Comment

Comment by Lora Hart on April 13, 2011 at 1:08pm

Are you only shelf firing then? No stupid carbon? What clay? We must talk about this.

 

Comment by Angela Baduel-Crispin on April 13, 2011 at 1:06pm

In a very fast and crazy manner and holding my breath, Gordon ! ;o)

I quickly open the door, take out the top shelf, close the door w one hand (or someone else's hand) and slide things off the shelf into water with another. Sometimes things get "stuck" a little so I tap on the shelf. Then I re-open the door, quickly take out my risers (like a mad woman), set them aside on a heat resistant surface, then take out the next shelf. Since the pieces are covered with fiber blanket it works well and most if not all of the oxidization pops off in the water. Anything left will come off in pickle. Ideally it's good to have a nice, large stainless bowl of water (larger than the kiln shelf is nice) right in front of the door so things don't slide outside the bow, which can happen in the bowl is small. I might add that I try to keep students away and often hold my breath ;o)

Comment by Angela Baduel-Crispin on April 13, 2011 at 12:33pm

In my experience, if you cover the pieces with fiber blanket (I sometimes use small this pieces of it, just enough to cover each one) and work fast to remove from the kln and dunk, then you will get very little since there should still be enough thermal shock for the oxidization to pop off. Otherwise, use protective eye wear (like those green glasses glass artists use - don't remember their name).

Comment by Angela Baduel-Crispin on April 13, 2011 at 11:35am

Evelyne,

I really like working with Art Clay copper, and yes, ideally to mkae your life easier you should remove it from a hot kiln and plunge in water.

Maybe one idea to try with your top opening kiln is to make a sort of "basket : attach  stainless steel wire to a kiln shelf, using it as a handle long enough for you to "grab" with heat protective gloves to pull out of your kiln and sway/tip over the contents into water.

With any kiln, put ceramic paper on the shelf that way your pieces will slide off easily and won't stick to the shelf. Also, cover your pieces with a layer of fiber blanket. This keeps the pieces hot and unexposed to cool air long enough for you to take the pieces out and plunge them into water and avoid the copper oxides from building up. Do take the pieces out of a hot kiln, but ALWAYS use protective gear (cotton or leather apron, heat resistant gloves and specific protective eye-wear if you plan on taking them out of the kiln while the kiln is red. Otherwise you can wait until about between 600 and 700°C (1200°F-1300°F) and the kiln should no longer be red inside so not dangerous for your eyes. You'll have to get the hang of it and I still breathe deep when I have a double decker class load to remove hot from  the kiln. And have fun !!!

Comment by Pam East on April 13, 2011 at 11:06am

Evelyn,  Personally, I have not had good luck with ACC and carbon, however I know others that have.  After listening to various comments and procedures, I think I may have been using too much carbon.  If you try this, use only about half an inch below and half an inch above your piece.  Keep the carbon to a minimum.  Also, there are now fiber firing pots for base metal clays that are a lot cleaner to use than the old metal pans.  I know Art Clay World carries them, and I imagine others do too. I'd go that route.  Again, I have not tried this myself yet, it's just based on what I'm hearing in the community.   I'm going to run some new tests with carbon and ACC soon.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Comment by Pam East on April 13, 2011 at 11:02am

The thing about running a conference is, it takes money and organization to get it off the ground.  Someone to take responsibility.  That usually means a company of some kind stepping up to the plate and sponsoring the event.  I think Art Clay World has done a tremendous job keeping the MCWC as non-brand specific as possible under the circumstances. They go out of their way to be inclusive, inviting many PMC instructors to be presenters.  It really is an open and welcoming environment.  I'm so glad I'll get to see so many of you there!

Comment by Janet Alexander on April 13, 2011 at 8:43am

Lorrene, good question. I opened my email this morning to find two pages of emails. I just changed my settings.

Comment by Janet Alexander on April 13, 2011 at 8:40am

I haven't decided if I am going yet. Its a money thing.

 

Comment by Lorena Angulo on April 13, 2011 at 8:36am

Eve: If you leave the pieces inside to cool down you will have a BIG issue with the oxidation of the metal. They quench the pieces to help avoid as much as possible that problem. I have never used the Art Clay copper but I know Janice fired it inside the pot with carbon, like the Copprclay and she had very good results.

Comment by Linda Kaye-Moses on April 13, 2011 at 6:45am

Oooh, I'll be en Italia in September....train to Paris? Maybe.

 

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