vessels in the kiln

I have been firing since last week. This is the last bit of the kindergartens' fairy tale characters (peeking out from under the 1/2 shelf), and the first of the grade 6 vessels. They are an akward size to fire. Often I place them on their sides, but without any pressure on the handle. When the kiln is loaded, the pieces are in their most fragile (green) state. And the handles are extemely vulnerable to damage. The bisque fire at cone 04, leaves them a rich terra cotta earthenware.

batik studio with clay projects

In between classes.
The newspaper accumulates. One table has been turned into the ironing station for wax removal. The newspapers, saturated with the wax, accumulate under the table over the course of the day - as long as the irons are being used. At the end of the day, we stack the papers and put them in the trash. But most of the newspapers are recylced.
And I've finally started firing the Grade 6 vessels.

fairy tales in clay

fairy tales in clay

fairy tales in clay

fairy tales in clay

fairy tale characters and their things

fairy tale characters and their things

pinch pots

pinch pots

first day - vessels

first day - vessels

vessels day 2

vessels day 2

clay all day

Today was devoted to finishing Grade 6 vessels, designed in conjunction with their study of Greece. The bodies of the vessels were leather hard. They had been sitting covered with plastic garbage bags on the table, for the last 3 days.

We were working on attaching handles and smoothing out the surface. I asked for the coils to be seamless in the upper portions of the neck and the lip. A rotation of 7 groups of students came through over the day. These were the third and final 45 minute sessions. Student teachers were with us as well.

Spray bottles were vital to our building process. The clay dried out very quickly, probably from over handling and the weather (we were in the midst of a chinook). Misting both the object under construction and the working clay kept up the plasticity of the material.

Sponges were used to smooth the surface and rinsed in buckets. Because we didn't have a sink in the space, the water served the whole day. All the tools were washed in the buckets and wiped down with sponges between sessions. Clay particles settle down to the bottom of the bucket. At the end of the day, the water was poured off the top and remaining sediment was scooped out.
The coils for handles were consistently too thin. I suggested coils the thickness of two fingers so there was enough clay to pull the handles. The points of attachment were measured, then the leather hard vessel was vigorously scored and slipped to ensure a good bond.