After a reasonably quiet winter as far as making pots go, I decided to get my backside into gear and start creating again.
During the winter there were a few changes made. I've been experimenting with a couple of new clays, and even mixing different types together at different percentages. Trying to get the best of both, lower shrinkage and strength.
I'm also waiting on a bit of an upgrade as far as my kiln controls go. At the moment it just relys on the kiln sitter to control the heating and shut off etc. But because I want to have a more accurate guage of the temperature and enable a slow cool down period for crystal glazes and also a slower cooldown to avoid cracks, its inevitable that I need an uptodate electronic kiln controller and probe etc.
This comes at quite a cost (almost half way there!) but with my brilliant mentors advice, I feel it will be money well spent. I had to laugh.... he said he could put up with me having a crappy kiln as long as I had a good controller etc! Its good how some people just tell it how it is.
Any way, back to these pots.
This is the first rectangular type bonsai pot I've attempted. The top sides were thrown as a bottomless circle on the wheel. Then when it was still fairly soft I pulled the sides out to make the general shape. Its not absolutely milimetre perfect, but its good enough for me. Then the bottom was rolled out and added along with the feet. Its incredibly hard to get all of the pieces the same as far as dryness goes for assembling together. I know they say not too, but I do use the hair dryer to speed things up a little.
During the winter there were a few changes made. I've been experimenting with a couple of new clays, and even mixing different types together at different percentages. Trying to get the best of both, lower shrinkage and strength.
I'm also waiting on a bit of an upgrade as far as my kiln controls go. At the moment it just relys on the kiln sitter to control the heating and shut off etc. But because I want to have a more accurate guage of the temperature and enable a slow cool down period for crystal glazes and also a slower cooldown to avoid cracks, its inevitable that I need an uptodate electronic kiln controller and probe etc.
This comes at quite a cost (almost half way there!) but with my brilliant mentors advice, I feel it will be money well spent. I had to laugh.... he said he could put up with me having a crappy kiln as long as I had a good controller etc! Its good how some people just tell it how it is.
Any way, back to these pots.
This is the first rectangular type bonsai pot I've attempted. The top sides were thrown as a bottomless circle on the wheel. Then when it was still fairly soft I pulled the sides out to make the general shape. Its not absolutely milimetre perfect, but its good enough for me. Then the bottom was rolled out and added along with the feet. Its incredibly hard to get all of the pieces the same as far as dryness goes for assembling together. I know they say not too, but I do use the hair dryer to speed things up a little.
This ones about 36 long by 27cm wide
This ones an oval approximately 41 by 31 wide by 7cm high.
I've been shying away from putting a drainage hole in the middle for the time being, as if they are going to crack it usually starts at that hole for some reason. I guess it sets up a weak area structurally.
These will sit quietly in the wash house drying over the next couple to three weeks. I usually cover them with a piece of canvas or material to slow the drying right down after I take them out of the usual black rubbish bags.
Time to go, kids are home from school....only seems like a couple of hours since they left!!
