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This weekend I will be at the Spring Bada Bing Craft Show in Richmond Virginia. If you are in the area stop by and say hello! It's this Sunday at Planet Zero from 11am-4pm.
I will have some new work out but not as much as I would have liked. I just opened the kiln to find a total disaster. I am so overly paranoid about using new glazes, I tested this one first and it was beautiful so I made a whole bunch of plates with a nicely textured bottom that would look gorgeous under this stony matt glaze. Being so paranoid I didn't want the glaze to run so I made sure to stay far from the bottom and just for a little extra I put all the work on stilts. Well I fire my earthenware pretty high and since I don't normally glaze the bottoms I don't use kiln wash. Needless to say the pots all melted around the stilts, the glaze was not thick enough yet somehow managed to drip on 3 kiln shelves. Yep, 3...with no kiln wash. The pots are beautiful except for the underneath which is a nasty mess of badly applied glaze. Right now I am sitting on the couch, swearing off any more work for the night, giving myself a facial and trying to look at the positive. I really liked the new ice cream bowl set and now they will live in my cabinets plus I think I can make the glazes work. They are really nice when dipped but a hot mess when brushed. I am going to try adding some CMC and Veegum like I put in my other glaze. I really really want them to work since they are a nice satin and dry matt and I want that surface and color in my work! Ok. Enough whining. Shake it off and start again. Anyone have any suggestions for getting glaze off a kiln shelf???
p.s. I will be taking most of my work from the etsy shop with me so if you had your eye on something now is the time to get it while it's still here! I will relist when I get back:)
3 comments:
Sorry to hear about the dripping glaze, if you have an angle grinder you can use a masonry grinding wheel to knock off the glaze. Its a little more forgiving on your shelves and shouldn't dig into them. You can also use a cold chisel (wear goggles) and gently tap with a hammer while holding the chisel almost horizontal.
You can always hide a shelf by flipping it upside down and using it as your bottom shelf.
Good luck this weekend!
Andy
Thanks for the advice! Would a dremel tool work do you think?
p.s.- love your stuff:)
So sorry about the running glaze. At school they grind the drips off, tedious and dusty work, be sure to wear a mask. A guy I know who does crystal glazes heats them up with a butane torch to loosen them, I haven't tried it, but it might help. Have a great sale.
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