tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21634959874006077102024-03-19T05:42:42.007-07:00Michael MahanSeagrove, North CarolinaMichael Mahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09178266405071704355noreply@blogger.comBlogger478125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163495987400607710.post-27492617485967717202020-08-03T12:40:00.001-07:002020-08-03T17:46:45.559-07:00I'm Not ResponsibleResponsibilities. I shy away from them. I find them debilitating. The thought, and accompanying feeling of panic, is enough to put me in a tail spin, like a rotating cursor on a laptop. Give me a task that I can accomplish by myself and I'm a happy camper. Give me a project that I must organize with others and I'm often a basket case.<div><br /></div><div>So this morning, when a trio of carpenters we hired showed up to re-side our old barn we live in, I was glad that I needed to glaze some pots. The north side of our barn has seen some wear and tear, so my new friends are going to fix some rotten parts and cover it all up with new cement board that Mary and I spent three days painting (another great task that kept me from thinking of other projects).</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9VZ0XELXxn2KdAf0LWAMqvDAlIt0iTqUWO4cXhx1zHQZwElt_lgUqUh9D0vvZhiFojfcBwG61W5x2hSkUWigM2jQYGT32CuCEfpv0S01k9WCwDlUQcq-EA2_jBqldWcmZaXyKO7pjKmop/s1200/jody-and-crew.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9VZ0XELXxn2KdAf0LWAMqvDAlIt0iTqUWO4cXhx1zHQZwElt_lgUqUh9D0vvZhiFojfcBwG61W5x2hSkUWigM2jQYGT32CuCEfpv0S01k9WCwDlUQcq-EA2_jBqldWcmZaXyKO7pjKmop/w512-h512/jody-and-crew.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Focus was intense as our carpenters worked around electrical panels</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>We're also hoping our roofing guy is going to show up soon to replace our tin roof. I've put off calling him, but I'm going to have to give him a call just as soon as I finish glazing these bottles....</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifVI2JBT_D-Oo1GVoy6WLkz8S-FSJHp2JFJ8-m5BPPkyLAkHyvdDuKssEoY2VAjq-CJNBoX7Du5U1CFbT5pSbNMMX_kurffKLEGvg-Y9z2jXpr3-FGiZoPV8UQmARsmjkIq1UVT6JHRGgq/s1200/glazing-bottle.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="512" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifVI2JBT_D-Oo1GVoy6WLkz8S-FSJHp2JFJ8-m5BPPkyLAkHyvdDuKssEoY2VAjq-CJNBoX7Du5U1CFbT5pSbNMMX_kurffKLEGvg-Y9z2jXpr3-FGiZoPV8UQmARsmjkIq1UVT6JHRGgq/w512-h512/glazing-bottle.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>pouring a glaze out of a bottle</i><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div>Michael Mahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09178266405071704355noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163495987400607710.post-50463313677438906352020-06-10T07:12:00.000-07:002020-06-10T08:37:29.835-07:00Newest NormalThanks to my wonderful wife, Mary Holmes, I now have a live online store on our new <a href="http://www.fromthegrounduppots.com/buy-online" target="_blank">website</a>. We are open to the public as well, getting used to the new order of things during the pandemic.<br />
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We are following guidelines put out by the NC Department of Health and Human Services. We ask folks to wear a mask. We wear them ourselves whenever we have a customer stop in. We have some available if you stop in without one. And we also have some hand sanitizer available and/or a public bathroom for hand washing.<br />
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We spent two months in "lock down" avoiding social interaction, then suddenly we opened back up when the governor said we could. Covid-19 is still around, so I'm happy to follow some guidelines to keep myself and everyone around me virus free. It's a nasty bug to say the least.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Taking photos of new work in my showroom</td></tr>
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<br />Michael Mahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09178266405071704355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163495987400607710.post-85159196771303098562020-03-26T07:18:00.000-07:002020-03-27T05:15:14.198-07:00Special Order Keeping Me Busy<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Thank goodness for special orders. Many, if not most, pottery shops in and around Seagrove have closed to the public. We potters are still making pots, and some of us have online stores, but foot traffic has dropped to zero, at least here for the time being.</div>
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I'm finishing up an order for foot soaking bowls for the Andaz Hotel. They ordered 100 back in the fall of 2019 and I've got 10 more to make. Then I'll focus on a couple of wood firings with my son Levi. It's been too long since we've fired the wood kiln.<br />
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Mary continues to work at StarWorks for now. There's a skeleton crew there taking care of business during this worldwide pandemic.<br />
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See you on the other side of this.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scoring bottom section of foot soaking bowl</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Adding the top section</td></tr>
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Michael Mahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09178266405071704355noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163495987400607710.post-35061037594924481422019-03-13T13:09:00.001-07:002020-03-27T05:20:40.799-07:00I'm safe here in North Carolina without FacebookSeems that Facebook is down all over the world - not everywhere, just in certain places, like here at our home.<br />
