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Friday night the kiln reached 2167 degrees F by 9pm. Sweet.
The lavender glaze worked. Lavender where applied thickly. Sky blue where applied thin.
That's: 0.5 Cobalt Carbonate + 2 Tin Oxide + 0.08 Manganese Dioxide
Added to a base of: 19 Custer Spar + 8.5 Gerstley Borate + 11 Silica + 4 Zinc + 4.5 Wollastonite + 3 Talc.
Double these amounts for a total of 100%.
It's a good, mostly glossy, Cone 5/6 base.
Was tickled pink to have configured a Cone 5/6 base glaze that works !!!
And
Finally achieved lavender!
Chae
Christmas COokies 2024
3 days ago
5 comments:
Hi, Chae, I've been dropping on your blog--eager to see the new lavender!
And I know SO well how hard is it to settle into a new place. How long has it been since you 'moved house' as the English say? We had been in our pervious home for 28 years. Moved in as 'newly weds' (though it was a seconde marriage, still we had not accumulated much stuff for this new life) and with a new baby boy! I don't remember that it was a hard move. But this one was a nightmare for 8 months! And how embarrassed I got reporting that we were still not settled in AND that we had been here for 8 months. But we are finally feeling like we belong here and that it is a good house for us.
Thanks for dropping by my inactive blog--nice to have friends do that. I am considering 'taking a sabatical' on my blog. I have not been in the studio since I unloaded the kiln 2 weeks ago. I have been chained to the sewing machine making covers for the sofa and chair cushions (which did NOT fit first time around). I am developing guilt feelings about it and have this constant nag that I need to post something. If I announced that I was gone then I could get rid of the nag and the guilt feelings with one stroke!
Carry on! Gay
PS I intended to say that I have been dropping in ON your blog--instead of "I've been dropping on your blog". I don't know how to go back and edit the post but thought it worthy of a correction!
Gay
Gay !!!
Don't give up on your blog. I know exactly how you feel about that. The anxiety of the "community" and not keeping up!
I don't know how to correct answers to blogs either. Drives me nuts.
Got everything moved over here by Aug. 19th but then there was the cleaning of the other place, etc. This house just isn't "me". Too modern. Too sterile. Am having trouble making the emotional adjustment. Also, managed to drop a crate on the skin graft during the move and this has been giving me a lot of static.
Have been afraid to post lately as every time i do it sounds like i'm "complaining" and negative (which i am) but hate to sound that-a-way !!!
The lavender bowl sort-a came out but not worth posting a pix of it yet. Will have to refire at lower temps with more/different colors. (That was the elect. kiln.)
The gas kiln only reached temps of 1900F so am bummed out about that.
The only "positive" in this whole mess (and i think it was YOU who told me!) -- i found that creative pots could come off the wheel here.
BUT am in a quandry of: why throw the pots if they can't be fired properly?
Maybe all this frustration is God's way of suggesting that i change course?
Hugs
Chae
Nah - By "changing course", I hope you're not suggesting giving clay up! Every moment is a learning opportunity when it comes to clay IMHO - though I have to remind myself the same every so often.
Moving - my mom moved into a brand new semi-custom home in 2006 that she had been dreaming about for years and ever since her move has been complaining that it didn't feel like home! About 2 months ago, she decided to move in properly. I think leaving her old home of almost 30 years was an adjustment and it hasn't helped that it still hasn't sold 2 years later. I think she finally decided to make it her own which I've been encouraging her to do from the get go. She still had the temporary shades up 2 years later in the new home - no wonder it doesn't feel like home!
Anyway, I recently wrote that I was cleaning and organizing my home last weekend. Here's my confession - we remodeled our home in 2005, moved in during a particularly stressful time (i was in grad school and barely had time to breathe let alone move) and I pretty much dumped everything wherever I found a spot. 3 years later, I'm just now getting around to making sense of the place.
'Bout time wouldn't you say?
And I'm the queen of whine - I think I need some cheese to go with my posts some days. ;)
Blogs - we should blog when we want to for ourselves and not for anyone else, otherwise it becomes a chore.
All very true Cynthia.
I keep reminding myself of this every day, but it doesn't seem to be working.
Somehow i've got to convince myself to let go of the anger this move has created. When i succeed at that, the rest will probably/maybe fall into place. It's just that, after 3 years of 17-hour days 6 days/week, i was so close to succeeding with the pottery! Almost had the cherished red i'd been seeking and was almost at the point of confidence to submit some work to juried shows. And too, it was fun to zip outside into the back yard with a newly fumed piece, there, under the shade trees, and examine each little nuance of color. (No trees here but lots of grasshoppers.) Because of the location of the other house, though not commercially zoned, i could sell my work from the house. Was right in the heart of town across from a lovely park and one could hear the hum and busyness of life. Also, had lined up some highschool students who wanted to take classes from me. Life was sailing along precisely as i thought it should be doing.
Quite different here.
On the other hand, the kitchen here is lovely. Quite charming actually and well laid out. The thrift store had a "5 for a dollar" sale last week on books. Acquired approx. 20+ cookbooks. Have baked cookies, cakes, fritters, hushpuppies, dumplings, Chinese wok recipes, microwave recipes (hadn't know one could actually cook in microwaves!),lotza new vegi casseroles, steamed puddings, broiled meats, baked items, fried. Was so desperate for something to do yesterday actually tried making the dough for manicotti . . . .
Everything, of course, except going out in a cold, dark garage to fire kilns which are not working well or properly.
Giving up pottery? I'm seriously thinking about it.
Why else would the Universe foist this move upon me, at this particular time, if not to say: there's something else you should be doing . . . .
Trouble is, i can't think of what it might be . . . .
Obviously i have a bad, sad case of the self-pity syndrome. I recognize this but can't seem to shake it. Which irritates me to the depth of my soul as have always been a self-motivater with an extremely positive point of view in the past. It always tickled me to give others positive encouragement in their endeavors. But now, all i hear from myself is: whine, whine, whine.
Hugs
Chae
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