After The Fact

This time the mad scientist really messed up. The copper carbonate turned black, really black. Who wants a black xmas tree? Not sure what will happen if I put a clear glaze over them. I also have lots of black stars, actually they're really dark green and black, from deep in the cosmos I guess. I do have a few nice yellow stars, the ocher worked nicely.

The cobalt and copper carbonate aren't bad on the piece above but it seems I've transferred finger prints of cobalt to the fronts and backs of many of the other pieces I loaded in the bisque.

Like the back of this rooster platter. and the inside of several bowls and the reverse side of several bowls. It might have been a design element but they are too random to look good. It seems that the oxides also stained my kiln shelves. Even after firing I am still getting cobalt finger prints every where. Perhaps some frit added to the stains would alleviate that transferring after firing?

Just yesterday I read on Midori's blog where she puts deep sand on her shelves to protect them from oxides. Too bad I learned that trick after the fact. It also would have helped if I had loaded the pieces with oxide and then washed my hands before loading the other pieces. Is there anything I can do to get the oxides off the pieces? And how to clean the shelves. Probably sand them? And I have a glaze load I wanted to fire.

On top of that I hurt my knee the other day, (I think it's the lateral collateral ligament) and have to walk stiff legged on that leg which means it takes me three times as long to walk anywhere or go up and down the stairs. Then yesterday I developed a tooth ache in my lower front teeth. Actually it's feels like the gum. I read a bumper sticker that said old age isn't for sissies and I'm not even old yet. Heaven help me. Thanks for reading and for all your comments.