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I just wanted to say I'm fine for the time being. Meanwhile, people are reverting to outdoor activity, like this adult and child checking out Bear Creek at the dam near Robbins.<br />
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Try not to worry. We'll get through this.</div>
<br />Michael Mahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09178266405071704355noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163495987400607710.post-67478380721443053142018-11-26T19:53:00.000-08:002018-11-27T04:12:11.864-08:00Hemp hull ash in glaze<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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I've been remiss with blogging for too long. Here's a soul pot I fired in our latest wood firing. The glaze is a nuka-type glaze made from ashes I made by burning hemp seed hulls. I've been testing the glaze for the past few months and look forward firing some more pots with it.Michael Mahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09178266405071704355noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163495987400607710.post-50682667072204394412015-06-28T01:31:00.002-07:002015-06-28T01:31:54.691-07:00BirdsIf you've been following me on Facebook, you know I've been paying a lot of attention to birds. Birds here in Ireland seem to be less frightened of people. Perhaps it's because there aren't as many trees here as in North Carolina, and they are used to being exposed to humans.<br />
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I've been working on a line of pots here in Ireland for the wood kiln I constructed, and birds have crept into my trees like never before. They're on branches, diving and fluttering in the air around the trees and branches I've carved.<br />
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Here's a few pictures of them. I hope they survive the blast of the wood kiln.<br />
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<br />Michael Mahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09178266405071704355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163495987400607710.post-61698754282754406092015-06-22T04:24:00.001-07:002015-06-22T04:24:57.563-07:00Firing #2 approaches in Ireland<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1umLdPH6egQmeGj2FEol_DDJQUUgpr28OHBBRZMuPv1QCg6jXh4XzQYkM36kn223mb3_AtKuyFwhtW37ZdiW_LB2EKvheKwnkVwzyQgLnH4kVMzamiugThkrpKie4AnewprNOCantlZ2r/s1600/shelvessm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1umLdPH6egQmeGj2FEol_DDJQUUgpr28OHBBRZMuPv1QCg6jXh4XzQYkM36kn223mb3_AtKuyFwhtW37ZdiW_LB2EKvheKwnkVwzyQgLnH4kVMzamiugThkrpKie4AnewprNOCantlZ2r/s320/shelvessm.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Filling up the shelves with new pots</td></tr>
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We're hoping to fire the wood kiln in Ireland July 11. That gives me another two weeks to get some more pots made. My daughter Chelsea is arriving here at the end of June to help me with last minute pots, loading and firing - and then we're taking off for a few days of rest and relaxation.<br />
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You can see in the photo above that I've made four large platters. These will be in the back of the kiln flanked on either side by the tall pots you see at the left. I'm using a white clay from Cornwall, England this year, and decorating many of the pots by carving through a light coating of Irish shale I obtained from an old brick facility in Castlecomer, Ireland.<br />
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Last year was our first time firing the kiln here, and we learned a lot about clays available here. Some worked well and some did not. While the Cornwall clay is a bit more expensive, I really like the way it throws. It comes in 50-pound bags, unpugged, so I wedge a lot. The shale was a major ingredient in brick making before the plant closed a few years ago. It fires to a chocolate brown and the ash from my wood kiln reacts well with it.<br />
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Here's hoping for a successful firing. We will be taking pots to the Galway Potters' Market July 17 and 18, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW7E1t2o4X3Xno-xgmMUArKQv6m3O2FdBt994_ooqoKN7qmwJiwaqSEEwd4vL7yg1OhxOHhOgNoDpSuQA83d07y07h32CwjyibVxcjmYSLPKY1CM9OpmSxqohX5Uc5bJXqUkYIqy24ER3O/s1600/treevaseshale.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhW7E1t2o4X3Xno-xgmMUArKQv6m3O2FdBt994_ooqoKN7qmwJiwaqSEEwd4vL7yg1OhxOHhOgNoDpSuQA83d07y07h32CwjyibVxcjmYSLPKY1CM9OpmSxqohX5Uc5bJXqUkYIqy24ER3O/s320/treevaseshale.jpg" width="284" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">W.J.Doble clay with Irish shale, fired here in 2014</td></tr>
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<br />Michael Mahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09178266405071704355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163495987400607710.post-30627097232782319792015-01-09T15:01:00.000-08:002015-01-09T15:01:32.288-08:00Busier than usual in JanuaryYou might think a self-employed potter would take it easy in January. Around here it stays busy, this January especially so. In the making:<br />
- Several hundred awards for this year's Uwharrie Mountain Run<br />
- Twenty bath salt jars for a hotel<br />
- Two samples of a new design for foot-soaking bowls for a hotel<br />
- Nine large mugs for the Randolph Road Runners' 5K race<br />
