pot in six months, my expectations were very high. But, like I say I have to see a load or two before I get more on target.
The highlight of the last load were the four portraits of my pot collecting friends...
Russell...
Len and Terri...
Steve and Linda...
And Dave and Mary...
Again, I could easily improve these figures by refiring, but I am not going to chance it....
Hopefully, if all goes well, the next update will include some pots for sale. It better....