Thursday 24 March 2011

Snakes & Ladders.

I was very happy with these three large casseroles.
I had slipped and decorated them.
and then made the fatal mistake!
I put them in the biscuit firing to early.
They were not fully dry and the bases had wax emulsion resit on
so the moisture was trapped inside the pots.
when I opened the kiln and took the lids off
all three had cracked.
I should have known better. Patience Mr Jessop Patience.
I consoled my self by thinking at least I hadn't wasted any Glaze on them.
We learn from our mistakes, that's how we move on up the
ladder of knowledge.
But it not nice when you hit the snake and slide
all the way back down again.

10 comments:

gz said...

It is so easy, especially when it is still chilly weather!
We all do it!!!!

Unknown said...

So true, Paul! I can relate to the rushing things along disease ;)
The good news is that you know how to make more (and they are a beautiful shape). I also love that little mug with the hill and tree~

Dennis Allen said...

I split 3 plates this week.Stuff happens.

Paul Jessop said...

Only Stuff !!

Anna M. Branner said...

I'm getting ready to do my first bisque of my very own. I am nervous about drying! So will most likely wait much longer then needed....

Barbara Rogers said...

Sending a loud GROAN of empathy (having similar feeling frequently).
Barb

Hollis Engley said...

Mine don't just crack, Paul, they explode. I lost a big two-piece vase the other day when I lost patience with drying. As a rule, I set my electric kiln on 160F and let the pots dry fully over 12 hours or so, then begin to turn it up to biscuit temps.

Winston said...

You have my complete sympathy. Do you try to repair the cracked bisqueware? I'd like to know if that's possible. Though I've never dared bisque or glaze with the lids on, we've been having lousy weather in Malaysia, too, and similar problems with pots. Drying time has tripled due to the constant rain - from one week to three weeks, and a whole month sometimes. There's just been too much moisture in the air. And sometimes the rain's been so bad, it's come in through the roof and drenched our bisqued pots. Luckily we air dry the greenware in a different shed that's been better shielded from the rain.

Lorretta said...

Though I appreciate what you are trying to say -I'm not sure if the snakes and ladders analogy is appropriate for the context.

Ladders said...

It must have been hard to slip down the down the snake but I feel you have come up the ladder with a finished item. I don't know too much about pottery but I know what I like the look of. (Or so the saying goes)

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