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The shelves in my workshop are getting full. I took my new camera and went around the shop taking pictures of everything in progress.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWHlr-HfHnp_iYTHjt5v_uWViPzDKP_Ov-4JmSrj84ZBVHUJg7j0lljSB4LE5vY179z89JL7t9D3jGsQR59shLVJw1l-m3UFud9wG69KeTPi26Ma8jopc1YpEqJ2Vf-MRgp4MHtZwI3JfS/s1600/bells.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWHlr-HfHnp_iYTHjt5v_uWViPzDKP_Ov-4JmSrj84ZBVHUJg7j0lljSB4LE5vY179z89JL7t9D3jGsQR59shLVJw1l-m3UFud9wG69KeTPi26Ma8jopc1YpEqJ2Vf-MRgp4MHtZwI3JfS/s1600/bells.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bells that I made before the new year</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEmjRxbwUthIx_ByCElCzm9P0npdGMx9yrdARBQcKSbnxzg3Nmj8l6AqXZcpqj6OJYJW5Z3CSeOFe2_RsJuJLDJTHpjwOVgPsIA-qkpGTHdr1I18XnRaqyX6AQgNn0ZpiPiO5ofR6QUSqg/s1600/birds.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEmjRxbwUthIx_ByCElCzm9P0npdGMx9yrdARBQcKSbnxzg3Nmj8l6AqXZcpqj6OJYJW5Z3CSeOFe2_RsJuJLDJTHpjwOVgPsIA-qkpGTHdr1I18XnRaqyX6AQgNn0ZpiPiO5ofR6QUSqg/s1600/birds.jpg" height="194" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chelsea made quite a few of her birds while here</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd7kwscTA7gPGX7v32CjIJXacAcuXZHZmp6ScKCUfnNyEJa3T-b16Os1ggYeCIPCTa49vQtNiiS5fWMUyXhVxyos5YtvB2eYX2nHGAVRCD3AZyEF7yd_MlM0FA-1hCAuN_ndNuQFw-2DXo/s1600/cups.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd7kwscTA7gPGX7v32CjIJXacAcuXZHZmp6ScKCUfnNyEJa3T-b16Os1ggYeCIPCTa49vQtNiiS5fWMUyXhVxyos5YtvB2eYX2nHGAVRCD3AZyEF7yd_MlM0FA-1hCAuN_ndNuQFw-2DXo/s1600/cups.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cups by Levi for the Uwharrie Mountain Run</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIKKPad7vxRgU38xqEMjx8TsMFlC3HleOGCizeAixVlN-4cLdHEyuClaj-ez9xWAoYtXxhqBEGaUklhyg2fYiJH7_2p9ROjlq-lSOcTD18Fe3xHDU5lgrJHttiZZXiJBTFteEDNEjJ4rjw/s1600/footandbathsalt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIKKPad7vxRgU38xqEMjx8TsMFlC3HleOGCizeAixVlN-4cLdHEyuClaj-ez9xWAoYtXxhqBEGaUklhyg2fYiJH7_2p9ROjlq-lSOcTD18Fe3xHDU5lgrJHttiZZXiJBTFteEDNEjJ4rjw/s1600/footandbathsalt.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The two foot-soaking bowls and the bath salt jars</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOy_N7jfjBciDEcQ9A_1_qe2OvHn44qcrn_W8abdAxCPFdfD5hOFeRPHDFrjD2uxj0y0_LWnFTZOZXKyjUnOGyt0SZRLN6sSTuTIpdW4zDNqk8k16R5krnvK7qyg1zKasxujtCDy4bWqef/s1600/glazedcups.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOy_N7jfjBciDEcQ9A_1_qe2OvHn44qcrn_W8abdAxCPFdfD5hOFeRPHDFrjD2uxj0y0_LWnFTZOZXKyjUnOGyt0SZRLN6sSTuTIpdW4zDNqk8k16R5krnvK7qyg1zKasxujtCDy4bWqef/s1600/glazedcups.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some cups for testing a new stain</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGhdkyXI32Obz617YMnaYHAwD1Pv4mh3X0kYz1LCI99m3l4lOxX7mgzW_1ZySJKPlZlcFKle1Ds8OSYqjo0ro9ZCdVYhOlyrno6sSWKuXgHZlF3x9TBSG3eEW0__MD56FyEOdB6DN8ezyV/s1600/medalions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGhdkyXI32Obz617YMnaYHAwD1Pv4mh3X0kYz1LCI99m3l4lOxX7mgzW_1ZySJKPlZlcFKle1Ds8OSYqjo0ro9ZCdVYhOlyrno6sSWKuXgHZlF3x9TBSG3eEW0__MD56FyEOdB6DN8ezyV/s1600/medalions.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susan did medallions this year for Uwharrie Mountain Run</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCS50wJBPVCjG0-NDb5FRXAoE6yItI3jGM3w-7urqDA8iPnO65B3scuiSlGC4489NQmnLNr1Mrz2rFJni7la50EMfi6hOXWqALm6RY-de1hF7QWeNXUBk_U0xi3hTov9QLAiRxC8qpkqk/s1600/mugs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCCS50wJBPVCjG0-NDb5FRXAoE6yItI3jGM3w-7urqDA8iPnO65B3scuiSlGC4489NQmnLNr1Mrz2rFJni7la50EMfi6hOXWqALm6RY-de1hF7QWeNXUBk_U0xi3hTov9QLAiRxC8qpkqk/s1600/mugs.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chelsea's mugs for 5K</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgriHy8cJ2lfvpY5YYyvf4mNVRtqXi0_7w6-kGG8zvQjOOBWljVrDWBx2BlMRx2sfDXP-S_yfHMuCyumveFUos-MiItzfYJWC4LPcOSOrA7Kd-h_Co8rnY0B1V2jxGCH0i485wha315aQOO/s1600/twobigsouls.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgriHy8cJ2lfvpY5YYyvf4mNVRtqXi0_7w6-kGG8zvQjOOBWljVrDWBx2BlMRx2sfDXP-S_yfHMuCyumveFUos-MiItzfYJWC4LPcOSOrA7Kd-h_Co8rnY0B1V2jxGCH0i485wha315aQOO/s1600/twobigsouls.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A couple of soul pots that didn't make it into the last firing</td></tr>
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<br />Michael Mahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09178266405071704355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163495987400607710.post-64686050672360691462014-12-23T09:47:00.002-08:002014-12-23T09:47:50.425-08:00Revisiting Design of Foot-soaking Bowl<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWDy9lkZLGj6tJCLj9NXkxvTgElklNm9M0AD2gI_EU4UXT-Fc4YjYvJy8XplH_6T0NaTIDhkLUKvOrl1hIV1EBIjbBqBp713O0qf8nN8x6Uc9LAXhNd3RglPQLqKplcw1YwJ9CAzDsU39C/s1600/newfootbowl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWDy9lkZLGj6tJCLj9NXkxvTgElklNm9M0AD2gI_EU4UXT-Fc4YjYvJy8XplH_6T0NaTIDhkLUKvOrl1hIV1EBIjbBqBp713O0qf8nN8x6Uc9LAXhNd3RglPQLqKplcw1YwJ9CAzDsU39C/s1600/newfootbowl.jpg" height="212" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New Foot-soaking Bowl</td></tr>
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Four years ago, Levi and I spent the summer making 200 foot-soaking
bowls for the Andaz Hotel on 5th Avenue in New York. I'm currently
working on a new version for the hotel to test that is more user
friendly that is not as breakable.<br />
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One possibility I'm looking at is spraying the outside of the bowl with several coats of clear rubber using a product called LeakSeal. I bought a can of this stuff, but I am waiting for a warm day to use it, as I'm not going to be spraying this stuff indoors. <br />
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The other option is to add a drain and handle. The current design forces one to turn the bowl completely upside down to empty it. The shape of the bowl and the weight of the bowl both make it a bit awkward to do this. So, I'm thinking a drain and handle or maybe just a drain will help. The handle would come in handy when moving the bowl around the shower, making it less likely to slip out of one's grasp and drop on the stone veneer floor.<br />
