Sorry for not updating sooner but it has been a crazy few months.  Pottery has been put on the back burner for a while so we can launch the fruit season.
With Cherries, Peaches, Nectarines, Plums, Pears and 3 types of Apples, it's going to be a busy summer.

Keiko and Mikki
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In a way it is refreshing to be able to step back and, while concentrating on other things, ignite the creative fires that sometimes seem to dim.

I do so enjoy the mental stimulation of planning projects, researching techniques and drawing ideas.

Mikki and Keiko
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With the orchard coming on strong and the addition of two (was supposed to be one) new family members, we've had our hands full.

Mikki and Kieko, sisters, were picked up by Betty near Burns Lake from a breeder of Akitas.
She left to pick up Keiko but quickly also fell in love with the runt of the litter Mikki.

I received a phone call asking "What do you think about two?"

Easily agreeing she brought both home.  Surprisingly, two puppies are twice the work but also, double the joy.  Now, 3 months later they are developing such wonderful personalities...

We just recently received word that the mother South African Boerboel is pregnant and we are hoping for a puppy at the end of October..... Being such dog lovers, 3's never a crowd although with all being females, the estrogen levels in this house will go through the roof.

I'm hoping to get into the studio in the next day or so to begin a major clean up and maybe then get back into getting my hands wet and slippery with clay....

Ferric Chloride Firing Results...

These are the results of my first attempt at firing some Ferric Chloride pieces.

Ferric Chloride
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Ferric Chloride
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The terra sig held beautifully without check marks or cracks.
The procedure's fairly straight forward although I experimented with the temperature and timing the removal of the pieces.
The pieces received two coats of Ferric Chloride and were then wrapped in foil and placed in a cold kiln.
I set the firing to go to 1200F over a 35 minute span and then shut the kiln off.
The pieces were removed at 900F and the foil, which is quite burnt by then, just fell away.  Colors became more pronounced as the piece cooled and with a light coat of clear lacquer they set...
All in all I'm quite pleased with the results.  Firing temps, times and chemical additives will certainly add to the surprise when that foil is pulled away..

Horsehair Firing. Test Results

I had a chance to do my first attempt of firing a couple of Terra Sig pieces for horsehair application.
I tried one piece that used a heavily grogged clay and one that was a regular. Georgies White Salmon w/grog and the regular White Salmon to be exact.
The one without grog was very smooth after bisque where as the other, quite rough.
I made mention in an earlier post that I applied 3 coats of Terra Sig, polished the piece then did one more coat and polished it.
I brought the pieces up to 1400F and then removed the first piece. A banding wheel with a piece of fire brick was used to place the hot piece on.  I had a small piece of newspaper under the piece which would ignite and blacken the base and another piece rolled up to put inside for blackening.
All the tools were at the ready and the hair was separated so single strands could be easily picked up.
I had a small bowl with some sugar which would be sprinkled sparingly on the piece first. (Small black spots)
With outside temps around 7C, the piece cooled very quickly and hair had to be applied within 1 - 1 1/2 minutes.
All that being said it was a bit of a scramble doing it myself.

Left, non-grogged, Right, grogged
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Fine crack lines
indicating too thick
a terra sig
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Both pieces have very fine crack lines in the terra sig. Thats an indication there were too many layers applied. The next pieces I put sig on will only have 2 coats and then be polished.  

Any breeze, however slight, will blow the soot from the hair as it melts giving it a shadowed look.


Things I've learned from this are;
1- Make sure you have everything set up
    ahead of time.
2- Look at the piece and decide what type of
    design to apply.
3- Try to have another person available to
    help.  I spent too much time lowering the
    kiln while the removed piece was already
    cooling.
4- Below 10C, Hot Grog. Above, Beer. Which
    will almost guarantee resolving #3.

Raku Kiln Prep.

The weather is looking up so I've decided to dust off the Raku kiln. Wind and rain being the biggest hurtles to successful firings.

