First time firing

[joannm]

Damian for your 1st works they are gr8. congratulations on going for it
the holes look very big to me , but I am sure you are on the right path.
well done , just keep learning and progressing. everyone has to start at the beginning .
as you get more skills you will establish your own style .
if you like what you have made, then you have achieved more than most.

bet you couldn't wait for the kiln to be cool enough to open it

joann

[Damian79]

Thanks Guys for your kind words. Joann, your right I couldn't wait. I plan to refire this weekend to see the real end result. I cant wait for that.
Im looking at some raw materials this week also to start experimenting with glazes. Should be fun.

[Damian79]

Ok so I ordered some powered glazes today and should have them on Friday. VEEERRRRY excited about it all. I will be trying a glaze on the bisque ware that I fired on the weekend plus trying a single fire on glazed greenware(following Joann's lead on this one). Will keep posting through out the process.

[Damian79]

Hi Guys
After a slight delay on my glazes, they have arrived today so I will be firing on the weekend.
I cant wait to see the results.
Cheers.

[Boics]

Hurry up already!

[Damian79]

Hi Guys
After a longer than expected delay, my pots are cooking right now. First glaze firing. Will post my results tomorrow.
Cheers

[Beano]

Can't wait to see it

[Damian79]

Hi Guys
Well, Not the results i was hoping for, but I have learned something from this firing which, I guess, makes it worth the time.
I learned firstly that I need to use more glaze to get the thickness and color correct. I also found that my kiln is not reaching the temps that I want, The cones I put inside the kiln did not bend at all so I know I didnt reach cone 6. I was hoping for cone 8. I checked my elements this morning to find one is not working so Ill have to fix that before me next try. Although it wasnt what I expected, I didnt lose any pots so my build quality was good, just not the glazing itself. Next time.
As promised here are a couple of picks.

glaze 1.jpg

galze 2.jpg

glaze 3.jpg

glaze 4.jpg

I left a couple unglazed as well as trying a greenware glaze which seemed to work ok apart from the other problems.
Any advise/comments are more than welcome.
Cheers

[Drac0]

Despite not coming out how you wished there are some very interesting results in there. I actually really like the oval one in the second image. Very interesting with the 'ring' of glaze. Also like the front middle round pot in the 3rd pic, got character I think.

Hope you can get it fixed & working properly for the next attempt.

Cheers

[Damian79]

Thanks Drac0
Yeah I like the large one also Ill be making more of that size I think.

[Drac0]

Thanks Drac0
Yeah I like the large one also Ill be making more of that size I think.

If you ever consider selling either of those two please PM me.

[Beano]

Yeah I like that 2nd oval one too. I think they look cool. I'm not a potter but made an urn in high school (long time ago) which we had to paint glaze onto. It didn't come out how I wanted either. The teacher said that you had to put many many coats of glaze on. I took many to mean 3 coats. It wasn't enough, though the blue turned out the worst.

Not meaning to pimp my urn, just wanting to illustrate the glaze + newbie effect... so you are not discouraged!

[Damian79]

Yeah I like that 2nd oval one too. I think they look cool. I'm not a potter but made an urn in high school (long time ago) which we had to paint glaze onto. It didn't come out how I wanted either. The teacher said that you had to put many many coats of glaze on. I took many to mean 3 coats. It wasn't enough, though the blue turned out the worst.

Not meaning to pimp my urn, just wanting to illustrate the glaze + newbie effect... so you are not discouraged!

Thanks mate. Not discouraged at all, quite the opposite I cant wait to fire it up again.

Damian79 wrote:Thanks Drac0
Yeah I like the large one also Ill be making more of that size I think.


If you ever consider selling either of those two please PM me.

Drac0, I hadn't thought about selling any of these pots to be honest, the larger one is actually round not oval but I will be making more of these and will try to make some oval. if you are interested when they are done Im more than happy to sell one to you. give me a month or so though , its a bit of a process LOL

[joannm]

geeeeeeee
Damian, we have been waiting for this day for weeks

So I can tell by the brush strokes (that are obvious )
you need to go spend even more money
Brushes ain't brushes unless they are the right ones, invest in some fan brushes and also use Chinese brushes. they give an even flow.
The ones used for caligraphy, they come in may sizes.
I must admit I was worried when you bought a second hand kiln , people usually get rid of them for a darn good reason. lets hope it is only 1 coil.
By the way , my fees are going up

glad you are having fun joann

[Damian79]

By the way , my fees are going up

Just run me a tab Joann.
It is only one coil I turned it up full with the lid open to see which one glowed.
I will certainly look at some chinese brushes before my next firing. I have lined up a new coil already so that should be going in soon.
All in all I know that I have made some mistakes, but I will learn from them and improve.
I really appreciate ALL your help Joann.