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I'm currently in the process of
making three of the foot-soaking bowls, one with a drain, one with a
drain and handle and one for the rubber coating. I located the drain
where it is only visible by peering into the far corner of the bowl. The
handle is simply a cutout, hoping this will maintain the bowl's
attractive shape.<br />
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I've also increased the amount of clay by a little bit when making these so the wall thickness will increase a bit.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKKaKK9r42cTnqxkVtNb1vcMSxk0RbQxnAZ2l8YLUwiNYwf0tTAmuUhOtBUaj7EY6w23TOnrzPs_kE0F-zUOLremNFb4G2gVJahWvBVoaTQ1gdPvs_vPDteeuFymiaQJTpgYOL6zjcq3pv/s1600/footbowl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKKaKK9r42cTnqxkVtNb1vcMSxk0RbQxnAZ2l8YLUwiNYwf0tTAmuUhOtBUaj7EY6w23TOnrzPs_kE0F-zUOLremNFb4G2gVJahWvBVoaTQ1gdPvs_vPDteeuFymiaQJTpgYOL6zjcq3pv/s1600/footbowl.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me at the Andaz with bowl</td></tr>
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<br />Michael Mahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09178266405071704355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163495987400607710.post-79769679028417270622014-11-16T10:20:00.000-08:002014-11-16T10:20:43.110-08:00New Wood-fired pots for Celebration of Seagrove Potters, Nov. 21,22,23<br>
The <a href="http://www.celebrationofseagrovepotters.com/index.html" target="_blank">Celebration of Seagrove Potters</a> - a premier show of 57 Seagrove Potteries held at the old Luck's cannery in the town of Seagrove - is this weekend. Here's a sample of the latest work we just unloaded from the wood kiln and will be taking to the show.<br />
Hope to see you there.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhacjWGtsfJ72Ue9EpTdSk0vdwz6ZrnNyhR5sLxalCl7dbJvrmltX0G68EC0bL2ryojNoz0fk1Dn3IB-pOaLZ43BSTaZpCV4yjE7ePSeMY_3-N7cvdcQwjLe93cPmvXW70zX5Nmj3GYB25M/s1600/displaysm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhacjWGtsfJ72Ue9EpTdSk0vdwz6ZrnNyhR5sLxalCl7dbJvrmltX0G68EC0bL2ryojNoz0fk1Dn3IB-pOaLZ43BSTaZpCV4yjE7ePSeMY_3-N7cvdcQwjLe93cPmvXW70zX5Nmj3GYB25M/s1600/displaysm.jpg" height="241" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Michael Mahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09178266405071704355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163495987400607710.post-53276655623203711862014-07-23T12:50:00.000-07:002014-07-23T12:50:18.267-07:00Anybody got any Elmers?<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpQ2AWCyGMcAag9PHjdcvkpprVsJHTQDL2vVDgclh78LnL9CRuZLaVfBQGE_KQqRIA8SjFlkcuxWbZarHFJw6hCwqc5h2nR_cCUMfKnCbA4Q5p4CawhceepwWmPJw4h8eTeMT59sGYa4Er/s1600/marymike.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpQ2AWCyGMcAag9PHjdcvkpprVsJHTQDL2vVDgclh78LnL9CRuZLaVfBQGE_KQqRIA8SjFlkcuxWbZarHFJw6hCwqc5h2nR_cCUMfKnCbA4Q5p4CawhceepwWmPJw4h8eTeMT59sGYa4Er/s1600/marymike.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and Mary on a much-needed break</td></tr>
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It's been a whirlwind of activity here in Ireland the past month and a half. We rebuilt the chimney to the wood-fired kiln that we built last year (chimney was blown over during a storm in February), set up the workshop, purchased clay and glaze material, made pots and fired them, and now we're finishing up preparations for our first ever kiln opening in Ireland.<br />
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Sometimes, I ask myself why. Why did I set up a shop in a foreign country where not a lot of people know me, where everything seems to be done in a different manner with different names for things, like kiln batts instead of kiln shelves, 4 x 2s instead of 2 x 4s... like going to the store for messages instead of groceries. And then there's converting metric measurements and centigrade. It was 28 today... that's 82 (dreadfully hot, here).<br />
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I think I love a challenge. I love to figure things out. And a challenge it was setting up here. Try walking into an Irish hardware store and asking for a pipe wrench (it's called a strainer here, I think because you strain a lot when you use it). Or how about some Elmer's glue for gluing wads on the bottom of pots when loading a kiln? Nope, they use glue sticks around here (Sure, don't you know everybody calls it Evo-stik?). I had to buy some white wood glue from the hardware store after driving around town and checking every convenience store in the area.<br />
<br />
Looking for a vacuum for the shop. Everything's a hoover here, and you won't put a hoover in the trunk of your car. That's a boot - opposite end from the bonnet, you eejit.<br />
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So, it took a bit more figuring than usual, but Mary and I managed to get up and running in a few weeks, and tonight Mary's walking down the road she grew up on sliding kiln opening flyers into the mail slots of all her childhood neighbors.<br />
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We've set up some old pub tables Aunt Noreen gave us on the former rhubarb garden out back and we'll be covering them with tablecloths we purchased at the Eurostore and setting out the first pots fired in a kiln heated with deal wood (a christmas tree like pine grown here). Mary's driver's ed teacher, Eileen Leonard, is coming for the opening night to play her fiddle. We got a friend in County Clare, David Levine, who may come with his concertina and flute. I've got a bottle of Jameson, a few cans of Harp lager. There will be tea of course, and some coffee and lots of baked goods (God, I've eaten a lot of baked goods lately).<br />
