Firing done, barely...Good result.

Turned out Saturday was windy . I always check the red flag on the yard when firing. Wind blowing from south is not good sign. Cold air blows into the studio, and gust wind tends to mess up the reduction.

Just before the body reduction, my 18 years old oxyprobe meter quit working. I do not put the pyrometric cone for the bisque right now as I am trying to find out the right temperature. Ever since moving into this studio, I have been struggling to get the reduction properly due to strong draft. I relay on the oxyprobe for the temperature. Fortunately Richard Aerni in the same building was having the huge open studio sale, and I was able to barrow his meter. It is by the different manufacture, but works similarly. It is very nice to have another potter in the building.



I have two more pottery studios in the building.
I picked up Carolyn Dilcher-Stutz's wolf at the sale.



Oxyproble measures the temperature and the atmosphere; oxidation and reduction. It is very handy tool especially like today, windy day. Whenever I hear the gust of wind blowing in, I check the atmosphere reading, which is going all over the place, and adjust the kiln, mostly closing the damper. I really do not know how important to adjust the kin in these instance. Maybe not the gust wind situation is not long enough to affect the result. I just do not want to try not and risk losing kiln load of pottery. I had 84 pieces in this kiln.

Opened the kiln today. Result was, to my surprise, very good.

Back to work

Autoracks parking in the yard. Excess of the empty autoracks are needed to park somewhere, I guess.



I store my glazes in 30 gallon buckets. Glaze thickness is alway very tricky. I weight 10cc of glaze to meet the target weight of each glaze, 14g to 15.5g depending of glaze (10cc of water weights 10g) as well as use the hydrometer. During the winter, my studio gets very toasty hot and dry with the steam heater. If I forget to seal the top of the bucket, 1-2" high of the water is easily evaporated. You can see the result almost instantly when painting. Pottery, you really do not know until it is fired. (2-3 days later)

I pour glazes over the bisque ware. Sequence of overlapping glaze gives the different results. I have been using the same glazes for while, and am getting to know how each glaze reacts to each other with different thickness and so on.



My application is always evolving, and that is a fun of it, and this makes the ware fresh look.



The weather looks good for glaze firing.

Back to work

Autoracks parking in the yard. Excess of the empty autoracks are needed to park somewhere, I guess.



I store my glazes in 30 gallon buckets. Glaze thickness is alway very tricky. I weight 10cc of glaze to meet the target weight of each glaze, 14g to 15.5g depending of glaze (10cc of water weights 10g) as well as use the hydrometer. During the winter, my studio gets very toasty hot and dry with the steam heater. If I forget to seal the top of the bucket, 1-2" high of the water is easily evaporated. You can see the result almost instantly when painting. Pottery, you really do not know until it is fired. (2-3 days later)

I pour glazes over the bisque ware. Sequence of overlapping glaze gives the different results. I have been using the same glazes for while, and am getting to know how each glaze reacts to each other with different thickness and so on.



My application is always evolving, and that is a fun of it, and this makes the ware fresh look.



The weather looks good for glaze firing.

Aruba Part Three

Turquoise color. Shallow water, coral, another shallow water, off shore water, horizon and sky. Four to five shades of turquoise blues. Is this reminding you something?



Native people speak 3-4 languages, English, Dutch, Spanish and Papiamento. They seem very happy people. On store clerk told me that they put the Aloe at the doorway to make people happy. I think the sun. People in Rochester tend depress during gloomy winter.

North side of island has rough surf.



We saw large population of Cactus. Felt like wandering into the different planet.



Food. We ate lots of great fresh fish. Wahoo, Barracuda, Sea Bass....
Cooking is very simple. Pan fried with some seasonings. Just bring out the taste and texture of the fish. I am amazed to taste the sweetness in the Barracuda meat.



Flight back was rather painful. The immigration of Aruba stopped processing for one hour without any explanation. Turned out, they tried to upgrade the computer system and failed while processing most busy time of the day. Sound like a joke...but true story.

And there were two chat box sitting behind us. We learned their entire life story which rather painful to hear, from wife being professor, son's graduating in Tampa in two weeks to recent break up with engagement because finding real sexual preference. Airplane is like in the movie theater, and please speak quietly. Otherwise your story can be someone's blog....

