October 7
Bisqued and ready to glaze Oops...thought I could skip a preheat period with a bisque firing since the work looked and felt dry, but I was wrong. Certainly should have known better! After hearing popping in the kiln as it was heating up, I turned it off, suspicious of pieces exploding; that was confirmed in the morning when I opened the kiln for a look. Unloaded it, discarded blown pieces, vacuumed the kiln thoroughly, reloaded, and included a preheat period, which should have been done in the first place. With all the rain we've had during the past month, all unfired clay is probably holding moisture that needs to be released prior to 212 degrees. Fortunately, I had stayed with the kiln and recognized those popping sounds early on. Lesson relearned!! Mostly porcelain and a variety of forms: Covered dishes and bowls Mugs and tumblers Carving with clay Self-contained water system Liking the Cink for washing bats, tools and ot...