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So, wish us luck. I'm still trying to figure out why I'm doing this, but it's been great.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiloGvDPlvL_5NgE2X3efRSe3JrYeiHuHp4bPlUyUxQqH99kfezqzIGZ-wsrEcSOYoUxNX8PAtOm8PwRaWYoHbaK5yVGIC3tQ4Upz2kS8j99kBC6XS6Sir8mRZze6MHgLsFHwz2IDc9y_Ni/s1600/hurleypot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiloGvDPlvL_5NgE2X3efRSe3JrYeiHuHp4bPlUyUxQqH99kfezqzIGZ-wsrEcSOYoUxNX8PAtOm8PwRaWYoHbaK5yVGIC3tQ4Upz2kS8j99kBC6XS6Sir8mRZze6MHgLsFHwz2IDc9y_Ni/s1600/hurleypot.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A small vase paddled with a tiny hurley</td></tr>
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Michael Mahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09178266405071704355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163495987400607710.post-69732699709287647122014-06-03T13:57:00.000-07:002014-06-03T13:57:14.938-07:00Topping the Week Off with a Big CleanSitting at PTI airport in Greensboro, NC, eating "cacao dusted dark chocolate goji berries" and waiting for our flight to Philidelphia where we'll hop aboard a plane to Shannon, Ireland.... I'm beginning to settle down. It's been a busy few weeks leading up to our annual trek to Ireland: 27 foot-soaking bowls, an eight-place tablesetting for a wedding, 30 soul pots specially made to commemorate the U.S. Open Golf Championship, two wood-fired vases specially ordered, several custom wood-fired lamp bases, a chocolate pot reproduction, a baptismal font, six southwestern-glazed bowls.... There's probably something else I can't remember. At any rate, it's been busy getting orders out, and then on top of everything, I've been in touch with my friendly ceramic supplier in Cork, Ireland, <a href="http://dbipottery.com/?page_id=97">DBI</a>, sourcing kiln shelves and a slab roller.
What do Mary and I do the morning of the day we leave for Ireland? We do the Big Clean in my main workshop. Thanks to my daughter for helping me clean the other workshop.
When you hear from me next, I should be in Ireland.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0uuUDHbjU-Dmt9TnOBlpUf4zCpZqrs80Zj9BdQ1NObXA2SxC3RCEc0_9_KNL2OFzFhyphenhyphenjYiPhnI-y7osBpM2dpuweCF-JPg51aJvk7_B1bx-_9Waom-zklKuDsEZ3zgWyODHa9ckaAEO9G/s1600/bigclean.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0uuUDHbjU-Dmt9TnOBlpUf4zCpZqrs80Zj9BdQ1NObXA2SxC3RCEc0_9_KNL2OFzFhyphenhyphenjYiPhnI-y7osBpM2dpuweCF-JPg51aJvk7_B1bx-_9Waom-zklKuDsEZ3zgWyODHa9ckaAEO9G/s320/bigclean.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Big Clean at From the Ground Up, Seagrove, NC</td></tr>
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Michael Mahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09178266405071704355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163495987400607710.post-72672348307045592532014-03-23T15:51:00.000-07:002014-03-23T15:51:04.540-07:00Waiting is killing me, but I need the rest<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie4FEU562978qDzdCgY104ua1UUtyGDuOV9DllPeVJsMXi30MdIRT45BBfaBVdTRPKAdSuyFkWfz2q9bJMbppRL6I5zIpfGPOKyGill2MrTneqD3UqMdNqHxEfkm9vfMok1eO5QUMgoAbc/s1600/frontstack.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie4FEU562978qDzdCgY104ua1UUtyGDuOV9DllPeVJsMXi30MdIRT45BBfaBVdTRPKAdSuyFkWfz2q9bJMbppRL6I5zIpfGPOKyGill2MrTneqD3UqMdNqHxEfkm9vfMok1eO5QUMgoAbc/s320/frontstack.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peeking in the kiln is addictive</td></tr>
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I'm sitting here, and I've been sitting here off and on all day, exhausted after firing my wood kiln for 15 hours yesterday. I've peeked inside and I see a lot of potential for nice pots, but I see some potential for not-so-nice pots. It's kind of difficult to tell when peering into an 800-degree F. kiln. I've got a lot of local clay in this kiln load: some high iron clay from my land that I love to throw because it stands up so well on the wheel and still can be swelled out with ease; some clay from my land that comes out of the ground grey with streaks of iron through it and behaves a bit thixotropically (becomes less stable the more you work with it); some yellow clay from my land that behaves terribly when trying to form a pot on the wheel; some local clay from Cameron, NC that threw beautifully once I got some of the sand and grit out of it; and a couple of processed local clay bodies from STARworks Ceramics, one of which can develop pockets of gas that expand and develop bloating if fired to too high in temperature in my wood kiln.
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My kiln fires unevenly, so I loaded the kiln such that the clays that don't like as much heat are in the back of the kiln and the clays that can take the heat are in the front of the kiln. Basically, the high-iron clays don't like as much heat, so they are in the back of the kiln, but a few made it toward the front of the kiln as well. The middle of the kiln is mostly a clay from STARworks called Okeeweemee 10 which is a dark clay body which has bloated in the front of my kiln before but seems to take more heat than my local high-iron clay. But there are a couple of pieces in the front of the kiln made from Okeeweemee 10. I think some of us potters like to take chances.
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My wood kiln is designed to produce a lot of melted ash and flashing effects on the pots. Flashing is when you get subtle colors of sheen that develop on the outside of the pot. The way you load a kiln affects the way it fires, and with a wood kiln, it affects where the ash deposits occur and the flashing. It's one of the main challenges in loading a wood kiln such as the one I fire. I decorate some of my pots with trees, vines, etc. so I have to think about these things.