Aruba - part two

Arriving to Aruba from Atlanta. About 4 hours flight. First impression from the airport to the hotel was not that good. Scenery was rather dull and dusty and void spaces, reminded me of India or Philippine. About 30 minutes ride, road sign reads "high raise hotel". Felt like arriving Disneyland or something.


Palm beach. Long stretch of white sand. Water is calm, warm and clean turquoise, but not transparent. Lots of boats come and go for parasailing, tubing, etc. Huts on the beach by the hotel is first come first serve basis. People line up to grab the better spot from 7 in the morning.



Sun is very strong. We used the sun lotion SPF50. It blocks very well as long as you do not miss the spot. I am looks-like a giant panda. Some part is burnt-red, and most part is normal. 30 minutes is enough to really get burned.

Got a beach float and sunbathing on the water was the best. My daughter actually read a book.



Snorkeling tour. I am not good at swimming, and was close to be drown couple times in the past. I am scared of the ocean. Japanese beaches near Tokyo are facing the Pacific Ocean, and have lots of waves. Water is not that warm, either. Anyway, we joined the snorkeling tour, visiting two spots, Catalina Bay and the Antilla Wreck, a 400 ft. German freighter that sank in 1940.

Catalina Bay is shallow bay and very calm water. We saw many different kinds of fish, yellow tail, snapper, blow fish, Grouper. We used the DiCAPac waterproof case with Canon SD-1000.



The Antilla Wreck is rather spectacular, choppy ocean, deeper colored. Lots of larger fish. I got panic looking the sunken ship, realizing how deep the water is.

Aruba Part Three

Turquoise color. Shallow water, coral, another shallow water, off shore water, horizon and sky. Four to five shades of turquoise blues. Is this reminding you something?



Native people speak 3-4 languages, English, Dutch, Spanish and Papiamento. They seem very happy people. On store clerk told me that they put the Aloe at the doorway to make people happy. I think the sun. People in Rochester tend depress during gloomy winter.

North side of island has rough surf.



We saw large population of Cactus. Felt like wandering into the different planet.



Food. We ate lots of great fresh fish. Wahoo, Barracuda, Sea Bass....
Cooking is very simple. Pan fried with some seasonings. Just bring out the taste and texture of the fish. I am amazed to taste the sweetness in the Barracuda meat.



Flight back was rather painful. The immigration of Aruba stopped processing for one hour without any explanation. Turned out, they tried to upgrade the computer system and failed while processing most busy time of the day. Sound like a joke...but true story.

And there were two chat box sitting behind us. We learned their entire life story which rather painful to hear, from wife being professor, son's graduating in Tampa in two weeks to recent break up with engagement because finding real sexual preference. Airplane is like in the movie theater, and please speak quietly. Otherwise your story can be someone's blog....

Aruba - part two

Arriving to Aruba from Atlanta. About 4 hours flight. First impression from the airport to the hotel was not that good. Scenery was rather dull and dusty and void spaces, reminded me of India or Philippine. About 30 minutes ride, road sign reads "high raise hotel". Felt like arriving Disneyland or something.


Palm beach. Long stretch of white sand. Water is calm, warm and clean turquoise, but not transparent. Lots of boats come and go for parasailing, tubing, etc. Huts on the beach by the hotel is first come first serve basis. People line up to grab the better spot from 7 in the morning.



Sun is very strong. We used the sun lotion SPF50. It blocks very well as long as you do not miss the spot. I am looks-like a giant panda. Some part is burnt-red, and most part is normal. 30 minutes is enough to really get burned.

Got a beach float and sunbathing on the water was the best. My daughter actually read a book.



Snorkeling tour. I am not good at swimming, and was close to be drown couple times in the past. I am scared of the ocean. Japanese beaches near Tokyo are facing the Pacific Ocean, and have lots of waves. Water is not that warm, either. Anyway, we joined the snorkeling tour, visiting two spots, Catalina Bay and the Antilla Wreck, a 400 ft. German freighter that sank in 1940.

Catalina Bay is shallow bay and very calm water. We saw many different kinds of fish, yellow tail, snapper, blow fish, Grouper. We used the DiCAPac waterproof case with Canon SD-1000.



The Antilla Wreck is rather spectacular, choppy ocean, deeper colored. Lots of larger fish. I got panic looking the sunken ship, realizing how deep the water is.