About that warranty

After the fire Mark rebuilt my mud box , but had to put off rebuilding his own. This week seemed like a good time to take the Brent apart and give it a go.
First he has striped off the plastic top which covers the metal top.




Then he cut down the aluminum wheel head collar, which holds the splash pan in place.
Ouch- there goes the warranty!






Then again these wheels are past the warranty time since they are both well over 20 years old- one close to 30- ouch! where did the time go?





Next step will be to fit the wheel head to the floor pan.
So stay tune- I will post more pictures as he goes along.
Meanwhile he is trimming and carving up some nice lamps along with getting the new kiln in place.
It is great to have A.D.D.-that way you are always on to the next task.

Me- I have wedding tiles cooking along in my little test kiln and I am throwing filler pots.

No, really tell us what happened....

We are pulling out an old kiln and replacing it. While we are doing this I thought this is a good time to snap a shot of the pulley system Mark set up for the kiln lid.
"Why" you are asking- and I am sure your first thought is "ease of opening the kiln." Makes sense does it not.
But then you do not live with me-
Mark set this up on the kilns after I managed to knock the kiln lid on myself while loading it one day.
I had been loading bisque kilns for 20 years at the time. ( it's been about 7 years ago)
I was all the way in the bottom when I realized I had bumped the arm holding the lid up.
I tried to come quickly out of the kiln to avoid being slammed by all the weight.
As I came out the lid hit me in the face.
Fortunately for me I was wearing my reading glasses on the tip of my nose.
They saved me from a broken nose.
The lid hit my glasses and then raked down my face. It was not something I would wish on anyone.
Mark was in the other room with his arm in a glaze bucket- 30 gal. He came running in to find me in the floor with my hands on my face. I was sure something was broken and thought I could hold it togeher by holding my face...........
All I could say is to him was; it's bad, take me to the emergency room.
( something he has heard more then once from me...)
He said to let him see and when I did he said- OMG! Well, that was encouraging.

I won't belabor the details. I saw a doctor, went to the health department for a shot and was bruise from under my eyes to below my neck.
Of course I looked as if someone had beat me black and blue.
And, the women at the health department keep saying- "No, Really- tell us what really happened. "

This is why Mark set the kilns up for easy open and took off the arms, which had no safety on them.
We are getting ready to install a new L&L.
As things look the lid appears to be more safe then our old one.
Then again- should I trust them??
Or is it me-






After all how often are you really using this???!!

Parsley, Rosemary and time.......

Oh, I know it is suppose to be thyme. But where do I plant the T.I.M.E.?
If I can get a couple of rows of the time in can I harvest it in the fall when I will need some extra?
Can I dry it?
Can or even freeze it?
How nice would that be.
I could just add a pinch to the day or stretch the week with a nip or two.
Add a little on one day and grind some on Sundays to make them last longer.
I'll take a long slow Sunday with a little time on the side.....
Hold the onions please.
I am planting the vegetables and I love every minute of it. Do I really have to go back in the studio?
Whoops- I do have a bisque going.... don't forget about that.
But today it is all about tomatoes, eggplant, squash, peppers, corn and beans.
Then there is marjoram, sage and thyme..... I think I will go pinch a little of that and see if I can extent the day.

The Wedding Tiles

The wedding is fast approaching- mid-May! I have been making the small 2x2 tiles from my plaster molds. I have 66 of the first design completed. I used a periwinkle glaze to go with the spring colors being used in the wedding attire.

On the back of each tiles I have written the name of the couple and the wedding date. It is our hope folks will enjoy these enough to keep them as a nice keep-sake from the wedding.



We realized we needed to shake thing up and add two more choices for a variety. That would allow couples to go home with two different tiles rather then two of the same.





I will be glaze testing these soon! Using either a purple or green.








The tiles below will go on a handmade table.
The colors for the tiles will be a royal blue and greens. I have them under wrap drying slowly.

Seagrove

It was a great week-end for us all in Seagrove.
I just finished reading Tom Starland's Blog about his visit to the area.
I hope you can all take a minute to read it.
It is nice to read the perspective of the visitor.
When we are getting ready for a show or a kiln opening I think about a stage production or a wedding.
There is a lot of work which goes on behind the curtain, a lot of details to complete. Some you do well and others you just have to let go.
But the day of the event you know you have done well if the customer enjoys themselves.
I think that happened here-
I would have taken pictures- but here is the story on that.
If you are talking and wrapping pots there is no time for pictures.
If you are taking pictures, then you are not talking to customers and wrapping pots.
I have no pictures.
It was a great week-end.
Now- back to work!

