Firings; unloaded glaze kiln after 16 hour firing and 20 hour cooling. Loaded image transfer in small kiln at 5pm. 8 hour to temperature, will unload in the morning.
Finally unloaded work from the epic 16 hour glaze firing of yesterday! Mostly the results were as expected; the glazes look really good after being very slow fired and held at temperature for so long, more melty and integrated with surface. However, I was worried about some of them flowing off the pots and onto the kiln shelf and sure enough I had 3 pieces, all the same cornwall stone glaze, firmly glazed onto the surface of the shelves....
This is what happens when you melt glass for several hours at 2,000 degrees F, a puddle of feldspar and silica fusing this poor little bowl and the shelf it was sitting on. Ah well, I was lucky this was the only piece I could not chisel off the shelf and grind smooth. The other two cups I think are going to survive. Good thing I just happened to use this particular glaze sparingly in this firing. After unloading I inspected the kiln's electrical elements and found one near the bottom which was broken in half, so a large portion of the kiln was entirely cold, it is a wonder I reached Cone 6 temperature at all. Atests to the efficiency and good insulation of these Scutts kilns. I am also very lucky I happen to have two! I can finish the show in the other one while I purchase the necessary repair parts and install them. Saved by the skin of my teeth again!!
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