Why Ms.B

There have been a few inquires about the name of our small gas kiln.
We named her Ms. B for a couple of reasons.
The first one is when she is good and we have a great firing she is Queen B.
The second one is that when she is bad, and the firing is not good, then she is little Ms. B, as in a female dog.

She has been an interesting kiln to work with and with the last firing we are on our way to making pots and glazes to fit this kiln. We were trying to make it work more like our production kiln, but she was having none of that.
She, in her mightiness, wants her own identity, and that is just what she is going to have.
I hope we get more Queen from her.

  Starting last week I made a fat mistake in the gluing of some of the tiles.
Let me just state right here and now that, all glue is not created equal and, just because people sell glue does not mean they know jack about it.
I have been very happy with a glue that I started using in the past 2 years. It was easy to use, glued without much fuss or mess and was working perfectly for me.
So, why change?
I didn't, they did.
I ran out of glue and looked at what I thought should be the same thing.
It was different.
I didn't buy it because it was different, I bought something else that did not set up for me. I gave it 4 days and then I took the wooden backs off, cleaned the gummy mess off both the tiles and the wood.

 I then tried another glue.... the next day I pried off the wooden backs again and cleaned all the glue off them. This time I carried them to the house and washed them in hot soapy water.
The only answer was to load Mark up in the car and carry him to the hardware chain store and get him to look at the glue with me.  We looked and read and looked and read. I picked a glue "product" took it to a floor person and asked for someone who knows glue to talk to me.
I got a person who mostly, kinda, sorta knew about glue, not really... she pawned me off on someone else who took me back to the glues and proceeded to read the backs. Hey, I just did that, get me someone who knows about glue.
We have a guy, but he is at dinner.
I finally picked a "product" to try.

We then went to another store and I picked yet another product to try.
What can I tell you.
I loved the one I had.
The 2 I brought home seem to be working, but they are fussy and messy to use.
My plan is to call the company and "talk" at them to find out if they still make the other stuff and where I can buy it.

I now have 8 tiles that I have glued, scraped, de-glued, washed dried and re-glued 3 times.
I'm not whining, I am frustrated.

If anyone has a glue or a product that they would like to recommend to me I am willing to look at it and read all the information on the back. I know how to do that.
Of course you know what I want, I want the old stuff, that worked.  

Meanwhile, I need to go pinch on the babies.....

And, just like that

 another week flies past me. I can not tell you where time goes these days. It is stealing away in large chunks, like melting ice caps.

We unloaded the kiln, packed and shipped off orders. Slipped back and forth waiting for all the ice and snow to melt. Then the mud. The never ending mud that is following all the ice and snow. We like to top that off with some rain. Yes, we love a good slide.

After packing and shipping Mark was on the wheel to get ready to fire the small gas kiln. Do you remember Ms. B? The evil small gas kiln that we built and fired. She gave us a good fire or two and a really terrible firing or two.

 We are going back at her.
Give it another go.
What could possible go wrong?
Really?

I sometimes mull over in my head all the possibilities of what could go wrong from start to finish, and still we go out there throw around some clay, and do it all over again.
I believe our only understanding is that we will never really understand all the elements of what we do.
Yes, we love to spout off about clay, glaze, firing, and what we do. But, once we release it to the elements of fire, one just has to toss their hopes to the wind.
After all it is all about that last step, the fire, it determines    the final outcome.
I once thought that firing in an electric kiln would cure all the ills and be easy.
No, even an electric kiln has it's ways.

So toss we go, and if the luck is with us we rejoice.

We mourn the loss of the ones that don't make it and move on.

After all some of my best friends are seconds.

f

 I use many of them in my daily life. A bowl that did not make the cut, a mug that needed grinding, a plate with a pop out. You know the game, not bad enough to take a hammer to, but not what you want out in the world with your name on it.

I always wonder what is the best use for some pots.

 I know many of us sell seconds. I always hesitate to do so.
There are times that I will price a pot lower thinking you are just slightly a second.
I once had a customer, well I take that back, I once had a women who came in toting  another women with her. Women number one was showing the other women how best to "get a deal" from the potters. She looked and looked and looked until she found an oil lamp that was not perfectly glaze. She marches over with her hand on the spot and says, what will you take off for this imperfection!? I was stunned. And, since I saw no relationship happening here I just took the pot from her rolled it around looking at it and said well. 99%   of the pot is perfect so I could take off 1 %.
They left, not taking my 20 cent discount. Some people just don't know a good thing.

So we are back in the clay, making, dreaming, puzzle solving, doing all those things in hopes that we can bring it all together once again for a finished product.

Really, what could possibly go wrong?

Loading the kiln

Yesterday made a liar out of me by being a really good day to fire.
The winds were so calm and the weather, even though it called for evening thunder storms, was over all pretty nice.

 Mark said as soon as I woke up that he wanted to brick up the door and fire the kiln yesterday.
 We went out at 7 to bricked up the door and he had the kiln lit by 8:30.
 The day was with us on weather, but it will be tomorrow before we can show any results. Having the smaller kiln is interesting in that you can pretty much glaze and fire in just a few days and have pots. Amazing!

I am going ahead with the glazing on a big load of pots while Mark is working on the large vases. Another 20 pound vase is out on his wheel now.
No pictures since I tried once and it is too distracting for him.
I don't want to disturb his "zen" while he is working.

 I did get some tiles ready for the end of the month kiln opening.
I have tiles in many spots throughout the house.
It is nice to have a spot not big enough for a picture yet- just big enough for some handmade tiles.
(note handmade)

This bird was sitting outside my kitchen window this spring and he needed to go on a tile.

Rabbits! Funny bunny rabbits!

We are transitioning quickly into summer as the weather changes.
I miss the 70 degree days as we head into upper 80's with the moist humidity.
Oh, yummy southern summers.

Time for tea and work.
Cheers!
M