Kiln Opening Cookies

I had so many people ask for the recipe of these cookies I promised to post them up.

Sesame Seed Cookies

1 stick of butter, melted
add:
1/2 c. sugar
1 beaten egg
4 or 5 T. sesame seeds
1 t. vanilla
mix in:
2 cups of flour sifted with ½ teaspoon salt and baking powder

Mix together well and form into a brick or log.
Wrap in plastic wrap or wax paper and
Chill for about an hour, slice into 1/4 inch thick slices
and bake at 350 for 15 - 18 minutes.

A great not real sweet treat -- a favorite with red wine.

and a repeat on the Peanut butter cookies no flour:
1 cup peanut butter- I like to use all natural chunky-
1 egg
1 cup sugar
Bake 350 for about 15 minutes.

Thank you one and all for coming out and sharing a beautiful day and supporting the local potters in Seagrove.
M

Kiln opening and the one that did not get away

Tomorrow is the big day. The cookies are baked the pots are priced and ready.
Bill and Di will be here with meat and eggs we are ready for the kiln opening- well maybe we need a bag of ice.....
I was cleaning up from the last of the cookie baking and watching Mark fish down at the pond.
I thought, "he has something..." Then I saw it jump! Wow! he really does have something!
I watched him pull in the big brother of the one caught a couple of weeks ago.
What a brute!
So you fishermen and fisher women take a look at what came out of the pond.



And know that no fish were harmed. We took his picture and put him back.
He was a little over 8 pounds- 24 inches long and at least 6 1/2 inches at his widest point.
A nice fish if I say so myself.

See you tomorrow in Whynot!

Pots from the kiln- Kiln Opening

We opened the kiln yesterday and there was a moment that I thought ,
" I need to borrow a hammer from Sofia."
Just what a girl needs is a hammer to unload a kiln----
In our early days I use to unload the kiln with a hammer and a bucket. Pot- smash- bucket. Repeat. Pot-smash-bucket... the other way to get rid of pots was a good tree or a good toss across the yard.
Back to the kiln- with the opening of the kiln we found good pots and we found pots where the ash glaze ran all the way to the shelf.
Not fun and frustrating and sad.
I needed a few moment to mourn the loss and move on.
And- I needed a hammer.........
If you look all the way down on the bottom shelf you will see two crocks fast glued down to the shelf- ouch and there were others- Two large vases on the top back stack. One might be okay. It was hard to lose the crock. Harder still is a nice large piece.
Maybe it will go in my pot garden.



Deep sigh- there were some really good pots and I will share those-





















But as you can see these big boys came out just fine.




I was happy with this tile.

Spring Kiln Opening at Whynot Pottery and beyond....

On Saturday April the 18Th and Sunday the 19Th. We are joining about 40 other potters from the greater Seagrove area to have a kiln opening. Joining us here at Whynot Pottery on Saturday from 10 until 2 pm will be Bill and Dianna Osmolski from Green acres ranch.

The Osmolski’s
will be bringing their grass fed beef and pork, along with eggs from their free range chickens. We have been buying beef and pork from them the past year and a half. We have enjoyed all their products from the beef to the pork and the eggs.


Come and see what is new out of the kiln and bring your cooler along and plan to take home some locally raised meat, eggs and a pot or two.

On Saturday afternoon the NCPC will have its annual auction. This year for the first time ever the NCPC Auction Committee used the theme of having pots donated with faces on them. “Faces for the NCPC.” The NCPC takes absentee bids- so if you can not be there in person you can still buy a piece of your choosing.

Many of the local potters will be opening kilns and serving refreshments.

Start your day out at the Pottery shops, being sure to stop and see us.
Then end your day Saturday attending the NCPC auction.
For more information on open shops and their events visit the Celebration web site.
For more information on the North Carolina Pottery Center Auction visit their web site