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I put a small cup made from some of my high-iron yellow local clay right up front in the kiln when loading it, where it would likely get blasted by flame and ash. You can see it to the right of the tall vase at the left. It might have bloated, but it appears okay. I'll be checking it out tomorrow some time.<br />
Michael Mahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09178266405071704355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163495987400607710.post-47522900861491129992014-03-11T07:14:00.000-07:002014-03-11T07:14:56.520-07:00Iron-rich Clay and Trees for Wood Kiln<br>
I've been busy with trees lately - incising them into a variety of my indigenous iron-rich clay, through a fine layer of white clay. I'll be firing them in my wood-fired kiln next week. This iron-rich clay is dug locally, some of which is from my own property. I've got one batch of some of my own clay from a new source on my property and I'm excited to see what it looks like when fired.
I'll be firing this load of pots to a lower temperature and doing a slow reduction cool at the end of the firing, something I haven't done with the iron-rich clays. So, I'm excited about that as well, although there's always a bit of anxiety included when doing something ew. These tree designs - especially the more intricate designs - take a lot of time to create. When you subject them to a kiln atmosphere which can produce heavy ash deposits, you've got to arrange them in the kiln such that the designs stay away from the heavy ash. Otherwise, you'll end up obliterating all that intricacy.
Here's a few pots I'll be strategically placing in the kiln next week:
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqVOU_4M8pny6AHRSC_Zlx-IahmIqJ7AmCyA04gq-UPZ8UATLq8kUhz2qQUg5LDGZZbYebtQOb3x5cJYNf6FSVXeYPopRKcE8s8NGHAPkMHkcDqkHAJmbtlQD-UWefkNcHcYOU6k2bP9O_/s1600/lidjartree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqVOU_4M8pny6AHRSC_Zlx-IahmIqJ7AmCyA04gq-UPZ8UATLq8kUhz2qQUg5LDGZZbYebtQOb3x5cJYNf6FSVXeYPopRKcE8s8NGHAPkMHkcDqkHAJmbtlQD-UWefkNcHcYOU6k2bP9O_/s320/lidjartree.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Large covered jar</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN6ns3HucFMnsyFUD09psLWCuLFQ8lCOiNT1B3GCwDbYfBKLYGS3JNlCclRFKvq2ucoVhoUM4dkXvZoiLB4k4_LcQLyT9HBO8aMXAF1AE2dzf22YDfvjx0_P0K0E_NQhB9TeLDT1YorlTG/s1600/soultop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN6ns3HucFMnsyFUD09psLWCuLFQ8lCOiNT1B3GCwDbYfBKLYGS3JNlCclRFKvq2ucoVhoUM4dkXvZoiLB4k4_LcQLyT9HBO8aMXAF1AE2dzf22YDfvjx0_P0K0E_NQhB9TeLDT1YorlTG/s320/soultop.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Medium-sized soul pot</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfNvqEe_YBxAniNYC459WkcztFS4i6R2OTuTuqIoGw2uAtKlRZanZ6jS_Pgj3S0RJ_w18KGibUxPVenCR4hMizWJS1lX1Pks0HoYL7TGZLrh8b-1kUdCBCiI5bfas32AGgQxi1TVpBoj-y/s1600/soultoptriskele.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfNvqEe_YBxAniNYC459WkcztFS4i6R2OTuTuqIoGw2uAtKlRZanZ6jS_Pgj3S0RJ_w18KGibUxPVenCR4hMizWJS1lX1Pks0HoYL7TGZLrh8b-1kUdCBCiI5bfas32AGgQxi1TVpBoj-y/s320/soultoptriskele.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another soul pot with triskele design</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAjE2qFBmsPHNUyEn0C3QABnMmMkoPqYFC_yapLQENg2w5e8u14AaPZAy-E_POMr4V9-DnPn33N3vvLoTfDa7Acoz82Z4xebozCFhocnuZnrHyECJMxJt1e709qo4uObZ_wUNSihTMy2se/s1600/tpots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAjE2qFBmsPHNUyEn0C3QABnMmMkoPqYFC_yapLQENg2w5e8u14AaPZAy-E_POMr4V9-DnPn33N3vvLoTfDa7Acoz82Z4xebozCFhocnuZnrHyECJMxJt1e709qo4uObZ_wUNSihTMy2se/s320/tpots.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some teapots</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZtyecsfN64jO7-awVzweX8VPLid3Jzkan3KGPcxkbJLYruYRMs7hqk3HcP3lOoykOd7Dm3RF_kbjFQrz3kIL3_AaHoL_Ofd5k7VfELm6FozopKd7xH_n55ECoYqfo6EEFGt0Bybzy7z5/s1600/treemugs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2ZtyecsfN64jO7-awVzweX8VPLid3Jzkan3KGPcxkbJLYruYRMs7hqk3HcP3lOoykOd7Dm3RF_kbjFQrz3kIL3_AaHoL_Ofd5k7VfELm6FozopKd7xH_n55ECoYqfo6EEFGt0Bybzy7z5/s320/treemugs.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Steins</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnwGJPaTt4w7Lk6fnNhhEO3cuYCj66wrFwZkUl98JgdrUycGU7UGDIgq5LFqxGPTQ8YRimU93Y8uRj09w205HMuUxS89pgE7BqAdd1vjv_HgyUQfg0YujHga3tO9F8Q9CWM_Xqlw5Ot-t/s1600/treeplates.