The Blues..crocks and a big pot

This was one of my big pots, it filled the whole electric kiln,even had to take the bottom shelf out to fit it in. ..the fired height is 3 foot 6ins, had great fun making it with flat coils..will carry on with that method..

Here are some recent images of pots March 2013,haven't been around much due to family circumstances and done very little in my studio..need a big smack on my hand and a kick up the backside.

Native Bush,This one got second prize in our local show..Fired to Cone 9..with a slow cool..I was very lucky not to be scraping it off the shelf as there were a couple of drips right down to the shelf coating..EEK!

Then there were a couple of nice mugs that were sold quite quickly with my strawberry glaze and will repeat when I get the chance to be back in my studio..

It has been a long time since May 20 2012,the journey continues.

Haven't been here for awhile and feel the need to catch up..my search for Cone six glazes have been slightly abandoned due to the fact that it is quite hard to find an affordable(cheap in other words) terracotta coloured clay that will vitrify at that temperature.I have decided to move up to about Cone 8 and will do a test firing over the next couple of days..I loved the Hesselberth and Roy Glazes and have an order of mugs to fill,I can not quite bring myself to do that knowing that they might seep moisture..not a good look really.
I recently finished another of my PatioArt rock pots and because they will be outside that is another reason go to a higher temp,I would hate for them to crack in the frost.
Here is the latest edition
Gypsy Children

My latest nude Offspring

Well just finished this nude a couple of days ago,spent a very enjoyable week creating her.its made from BRT.its the first time I have used this amazing clay from Feeney /Walkers Australia.it is incredibly fast to build with.
BRT clay heres the link if any of you are interested
 

Rock Pots took 1st and 2nd in local show

Funny thing was the pot that got first place was put in as an after thought and the one that I thought that would do really well didn't get a look in
Here is my best pot Parthenon garden art and got nowhere :(

and second prize was a dear wee wild horses rock pot though small was quite a gem (SOLD)..and quite hard to get a good photo of it

and first prize I haven't taken a photo of yet !!!!

No wonder my mixture of Cones did not ring true

Recently I was given loads of old boxes of Orton  cones some were standard and some were large but all were the same size if that makes sense..but the numbers were printed differently..After firing..Cone 8  bent more than Cone 7 tho all were set at the same angle,I have been trying to get information about firing temps of older versus newer cones and came up with this..I would be interested to know if others have inherited older style cones and had the same problem.

"In 1996 Orton reformulated some of their cones, because they could no longer obtain the ingredients they had been using. Several mines closed that year. According to Orton, the newest cone formulas are more consistent the pre-1996 formulas.
Orton released the new cones on 10-28-96. Most of the changes were minor. Example: 05 became 3 deg. F. cooler.
Cones 6 & 7 had the biggest changes in temperature:
Cone 6 before 10-28-96: 2199 Cone 6 after 10-28-96: 2232
Cone 7 before 10-28-96: 2228 Cone 7 after 10-28-96: 2262

H & R Cone 6 - 7 Ox Bright Sky Blue,like our New Zealand sky

H&R GB1BRIGHT SKY BLUE C6 NZ

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Cone 6     1201 deg.C. - Oxidation                          

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Ferro 4108                               23.50

Feldspar GL/AP-240                20.80

Clay Ceram                              22.50

Talc Westalc 35                      11.70

Wollastonite                             11.00

Silica                                        10.50

Cobalt Carbonate                      1.00

Rutile                                        6.00

Red Iron Oxide                         0.50

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                Seger       Weight%

KNO          0.209     4.93%

CaO           0.512     9.15%

MgO          0.279     3.58%

Al2O3        0.344     11.17%

B2O3         0.202     4.48%

SiO2          3.163     60.55%

TiO2          0.241     6.13%

K2O           0.078     2.35%

Na2O         0.130     2.58%

Al:Si            9.19     

Expan.        8.32     

ST           358.32   

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Clay Body                                MFW

Colour                      Sky Blue

Glaze Type                             

Opacity                    Opaque

Texture                    Glossy

Stability                   

Fit                            No Crazing

Last changed:         28/12/2011

Status                      Tested

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Comment:

lovely Glaze fits MFW well ,breaks nicelly blue where thick ,tan where thin