Kreativ Blogger award

What a surprise and honor to find an award for my blog today.
Barbara over at Clay Gardens has awarded me the Kreativ Blogger award.
I am to give this award to 5 others.
I would like to award the Kreativ Blogger award to:
Samantha, at Bulldog Pottery, who puts up some beautiful blogs and keeps the local pottery community covered with her quick eye and fast fingers.
Micheal Mahan, From the Ground up, who has posted some great blogs on potting, his trips and Seagrove.
Tom Gray, Tom Gray Pottery, who inspired and encouraged me to blog and cook and garden and be excited about pots again....
Julia Wilkins,Henhouse Pottery, who I think was a sister in a past life- she makes me laugh.
And then there are so many more, but today I would like to award the last one to my brother Jay- who as a blogger writes about a varity of topics.
We don't always agree on all of them- but you will learn something when you go there.
There are others- I would like to add as personal favorites and I hope someone awards to them. I guess its not fair to go past your 5.
I would give Cynthia, Coloroda Art Studio, A big award- she is so imformative and gives a lot back to the clay community at large. The same with Micheal Kilne, Gary Rith and Ron Philbeck

In closing- thank you Barbara and I will see you on the web!
M

A burn at the kiln

Several years ago Mark and I read about putting soy sauce on burns. We have used this for several minor kitchen burns and once when I was helping a group.
I burned myself by picking up a pitcher, by the handle, which was straight out of the kiln and about 300 degrees.
So last night as Mark was checking the kiln his ungloved hand was exposed to flame which shot out of the kiln catching the tips of his fingers. He immediately ran to the house for the soy sauce. He put some in a plastic container and put his fingers in. Then we put in ice.
I went out with him to help shut the kiln down.
We then made the decision of if he should go to the emergency room. We decided to keep it on ice and soy sauce.
What looked like it could be a rather bad burn with blisters on the tips of the fingers, turned into just raised white spots. Two of the fingers you can not tell. The other two and mostly the pinkie are white looking but no blisters.
This has worked for us twice.
Soy Sauce- maybe it works because of the salt factor- who knows but it has worked for us.
Note Mark has fired this kiln since 1986 this is the first burn- pretty good I think!

Kiln Opening and Homegrown Meats.

As I write this the weather outside today is one of the best ones we have had this spring- the birds are singing and busy building their nest. The flowers and trees are just scrumptious! The wind has died down for the day and Mark was up at at 4 am to light the kiln. The wind is not our friend when it comes to firing the kiln. The fact we fire gas/reduction has a lot to do with how the glazes work.
From the websiteabout.com:
Reduction (adjective) refers to a kiln atmosphere which does not have enough oxygen in it to completely consume the fuel as it burns. Due to this deficiency, the flame pulls oxygen molecules out of the clay bodies and glazes, changing their character. Reduction can be also be used to describe clay bodies and glazes that are especially developed for reducing atmospheres.

Reduction (noun) refers to the state of being oxygen-starved. It can also be used to replace the full term, "reduction atmosphere".

So as you can see, or read, we need the wind to be calm while we are firing the kiln. Otherwise it messes with the ratio of oxygen in the kiln.

This coming week-end on Saturday April the 18Th and Sunday the 19Th. We are joining with about 40 other potters from the greater Seagrove area to have a kiln opening.
Joining us here at Whynot Pottery on Saturday from 10 until 2 pm will be Bill and Dianna Osmolski from Green acres ranch.
The Osmolski’s will be bringing their grass fed beef and pork, along with eggs from their free range chickens.
We have been buying beef and pork from them the past year and a half.
We have enjoyed all their products from the beef to the pork and the eggs.
So, come and see what is new out of the kiln and bring your cooler along and plan to take home some locally raised meat, eggs and a pot or two.

On Saturday afternoon the NCPC will have its annual auction.
This year for the first time ever the NCPC Auction Committee used the theme of having pots donated with faces on them. “Faces for the NCPC.”
I have seen chickens, Face jugs, platters, mugs and much more.
The exhibition of the auction pots are on display now, and will be up through Saturday. The NCPC takes absentee bids- so if you can not be there in person you can still buy a piece of your choosing.
Seagrove will be hopping during the week-end; the wood kiln firing from two week ends ago will be unloaded, with pots being donated to the auction as well. Manyof the local potters will be opening kilns and serving refreshments.
Start your day out at the arae shops, being sure to stop and see us, and end Saturday at the NCPC auction.
For more information on open shops and their events visit the Celebration web site.
For more information on the North Carolina Pottery Center Auction visit their web site

Getting the beds ready or is it spring yet?

My next post should be whoops! I keep hitting the wrong button and off goes the post before I write anything- brain and hands are having a hard time talking to one another.
What I was meaning to say was....... we are putting in some raised beds for vegetables.
I am very excited to have a place to raise some food again. It has been very strange to have no garden the past 3 summers.

