U.P. Kiln Building IFB Skin and Rewetting Cups
gary navarre
Hay Folks,
There's a few details needed doing on the Hobagama before I'll feel right about really starting to load the rear section at the exit flue. Gawaine Dart sent me a care package of all his leftover cones up to ^11 so I don't need to order any unless I want some 13's just to see if the front goes there. The 2½" insulating firebrick skin needed to be pieced together with about half full size and half broken bricks I'd saved from various kilns through the years. Then I'd be able to seal my blow holes, spy holes, and secondary stoke holes with a mix of wet lag and dry castable (Hi-Cast from Alsey) and a soap hard brick to plug the hole with a good fit...
http://public.fotki.com/GindaUP/ca/kpap/uphs09/
I needed to crush a bunch of IFB scrap to add to the refractory mix because I bought the last bag of the Holmes fireclay for fifty miles around when I had to go to Bark River for their last bag. My brick guy in Iron Mountain said he ordered his supply special for me and doesn't really carry it anymore, masons are using the per-mixed refractory cement, so if I wanted more I'd better let him in a few weeks. I think I can squeak by with what I have for door lag and make wadding if I add some EPK and alumina hydrate to fireclay with grog. This one bag of grog sure looks different, more white than the tan ground fire brick. I wonder if it is a flint grog. I'm saving the Kyanite/Mullite for body grog when I run out of the regular fine grog I had been using. Maybe I'll try some of the white stuff too.
During doing that last batch of cups I had some that were getting dryer than I like to put on handles so I figured out what looks like a risky way of getting them softer again but it worked faster than spritzing with the plant sprayer...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kP7rje6iyM
I might post the second parts of making the Dragon Pot but you can't really see what I do vary well and I didn't talk much, I even found myself watching TV and almost fell asleep while previewing the footage so I'll find a better shoot later. The thing about filming pottery making is you really don't get much chance to retake the shot. The kiln building is a good example because it would be crazy to dismantle a portion just to re-shoot the video. One take is all it takes so stay tuned and stay in there eh!
Gary Navarre
Navarre Pottery
Navarre Enterprises
Norway, Michigan, USA
http://www.youtube.com/GindaUP
http://public.fotki.com/GindaUP/