Small Breather

Friday, September 07, 2007
Transfered from Spritely Spoofs

---------------------Teapot Riding The Wind---------------

Have been nose-to-heelbone concentrated on creating pottery for the last nine months. Thought this would be an easy endeavor. Possibly a rather inexpensive one. A body can go outside and dig up clay pretty darn cheap, don'cha know.
At first, i stuck by my pistols. Had a small kiln from previous glass-working endeavors. (Very small, as i was soon to discover.) Found a child's wheel at the local thrift. $4 bucks. Invested fourteen dollars in clay. o.k. -- that's not exactly digging it up free. Still, fourteen bucks doesn't need corporate funding, and i figured time is money. Sides, would i recognize clay (in/on) the ground if my boots were stuck in it?
So! We're set. Ready to throw a few cups (anything bigger than that won't fit in the kiln), fire thems puppies, and hike down to the local art gallery to sell these confabulous new creations . . . .
Right!
First obstacle . . . centering clay on the wheel.
Hours spent online researching just how that's done. Took a spendy little seminar to learn how this is accomplished.
Second obstacle . . . what in the dickens is a glaze? I mean, one mixes all these chemicals together and purportedly creats a glaze which fires at a certain temperature. Doesn't the Universe know -- the only subject i ever failed was chemistry? What a learning curve. Cones, melting points, chems which lower the melting point of other chems. Whew. It's exhausting just thinking about all that stuff. Not to mention, that i was hip-deep in floating dust particles from mixing all those chemicals when i discovered some of them are fatal to one's continued life expectancy!
Now stuff like silica is cheap. Roughly, $1.95/ pound. But, dozens of chemicals (to make the glaze work), gets a little spendy.
Third obstacle . . . firing these perfect art pieces. Ought-a be a book title. "Into the kiln fire and coming out shards."
Oi Vay.
My inexpensive new career pursuit has turned into a spendy proposition. Shush! Don't share this with anyone but i just ordered a new kiln and a big fella's pottery wheel. Am really excited about this. Can hardly wait for them to arrive FedEx.
Well folks. That's why you haven't heard from me in a day or two. They say slinging mud is fun but don't ever let anyone convince you it's cheap!
Chae