What! No tomatoes! that is just a sin!


Because
“Homegrown tomatoes, homegrown
tomatoes, what would life be without
homegrown tomatoes? Only two things that
money can’t buy and that’s true love and
homegrown tomatoes.”...
made famous in a
song by John Denver, lyrics by Guy Clark

Which is some what true- I did buy homegrown tomatoes the past few summers. Yummy Brandy Wines from our friends- but some times a girl needs all the tomatoes she can eat or can and or freeze. I miss having enough to get me through those winter months.
So yesterday we took the wonderful "cow" dirt we have been hording and throwing compost in for two years and put together two raised beds.
We have enough,it looks like, for two more.
I am planning on what I will plant in them.

I could do one whole bed in tomatoes- that would be fine with me.

I have another bed already filled with lettuce, some herbs and some spinach.
But tonight we have covered the lettuce, herbs and spinach- the blueberries are on their own and we are ready to winter over one more night.
Then I would like some days of warm- not hot- warm spring days- with NO WIND please.
So I can plant in those new beds.
Oh- and we are glazing so don't worry we are working too!





This tree was planted the year our son was born- it is a favorite and it just popped out this week!



PS-I have a new Apple PIE recipe on the cooking blog.

A Sunday afternoon

Last week was a long week- we spent the weekend at the Catawba Pottery Festival.
Then last Sunday we spent the day restocking the store and planning what we would take to the Greensboro Pottery Show.
After a week working on pots we jumped into the wood firing yesterday, came home packed the truck and this morning off we went to Greensboro.
It was a short ride up the road- a wonderful day to be out.

We were greeted by the staff and fellow potters. It was nice to be invited to participate in their show and we felt very welcomed.
I had to have a picture of these two students from Guilford College. They had some sweet wood fired pots for sale.
It makes me feel good to see and talk with someone their age and feel their enthusiasm for our shared art.
Susannah plans to move out to Washington State after her graduation and then possibly back to the East coast to work under someone who does wood fired.

Who knows maybe we will see her again.
Meanwhile there was a brisk crowd out at the show.
After a quick dinner we are home and ready to put our feet up and get ready for next week!

A note about liquid nail

Well- for the past three years we have used liquid nail with no problems- BUT- now I am having trouble with it setting up. The wall pockets and tiles that I used liquid nail with are still not set up and yesterday when I hung one up in the studio it came off the wood and broke- I would suggest finding something better and more stable to use.
I am not sure what I will use- but I am planning to take the other pocket and tile apart- clean and try another product.
Darn liquid nail!

Wood Firing

It was a long day for all the crews who came out to fire the wood kiln. Mark and the crew he was on started the kiln at 4 -4:30 am. I was on second crew and went in at 11am- until 4:30 or so.
The kiln just chugged along and the 3rd shift took it up until the last shift came in.
There was food and drinks passing around and in a short time the last chamber was being salted.
Now- it's all in the waiting.
For a whole lot more pictures go over to Bulldog and see what Samantha has posted up.

NCPC Firing

We went up early today to drop off pots for the 2 chamber firing at the NCPC. Mark is on the 4:30 am team and me- I am on the 10:30 am team. It will be a long day tomorrow. And I am sure Mark will take a nap in there somewhere....maybe.

BUT- the ball game starts at 4 pm- decisions, decisions.
UNC plays Villanova- It should be a great game!

Potters tools or where have all the plungers gone?

I know we all have those tools we find valuable to our job. I thought I would show you our favorite tools for keeping our glazes stirred while dipping pots.
It has become harder to find these plungers- now they are too fancy with an extra cuppy thingy at the bottom- these old fashion plain ones are better.
Wax the handles or put a sealer on them-paint works well too. Then drill some holes. They will keep your glaze nicely mixed.

And while we are at it- how about that long Allen wrench which you are not using? Works great for a test batch of glaze- and if you think this is great you should have seen my father- in-law use a cordless drill with a beaters to the mixer to mash potatoes one year when the mixer died- I will have to find those pictures....

Seagrove Potters Kiln Openings April 18th and 19th-2009

Here is a list of the potters who will be participating in the April Spring Kiln Opening in Seagrove. These potters will be open at their individual shops. I hope you will take the time to come out to Seagrove to see the potters.
Joining us will be Bill and Dianna from Green Ranch. They will have their locally raised beef, pork and eggs for sale from 10 am until 2 pm on Saturday.
I am planning to have some nibbles and something to drink-stop in!