TeaChat

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone.

I wanted to let everyone know that I am having a 20% off sale on all my work in my Etsy store at:

http://mossbeachceramics.etsy.com

Some of the better pieces are here with large photos:

http://www.mossbeachceramics.com/mbcpreferred/

Sale is on till end of November.

I have quite a bit of new tea bowls. Mostly Shino and reduction. Still no new soda work. I also have some teapots up and a few more coming. I have 10 that I haven't put handles on that I will be doing over the break.

Beautiful!

Sweet looking Shino! Nice to "see" you again

Welcome back, any progress on more Monk's Cups?

Thanks all.

Progress on Monk's cups. Well the kiln is ready to go. Been so for a while, but with the toddlers, I don't have the time to get down there as much as I want. I am going to go down and fire after Christmas I believe. I think that I can get time then. I have a couple boxes of stuff ready to go and some of those are Monk's cups. We shall see how they come out.

Well that kiln "ready to go" stretched out to another year but this year, about a month ago, it all happened at once and there were two nice firings the last of which, last week was exceptional.

I have many new pieces listed on Etsy (http://etsy.me/aKgfrC) and some very nice new ones at Teance in Berkeley if anyone goes by there.

perfect, I love it. Matcha has to look great in it!
best
andrzej

matt beautiful chawan

i agree w/ andrzej

how you introducing your soda ? angle iron or w/ water ?

curious. i like they dry surface. its cool

i see you're using a liner glaze, tenmoku ?

some of my best results i got from the kiln involved pieces near the exit flue. i'll photograph some when i get back to hawaii

cheers
cory

Hey Guys! Thanks Andrzej. I was just in Poland this spring. Gdansk where my daughter and son-in-law live. Beautiful of course. Been there many times, but the last time in Warsaw it was very dark and dingy. That was 1989 so I know well that things have changed since then.

Cory! Thanks for the thoughts on my bowls, I have such huge respect for your work you know.

The soda is introduced with angle iron. We can do the sprayer too, but I like the angle iron. This rebuilt kiln is VERY good. I fired a little differently this time. I fired to ^9 and added the soda (Na2CO3(3 lbs), NaHCO3(3 lbs), and CaCO3(2 lbs) mixed like wadding then broken into chunks) through the burner ports. Soda introduction lasting about 45 minutes through 4 batches. Then I took the kiln to ^10/11 and soaked for half an hour in medium reduction then crash cooled to ^7 while maintaining reduction. Then shut off and closed the flues and ports. Opened two days later at about 200*f.

Results were exceptional. The slips that normally get wetter were a little dry, but interesting. (Substituted Kentucky Ball Clay for OM4, that might be the reason) the colors are deeper reds than oranges I used to get. The soda is heavy all along the burner channels on the sides of the kiln and the back wall. I overhang the shelf directly above the burner channels to get flashing on the walls of the pieces there on the top shelf as well. Middle of the bottom shelf gets almost no soda but nice, subtle flashing.


Looking from the back wall of kiln towards front and burner ports (not visible)

The liner is Temmoku. I mixed up the Currie #10 Teadust, which is pretty standard, but includes 3.8% Magnesium Carbonate to create teadust. I crash cooled too fast, so I didn't get much but there is a little, but very very small crystals.

Currie #10 teadust (Cust Feld 50.3, EPK 7.1, MgCO3 3.8, Whiting 16.6, Silica 22.2, Fe2O3 8 )

Probably too much info, but I get excited about stuff like this...

hey matt

wow ! thanks for sharing !

much appreciated

i'll photograph the new kiln too... maiden firing soon

you fire in oxidation or reduction ?

i found the oxidation cycle all the way up keeps the colors cleaner!

c

I fire reduction from 07 up. I like oxidation for colors as well, but I love shino too much to change... If I do an oilspot/oribe run I will body reduce at 07 and fire oxidation from 2 or so up.

hi Matt,
What a surprise. Your daughter in Gdansk and my sister in Michigan:)
When again you will be in Poland you have to think about Warsaw back. You are warm invited, we have to drink tea together!

Thanks for your detailed information about your work. I am very interested in your kiln design. Do you have somewhere on-line more pictures
or scheme? How many burners? I like soda effect. I learned that with Ruthane Tudball (we sprayed soda) many years ago but do not practice later.
Nothing like soda can emphasize texture. Interesting are your reds instead of orange.
best
andrzej

Well, maybe not too much of a surprise. There are SO MANY POLES here in the US. I think there is a really deep and permanent link between our countries. Happily.

If I make it back to Poland, I will look you up. Daughter moved back here for 5 years in September with her husband and my grand daughter. When they go back, I might get there again. My son loved it over there but was sort of left out because of the language.

No more pics of the kiln right now, but soon. There are two venturi burners for propane with fans (round ones called squirrel-cage fans.)

I envy you time with Ruth-Ann. I know of her but have not met her. I have her book. Yes the reds are unusual, they are orangish, but very dark. Much like rust. Not unappealing. I would like to figure out how to get both colors though.

More pictures of kiln here... https://picasaweb.google.com/mossbeachc ... /KilnPhoto for them that wants them.

Moss wrote:More pictures of kiln here... https://picasaweb.google.com/mossbeachc ... /KilnPhoto for them that wants them.

I wanted, thanks a lot. After first picture you posted here I was sure it will be simple downdraft. But it looks it isn't(?). After NY I will send PM with some questions if I can.
Happy Tea Year.
andrzej