We had a bit of "fun" with the glazes. When we moved I had let the glazes get low because it is so hard to move large vats of glaze. I usually work with garbage can size lots, 30,000 to 40,000 gram batches. Sunday, the last possible day I could make the glazes and still meet the deadlines this week, I started making glazes.What could happen? I quickly realized that I was short some chemicals. I weighed what I could and we planned to go to Helena MT Monday afternoon and pick up what I needed to finish. I was using a digital scale and I wasn't aware it wasn't level and not weighing or reading properly. It was way out to lunch but at that time, I didn't know. We took a flying trip to Archie Bray, a wonderful place, and picked up what we needed. Got home about 8:30 pm and I went right to work to finish the already destroyed glazes That's when noticed the scale was not sitting right and realized everything I had done before was incorrect. Now I have 2 large vats of mystery glaze, probably garbage, and again, I don't have enough chemicals to finish the glazes. So Jim took off early this morning for Plainsman Clays in Medicine Hat to get more supplies so can I hopefully finish the darn glazes.
I now have 2 fresh glazes to finish the orders that are so late. Cleaning up the glazing area and the many buckets that moved with us, I found tail ends of the same glaze I had just finished. They were acting kinda weird in Edmonton, but that could have been because of a number of factors. Time, temp and nothing to do with somehow being slightly contaminated...right? I dumped them in the new and now I have the big batch I like to work with.
Tomorrow morning I will glaze all the pots with the new and not so new glazes, fire them with the new elements and deliver, late, to new clients. A sixteen cubic foot kiln filled with wholesale and retail orders. What could happen??
Until next time.
AKA Mrs. Clay
No comments:
Post a Comment