This kiln uses 3 burners in the base and has a pilot light safety setup which will turn the gas off if the light goes out.
There is a special 1" hose connecting the kiln to a large propane tank.  This tank is rented with a minimal annual fee and filled when needed. It is so much simpler than heaving around small tanks and running to get them filled all the time.
I installed a valve and pressure gauge behind the pilot light control so I'm able to adjust the rate of temperature rise.  I use a Fluke pyrometer in the centre viewing port as a guide.
Hopefully, with a few last minute details to see to, I'll be firing within a week or so.

Olympic 23" gas Raku kiln
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Ready for Naked Raku, Horsehair and Ferric Chloride

The kiln firing of my Terra Sig pieces was successful.  I'm very pleased with the finish.  The sheen is more than I expected so it's the icing on the cake.  I think that extra coat made the difference.

Just like Christmas
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I'm hoping to include some decorative designs using different techniques with each of the firing procedures.

Now it's a matter of choosing the pieces and figuring out which shapes I'd like in what finish.

Bisqued Terra Sig Pieces
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Unfortunately the order of these last 3 posts appear in reversed order and I'm not sure how to correct this without possibly loosing some of the information.

Terra Sig (con't)

I started applying the Terra Sig today by putting on 3 coats and then buffing the piece with a soft cloth.  The difference in colour is due to the moisture and will disappear as the pieces dry completely.  Then I'll apply one more coat and buff again.  They'll be ready to bisque after that dries.

Using the banding wheel makes the process quite straight forward.  Droplets and runs should be avoided at all cost.

Some pieces buffed and drying
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Terra Sig
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Terra Sig Pieces

The wonderful thing about Pottery is the variety of directions one can pursue that reduces the possibility of boredom.  Some days I find myself wanting to throw and others, exploring the depth of glaze possibilities. Sometimes I just want to try something different and push myself.

I have a kiln load of pieces ready for glazing including the bowl in the previous post but found, by chance, the opportunity to purchase some Ferric Chloride.
It's a finish I've been excited to try so I've thrown a number of pieces to Terra Sig and fire with either Ferric Chloride or Naked Raku techniques.
With some guidance and inspiration from Wendy Ferlin, of Summerland, and various videos of Charlie and Linda Rigg's techniques, I'm excited to get my feet wet with these finishes.
Terra Sig is applied when the ware is bone dry. It is made from recipes readily available by allowing the mixture to settle in a clear container then siphoning off and using the top transparent layer.  Using a brush, several coats are applied with the pieces being polished between layers or at the end.  Bisque firing results in a shiny smooth surface.

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The three pieces in the foreground (on newspaper) are two vessels
and a lid. These will hopefully be ready to trim tomorrow and then be
added to the rest for final drying.

The taller pieces are grogged clay while the smaller ones have a little grog for Naked Raku and Ferric Chloride respectively.
Since the Sig isn't a glaze, care must be taken to achieve the smoothest surface possible since every flaw or tool mark will be visible.

Wendy was kind enough to supply me with a bag of horse hair which I'd like to use on two of the pieces.

The pieces for Naked Raku will dipped in a slip mixture and then fired in the raku kiln. Once temperature is reached the piece is put in a metal container with newspaper which ignites and smokes the piece. Cracks developed in the dried slip will allow the smoke to penetrate through leaving black lines on the white piece. The residue is cleaned off when cool and a wax applied to enhance the finish.

Ferric Chloride is applied to a piece and then covered in aluminum foil and fired.  The piece is removed once temperature's been reached, the foil is removed and a light coat of clear coat is applied to bring out the variety of colours.

Horse hair is applied to a hot piece as soon as it's removed from the kiln.  It is gently laid on creating a beautiful abstract finish.  Sugar can be sprinkled to create black dots while the hair results in squiggly black lines that have a mind of their own.  The smell is something I'm not looking forward to though but it's a small price to pay for the, hopefully, beautiful results.