OKE getting ready for the UK

stonemonkey

Dear Morea

They look very good love some of the small ones very much

Hmm fifteen hours to get to 1240 very "iffie" indeed haha

I too fired on Saturday, 10 hours in the gas kiln to 1250 ish. My only surviving "Big Un" was in there. I am keeping my fingers crossed as it will be my only Big Un for Burrs The kiln gods claimed a few of my others in my last bisque firing and I have no idea why. Anyway I have found out a special secret. If it all works out as I have been told, then NO MORE CRACKING AT ALL!!!! I will reveal all in good time

Got to fire again this weekend.

I will bring your ash and also some other presents for you.

Only a few weeks to go

Tot gauw dear Morea

Kindest regards

Andy

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Dale Cochoy

Morea,
I really like the shape of #53013.
Your big pots working out good!

Andy,
Did your pots crack where coils fit together
Don't bother mailing pot. I'll get it SOMEDAY if I ever get there. I also want some of Moreas "corky clay" to try. If I come to Europe she'll need a truck to bring me some!
Andy, you have an anti-cracking secret? I thought I knew them all??

BTW, I fire slower than both of you.

Dale

__________________
________________________________
If you want to be Different....
You have to DO something Different!
__________________________________________

Some people NEVER take the time to do a job right the first time....
but, they always seem to make the time to do it over again...
____________________________________________
Dale Cochoy
Wild Things Bonsai Studio
Yakimono no Kokoro Bonsai Pottery
Hartville, Ohio

morea

Dear Dale and Andy

Thank You for the replies !!!
That is sooooooo nice !!

Andy ,
so sorry to hear of the big ones ,
Did you use enough spit between the
"piensels" Thats Southern Dutch !!!

About that non cracking secret ..... i love to hear You wisper !
Bring all You got to Burrs !

Dale ,
First , do You fire slower
How long ?

Must say i do fire more and more pots twice or 3 times .
The glazes are so much better every time i open the kiln.

Did you see the different times and ways i used the corcky clay ?
On one small pot i used very thin slib .
The grog is raw sticking out and is very strong on the pot .
I like that clay a lot , You can experiment alot with it 1
i can not send You the truck full for Christmas
and one little bread is also to heavy , send you corcky pot !
Kind regards
Morea

Dale Cochoy

OK, for bisque in electric kiln I fire to cone 04 ( 1060 C for you foreigners )
and it takes me commonly 30 hours!! but, I rarely have a crack. I rarely go over 110 degrees F /hr. Pretty slow huh?, but, it works for me.

In Gas kiln to cone 91/2ish ( about 1290C for you) it takes me about 20 hours total from lighting a match.
Let me explain, I load the kiln the day before and have it ready to go. On morning of firing I get up about 6-6:30 AM to let dogs out to pee and start my PILOT BURNER RING ONLY!. I go back to bed until about 8:30AM and then get up and start burners just a tiny bit. KIln is usually heated to about 180-200 degrees F. by then. I turn up gas a bit each hour until done. I do a hard reduction at 06 and 8 cones. I try not to go over about 250 degrees/hr with gas high fire but it takes closer watching/practiceTotal time to fire is usually tight around 20 hours, usually about 2AM when done! YAWN!!

Electric kiln high fire to about cone 6-61/2 ( about 1230 degrees C) takes about 24 hours for me using the computer control. Pretty easy. I rarely go over 120 degrees/hr. Much slower than EVERYONE fires!! But, rarely a problem.

On cool down I turn back on electric around 1,100 degrees F ( about 600 degrees C)for about a half hour when doing bisque or high fire. I don't do this with my gas kiln because it cools much slower through that range, and, I'm usually sleeping .

This is how Dale does it!
Thats my story and I'm sticking to it!

__________________
________________________________
If you want to be Different....
You have to DO something Different!
__________________________________________

Some people NEVER take the time to do a job right the first time....
but, they always seem to make the time to do it over again...
____________________________________________
Dale Cochoy
Wild Things Bonsai Studio
Yakimono no Kokoro Bonsai Pottery
Hartville, Ohio

stonemonkey

Morea

Good talking to you last night

Yes I use "spit" and slip when joining the coils but the pots never crack where the coils join. The cracks can be anywhere but no specific place so I can't pin it down why. It may be my firing that does it

Dale

Not really an a secret more of a change of technique and change of potting lifestyle. I shall try and test just to see if its a load of "old bull". If it works I shall pass this on to some of my "bonsai potters in arms"

I shall hang onto your pot for you and when we do meet up I will bring you "those glazes" too. We will get there some day it will be like a mini G8 Summit with the UK, DUtch and USA contingents but less politics and a drop of the falling down water.

Yes you do fire ALOT slower than me.I first bisque to 1040. When glaze firing I will fire the first two hours very very low no more than 80 degrees c per hour then turn up the gas a little about 100 degrees per hour till I hit 600 degrees. Then turn the gas up a little higher until I hit 1000 c and then start reduction by closing the damper. Kiln then rises by approx 2 degrees a minute until cone 8 bends, then I completely close the damper and leave to cool for two days. Is there anything you would change in this Dale


Good to hear from you both the forums have been quiet for far too long

Regards to you both

Andy

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Ashbarns9999

Morea it was great to talk with you in chat today. You potters have a language all of your own but I do understand your passion. I really hope you enjoy yourself in the U.K. next month. Dale I hope someday you will get over and join with these fellow potters on the other side of the pond now that would be something.

Ash

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http://www.bonsaivault.com

morea

Dear Andy and Dale

So nice to spent time together.

the firing , yes .
I only fire electric and i normally do not fire bisquit.
The glazing of the "green"pots is a craft itself i've learned through
the years , glazes react pretty different on "green"clay.

The kiln is loaded the day before , in the morning
power goes on at , he starts pendeling = go off and on for all houres.
i fire from start to 1240 "C normally in 12/13 houres.
I also never go above 100"C per hour.

My kiln pendels semi automatic.
I start with 10% on -20% off ... at the quartspoints ... at the temps
the upgoing falls back , i manually change the duration of the pendel.
After 12 hours it is 25 % on - 10% off.

The first 150 degrees i leave the opening in the kiln a bit wide.
After that it goes almost closed , but enough room to see
the glow and atmosfere inside the kiln.

I also look very often at the color of the glow .
its like a clock and must say i can read it pretty close.
As the 1240 is there , i hold this temp manually
for half an hour and shut everything off .
Close the lookinghole , and let it cool down .
It is a matter of patience but i've learned the glazes
are better as i let it cool for 24 houres.

During firing , i am every hour at my kiln .
It is wonderful to see the glow in the night .
Later more
Kind regards
Morea

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Dale Cochoy

Andy,
Are your clays cone 8 matured clays or cone 10 matured?
Dale

__________________
________________________________
If you want to be Different....
You have to DO something Different!
__________________________________________

Some people NEVER take the time to do a job right the first time....
but, they always seem to make the time to do it over again...
____________________________________________
Dale Cochoy
Wild Things Bonsai Studio
Yakimono no Kokoro Bonsai Pottery
Hartville, Ohio