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDnwGJPaTt4w7Lk6fnNhhEO3cuYCj66wrFwZkUl98JgdrUycGU7UGDIgq5LFqxGPTQ8YRimU93Y8uRj09w205HMuUxS89pgE7BqAdd1vjv_HgyUQfg0YujHga3tO9F8Q9CWM_Xqlw5Ot-t/s320/treeplates.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dinner-sized plates</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBG5Up3OHZb04oyjnhsE4z7CZ2SVsh5w0id1dv1PLpJ3Bw7jBxso4kuZIGNLfO-hXTA0x6s49ya1uZ3be6lyjGa_cG3se4GehrqdbMr5-XnsQlpGqKPhfZc16l61rnkj1uddqrNl4EMb9m/s1600/trees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBG5Up3OHZb04oyjnhsE4z7CZ2SVsh5w0id1dv1PLpJ3Bw7jBxso4kuZIGNLfO-hXTA0x6s49ya1uZ3be6lyjGa_cG3se4GehrqdbMr5-XnsQlpGqKPhfZc16l61rnkj1uddqrNl4EMb9m/s320/trees.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some pitchers</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGPF3wPSTHZfz88xR5C6NJBhQbzQ1eS9KCr51xoCQnEMbUR5p_8HXJfjv6OMXHmwvbJNb4-HzzJdJqly9KjJYmUNqn1l7XF5egJgsMZb2sG0WUiSnfnrX0pvdzzSxGCdMH-fSlBZZ__naE/s1600/treevases.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGPF3wPSTHZfz88xR5C6NJBhQbzQ1eS9KCr51xoCQnEMbUR5p_8HXJfjv6OMXHmwvbJNb4-HzzJdJqly9KjJYmUNqn1l7XF5egJgsMZb2sG0WUiSnfnrX0pvdzzSxGCdMH-fSlBZZ__naE/s320/treevases.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Upside down vases</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf9xE-Q3I3LFCFPqeeedy_LFSYtcU6Nmla5xkV6o130A2d0cFMvtIPfpVoydBE4Wra_BCStJZNXzPZq9Sia1pxbsfC6bvx__pkZFXy5oRMXTkW82tN-Q2xT-L9v-SdmHk-Cf0LFeOaQDyB/s1600/carvetreesm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf9xE-Q3I3LFCFPqeeedy_LFSYtcU6Nmla5xkV6o130A2d0cFMvtIPfpVoydBE4Wra_BCStJZNXzPZq9Sia1pxbsfC6bvx__pkZFXy5oRMXTkW82tN-Q2xT-L9v-SdmHk-Cf0LFeOaQDyB/s320/carvetreesm.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Incising with a dull needle tool</td></tr>
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</sp>Michael Mahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09178266405071704355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163495987400607710.post-78923941910300461022013-10-19T06:26:00.000-07:002013-10-19T19:25:03.064-07:00Working Toward another Good Firing<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNpdMarwQSZFdZKly7naRj0834oghvME4weDmtz7iOcD3de4Pv30lZblz-6r6Uv_knV8CxIapqQBt-yC0Ch_oAXnCwk1hWkKh2J9-wPvie9RlVThxsFWZTFjYqwqfbojZnpmIafhfFqYs5/s1600/vinevasecarving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNpdMarwQSZFdZKly7naRj0834oghvME4weDmtz7iOcD3de4Pv30lZblz-6r6Uv_knV8CxIapqQBt-yC0Ch_oAXnCwk1hWkKh2J9-wPvie9RlVThxsFWZTFjYqwqfbojZnpmIafhfFqYs5/s320/vinevasecarving.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Decorating another large vase for wood firing</td></tr>
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I've got an upcoming show in Pensacola Florida the first weekend in November. The Great Gulfcoast Arts Festival is held Nov. 1,2,3. I'm firing the wood kiln next weekend, and I've been busy drawing trees and vines on five large vases I made last week.
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These vases are somewhere around 20 inches high. The trees are the most labor intensive. I work for several hours on these. I'll be placing these in the wood kiln and firing in such a way as to maximize what we call flashing, and minimizing ash buildup.
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYst8jVq0U48qDjCo3rWGJy25L7KuZUgtvAQ4qPdXEsImMgY2_GJ8LiG4IEhDBFdUgGufDp86B8nZDmV6V20h86wjxSm88RV2qkq1ZNk8Dk9_RwXjvrUjwLHoLCcDkyi-V2VaLs3aJpigS/s1600/flashing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYst8jVq0U48qDjCo3rWGJy25L7KuZUgtvAQ4qPdXEsImMgY2_GJ8LiG4IEhDBFdUgGufDp86B8nZDmV6V20h86wjxSm88RV2qkq1ZNk8Dk9_RwXjvrUjwLHoLCcDkyi-V2VaLs3aJpigS/s200/flashing.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Closeup of flashing on a pot</td></tr>
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Flashing is where subtle coloring occurs on the surface of a pot due to the interaction of the clay surface with the volatile compounds of the flame. Too much ash buildup obliterates the color.
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Placement of the pieces in the kiln is important, as well as how the kiln is fired. Placing a pot behind another pot protects it from too much ash buildup. If I decorate a piece with trees surrounding the entire pot, I will try to protect that pot from ash. If I decorate a piece only partially with trees, I can arrange the pot in the kiln such that the decoration is facing the back of the kiln so that the design isn't blasted by the flame and ash.
