Promises, promises.

I know I promised you talk for yesterday, but boy howdy it was busy around here.
I did get two bisque kilns loaded and one is firing right now as we speak.
I have to tell you I love, love, love the new computer kiln. I know its best not to become too trusting and we do check on it as soon as we are up.
Are you on?
Doing your thing?
Turning yourself up?
Well, you are a good boy aren't you?
If they made kiln biscuits I would give this kiln one and pet its hot little head.
Ah...... we are making fast friends.
I have found that this kiln loads differently then the old one. It is not as wide inside and a tad taller. It makes me pull up a step stool to reach the bottom and I have to use the shelves differently. It does not want to let me span the shelves and with the more narrow inside I made the mistake of putting two half together in the bottom and it was hard to get them out. I also use to start with 6 inches at the bottom. Now I have a 9 inch brick down there. It makes it easier to get the shelves in and out- in case you have not noticed I am short or vertically challenged.
Plus I understand that at this stage of the game I will not get taller but shorter as the years move along.
 Life is funny that way.
Oh, the kiln- anyway it chugs along on its on and we are getting spoiled fast.
About the cone 6 firing.
I am using a variety of commercial glazes that I started testing before I did the Giraffe back splash last year. I also have a few glazes that I mix. I use the commercial glazes in the flowers and the pour on the mix glazes as background color.
One, the Amber glaze, that I used I stole right off Fetishghost's blog.


I am using a red clay body so I found this has to go on pretty thin or it becomes a green almost teadust color. Not that I don't like that it just covers too much of the stamping or detail if it is too thick.

Not a great picture sorry- but I have to learn how to shoot that Amber glaze. It is more tricky then the matte yellow.

These are extruded and I started making them one day when I was bored with butter dishes. I thought they would be quick and you can laugh now because then they needed feet and then they needed some carving and then they needed... you get the picture. Nothing is fast about clay work.
I carve each panel different so all 4 sides have something going on.
Then dry, sand (wearing a mask) bisque, and layer in the glaze, wax, pour background and fire cone 6.
I think I have spent about an hour glazing and waxing the design before I pour the background glaze.
That is that moment where I think I am going back to one glaze no carving pots and you know I am lying.
These things will whisper in my brain again and the next thing you know they will have to come out.

Best get cracking there is so much to catch up on after a few days off playing with family.
So more talk later.
I promise!
M