On the spur of the moment I put all of my cassius basaltic clay pieces in the kiln for their final firing yesterday. I quickly set the kiln to start firing before I could chicken out. I've been putting off firing these pieces for months, maybe even a year. OK I confess I just looked it up, it has been more than one year I've put off firing these cassius pieces. I was afraid to fire them for fear of exploding pieces. I was also feeling wasteful firing the kiln for such a small load. Today I finally felt courageous enough to just go for it.
This black sculptural clay is highly subject to dunting so is fired slowly to Cone 4, so must be fired separately from all the other work I make. Due to it's manganese content it is not functional so I've decided to apply an after firing spray on sealant. Here's a sample tile I just sprayed with clear sealers. See the wonderful ebony black final fired color. The left side is somewhat shiny and the right side is less so. I think I'll go with the right. Hope the kiln gods are favorable with at least a few of the pieces in this kiln load. The kiln is cooling down now; we shall see. This post is part of artists in blogland what's happening in the studio. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.
oh wow, I can see why you were hesitating - can't wait to see the results!
ReplyDeleteI hope everything turns out well!
ReplyDeleteHave a happy holiday weekend.
i don't blame you for firing them alone... better to be safe. it's times like this that you wish you had a little kiln like Gary R just got... perfect for these situations.
ReplyDeleteHi Anna, thanks, down to 440, won't be long now before I can take a look.
ReplyDeleteHi Ms. Sparrow, thanks, I hope it's a happy results, have a good holiday your way too.
Hi Michele, thanks, I had that little kiln, but I reasoned the test results in one kiln wouldn't be the same as the other so I sold it. These at least fill it up a little bit as most were rather tall on the one side, we shall see very soon now.
Look forward to seeing how these turn out. I looked online for this clay & found some interesting results. I like the deep, rich clay bodies. Laguna clay makes a dark brown cone 10 clay that has a similar richness.
ReplyDeleteThose pieces all look very interesting. Hope the kiln results are perfect.
ReplyDeleteWay to plunge in! Will have to watch to see how they came out.
ReplyDeleteAnd now? Hope everything is OK?...
ReplyDeleteWish you a happy Easter!
Hi Becky, thanks, I've used the Black Mountain that Laguna makes, but it isn't as black as this one.
ReplyDeleteHi Barbara, thanks, happy Easter to you.
Hi Deanna, thanks, about time to take the plunge eh?
Hi jkvėpimaim, thanks, so far all is well, happy easter to you.
These look amazing, can't wait to see them finished. I am so curious....oooh. xox Corrine
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see how they turn out - your work is amazing!
ReplyDeleteHi Corrine, thanks, look a few posts ahead and you'll see them, they are not much different than before since there is no glaze, but I posted them individually.
ReplyDeleteHi Michelle, thanks, I appreciate the feedback, check a couple of posts in the future for results.