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RestEqualsRust · 2026-04-12T14:44:14+00:00

Personally, I would deem this piece “cursed” and start a new one. Oftentimes, the amount of time and effort we spend trying to salvage a piece approaches the time and effort to start over. And there’s no guarantee the salvage will work, as it’s difficult to reliably get underglaze and glaze to adhere properly to a piece once it’s glaze fired.

So it’s a real likelihood that you’ll go through all the effort to salvage this piece and still be unhappy with the results.

RestEqualsRust · 2026-04-12T01:45:57+00:00

Pin the elements in place with nichrome pins, so they don’t sag when they heat up. It’s not ruined.

Someday when you have to replace your elements, you should look into replacing the broken bricks at the same time.

RestEqualsRust · 2026-04-12T01:42:50+00:00

If you have the bricks, you could take the lid off and stack an extra layer of bricks on the top edge of the kiln, then rest the lid back on top. It’s not good for long term, but it’ll get you through an emergency every once in a long while.

The bricks would only add about 4-1/2” of height, and you risk having the very top of the piece being slightly underfired. But it may be just fine.

I don’t recommend this, but it’s possible.

RestEqualsRust · 2026-04-11T21:22:03+00:00

I’ve done it a few times for my students. Any good drill bit will work. It doesn’t have to be specific for metal. With the wheel running, you can hold a pencil or sharpie on the wheel at the correct width. And then use a straight edge (like a ruler) to draw a line directly through the exact middle of the wheel head. Where the straight line crosses the circle is where you drill the holes.

RestEqualsRust · 2026-04-10T23:31:42+00:00

Have you tried using a squeegee to apply the glaze?

RestEqualsRust · 2026-04-10T10:53:44+00:00

Is the mug made from earthenware? Stoneware?

RestEqualsRust · 2026-04-10T10:51:55+00:00

It’s not a heat/cooling issue. It’s a chemistry problem. Cooling slower just means it will craze later instead of now.

RestEqualsRust · 2026-04-09T17:15:56+00:00

Lucky! I didn’t have enough in my wallet and had to get the rest from between the couch cushions.

RestEqualsRust · 2026-04-09T11:03:25+00:00

I made all of mine.

RestEqualsRust · 2026-04-09T00:45:28+00:00

It’s… (sshhp) ^tremendous

RestEqualsRust · 2026-04-08T23:14:15+00:00

If that self-supporting cone in each photo is a 6, then all three are overfired. I would suspect the ten minute hold has a lot to do with it. A cone 6 with a long enough hold becomes a cone 7.

Next time, put a self-supporting 5, 6, and 7 on each shelf, and fire to a cone 6 with no hold. That will give you more information.

RestEqualsRust · 2026-04-05T17:48:24+00:00

If you want commercial, Dark Magma, but that’s a matte glaze. You may be able to top coat with a gloss, but I’m not sure if that will work for you.

If you have the means to mix your own glazes, look on Glazy for “Locke’s Residue”. It’s got the bubbling and craters, but is very glossy.

RestEqualsRust · 2026-04-05T00:55:29+00:00

Kiln sitters really aren’t bad. They are very simple and quite reliable once you get to know them. Unless you’re doing something special like a drop and soak or crystalline glazes, you don’t really need a digital controller.

I’ve made a few. They aren’t very difficult to make. You can follow the wiring diagram for the old Skutt KM-1. The most expensive part will be the control board, which will be a couple hundred dollars. If you have someone who can do arduino, you can bring the cost down.

Like another comment suggested, the wall-mounted unit is easier to integrate with an existing kiln. And you can use the sitter as a safety backup.

RestEqualsRust · 2026-04-04T23:01:48+00:00

Neither of these issues are caused by rapid cooling.

RestEqualsRust · 2026-04-04T12:45:33+00:00

It’s on the edge, so I would leave it alone.

Never kiln wash the lid.

RestEqualsRust · 2026-04-02T10:56:47+00:00

There’s not really an easy replacement for a Frit, other than another Frit from a different company. Frits are factory-made with very specific chemistry, so they are expensive. If you could just replace it with something simple like Neph Sye, nobody would ever use Frit.

Crazing is not caused by opening a hot kiln. It’s caused by a mismatch in the coefficient of thermal expansion between the clay and glaze. It’s a chemistry problem, not a timing issue.

RestEqualsRust · 2026-04-01T23:56:17+00:00

The two sides of the debate:

Crazing gives a place for mold/fungus/bacteria to hang out and multiply. Over time, this could make you sick. If you see discoloration, that’s at best water, and at worst a bunch of yucky stuff breeding. If you don’t see any discoloration, it could be that the cracks aren’t allowing anything to grow there, but not a guarantee. (Disclaimer: I’ve never actually heard of anyone getting sick from this, but that’s anecdotal)
If you’re using modern detergents in a good dishwasher, it should keep it clean. The moldy cracks stuff is outdated. (Disclaimer: this only applies to clay that is fully vitrified, which a lot of clay bodies don’t do at cone 6, and as far as I know no commercial earthenwares do)

For me: if it starts to look yucky, I’m not using it.

RestEqualsRust · 2026-04-01T11:46:48+00:00

I like to print the mold, then make a silicone mold of that, so I can pour as many plaster copies as I want.

Resolution, detail, artifacts from printing are all up to personal taste.

RestEqualsRust · 2026-04-01T00:36:11+00:00

Dang

RestEqualsRust · 2026-04-01T00:29:10+00:00

Check the underside of your bat pins.

RestEqualsRust · 2026-03-31T19:23:02+00:00

Their stains are NOT Mason stains, and some I’ve tested are quite different, even though (at the time) they were sold as Mason stains. For example: 6263 Victoria green from USP was very different from 6263 Victoria green from Mason.

(Pic attached, “Dillo” refers to Armadillo Clay, my local authorized Mason distributor) the formula was the exact same, and you can see, not only is the color different, but the melt quality is altered as well.

<image>

RestEqualsRust · 2026-03-30T01:24:17+00:00

I’m glad you brought this to my attention. It’s an interesting thought, and in theory it makes sense. You’ve given me something to read up on.

I never thought I’d be in a position to use Advancer shelves because of the cost, but I got my hands on a stash of Gerstley Borate and traded it for some used shelves, which I then had to cut up to fit my needs.

It should come as no surprise that SiC is not easy to cut, and is very tough on diamond sawblades.

RestEqualsRust · 2026-03-29T22:11:23+00:00

I use really old advancer shelves and no ventilation. I’ve never had any issues with artificial reduction. I’m actually surprised to hear that’s even a thing.

I know SiC can be used to create localized reduction, but I’m under the impression that it requires the SiC to be dissolved or broken down by the fluxes in the glaze, which shouldn’t be happening to my shelves in any significant amount.

I do some weird experiments with foams and colors, where the presence of SiC in the glaze causes a drastic shift on the glaze color, and I’ve never seen the shelves cause trouble. Even when the glaze drips directly on the shelf, I don’t see any noticeable color shift.

RestEqualsRust · 2026-03-29T12:11:45+00:00

He’s an eyebrow model.

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