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The picture below shows placement of pots in the front of the kiln. Top shelf for some reason doesn't get a lot of ash buildup in the very front of the kiln. Pots on shelves below it get a lot of ash, so the tree designs are facing the back of the kiln. The large pot at the top has three other large pots directly behind it, somewhat protected from the ash.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9pnF363CBXc0XGXXmVzlw6Hd7RDGRNrJ4FXG8Ybwf1-Wwn3jA2olvhqGQUl6_WyuZCdjfLl3n0doQ3CgAWzyohl4VoWFgeuzbmdC9DN-uY2NQXlzsD9u-4-dJo0kwPIkjW9XaZhRqKPdZ/s1600/frontshelf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9pnF363CBXc0XGXXmVzlw6Hd7RDGRNrJ4FXG8Ybwf1-Wwn3jA2olvhqGQUl6_WyuZCdjfLl3n0doQ3CgAWzyohl4VoWFgeuzbmdC9DN-uY2NQXlzsD9u-4-dJo0kwPIkjW9XaZhRqKPdZ/s320/frontshelf.jpg" width="217" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front shelf<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5b8RUwJj3mRlql3avRzJagJQ3fXRph8eSAMaoAFBydAh2uLX5yQ3tYMwzJhViBLT90EH7cnvyfjx1GOXDjKHYoRg5pK1ig2UJ5x3L7u0RgZuBh1-bcBRiqUdt9SaLB-vGTLv_13Co99oQ/s1600/ashflash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5b8RUwJj3mRlql3avRzJagJQ3fXRph8eSAMaoAFBydAh2uLX5yQ3tYMwzJhViBLT90EH7cnvyfjx1GOXDjKHYoRg5pK1ig2UJ5x3L7u0RgZuBh1-bcBRiqUdt9SaLB-vGTLv_13Co99oQ/s320/ashflash.jpg" width="253" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ash buldup can be seen on left</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-5Pkjfsz9QEpvM0hsoaJqF-PmyjgfA8U31wwWwoPcTjGV4O1Dz6E4zU9gy9F3kDSpGi-7xZS1MBIXte_7dHVJLAVQ0nMGW0L0B9NwTuq4O5QLEuJH6Hmo1SpEyXTZD36rwXKZ7n0_MQ0i/s1600/threevases.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-5Pkjfsz9QEpvM0hsoaJqF-PmyjgfA8U31wwWwoPcTjGV4O1Dz6E4zU9gy9F3kDSpGi-7xZS1MBIXte_7dHVJLAVQ0nMGW0L0B9NwTuq4O5QLEuJH6Hmo1SpEyXTZD36rwXKZ7n0_MQ0i/s320/threevases.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three vases ready for firing</td></tr>
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Michael Mahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09178266405071704355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163495987400607710.post-31242112780113434552013-10-11T06:56:00.002-07:002013-10-11T06:56:39.125-07:00Feedback Inspires <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5p3uXjqF8Kg7SNFIvQP_1cLXI1OnBlWSxIJQJfXmuBF1uXS9j9AMtymusgrA4IexszpSG42B_D6SS22PpKZXsQrLMA-iJEBtdw921XcbXAAxMrKobh_Cxn43FKuAUbzOk88Zcy013HVkV/s1600/largetreevasehandledf.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5p3uXjqF8Kg7SNFIvQP_1cLXI1OnBlWSxIJQJfXmuBF1uXS9j9AMtymusgrA4IexszpSG42B_D6SS22PpKZXsQrLMA-iJEBtdw921XcbXAAxMrKobh_Cxn43FKuAUbzOk88Zcy013HVkV/s320/largetreevasehandledf.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wood-fired vase, 18 inches high</td></tr>
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The picture above got a lot of attention when I posted it (along with a host of other pictures from the latest firing) on Facebook: 48 shares or more, and more than 100 likes, as far as I can tell, and I'm still getting feedback.
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Nothing like positive feedback to inspire. I unloaded this pot during our annual kiln opening Oct. 5. I fired the kiln a little different this time, with a long "reduction cool" at the end. I let the temperature drop to 2,000 degrees and sealed it up, then stoked small fresh pine branches - a few at a time - for five hours as the kiln cooled to somewhere between 1,600 and 1,500.
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I'll be repeating the technique during the next firing in the next couple of weeks. Meanwhile, I'm having fun with some new shapes. These are two-piece pots. The base is 10-12 pounds, the top, 4-5 pounds.
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I'm including a few pictures from the last firing.
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjWAVJc4ZjmR-BwhXV-aRYzqOxfi_hcZAj9f2mUxj-tppX_6XIwI2GyHiAUOzkNIvcs5-tCKyl-iW0ZkRZCufm4XRUgS0ZeD12eZXw1dQ8G9Mdm42fzuC0liTpYHuiht_d1F-smKePO1hj/s1600/threevases.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjWAVJc4ZjmR-BwhXV-aRYzqOxfi_hcZAj9f2mUxj-tppX_6XIwI2GyHiAUOzkNIvcs5-tCKyl-iW0ZkRZCufm4XRUgS0ZeD12eZXw1dQ8G9Mdm42fzuC0liTpYHuiht_d1F-smKePO1hj/s320/threevases.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three vases drying in studio, 18-20 inches high</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXXwxE4Pki3PdG0Ev7MpO0Mrx1niFx8hG0P1ch2Lhd0dEBbJYPSjwA3PqGoJdwZBlGE-9l5ZYDiSPyXGGxvCzzzZtTNO2PpZxO_DtjjaknvRmw2ReyR1UjvJr8m_vdm0Z-LKylLcTwDsab/s1600/meandvase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXXwxE4Pki3PdG0Ev7MpO0Mrx1niFx8hG0P1ch2Lhd0dEBbJYPSjwA3PqGoJdwZBlGE-9l5ZYDiSPyXGGxvCzzzZtTNO2PpZxO_DtjjaknvRmw2ReyR1UjvJr8m_vdm0Z-LKylLcTwDsab/s320/meandvase.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Getting ready to lift one off the wheel</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqfGsJSJzkP9mc3_mdQHgEZf1J2rj9yT-29sl9hbo2qvS8Si7hE3NoMb1INZJC9zGj6574Ybqvm-4dREP0mOzjUP5SqOwFYMh8GdeI3r1cWxAnqRYJW4fh2Af2Yo0NxA4ldOEmjHBffOa/s1600/bottletree.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmqfGsJSJzkP9mc3_mdQHgEZf1J2rj9yT-29sl9hbo2qvS8Si7hE3NoMb1INZJC9zGj6574Ybqvm-4dREP0mOzjUP5SqOwFYMh8GdeI3r1cWxAnqRYJW4fh2Af2Yo0NxA4ldOEmjHBffOa/s320/bottletree.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">small bottle</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUWXUTyachtzBprN1o9Q5_bFn0Xa3ZbfjOPLtBMf70apteG65GmjV9Et0IAijKEG2D44fAmyDnS3rvYcSBz74CcKoiN2HzIiBPYITgvOuN988w753SAjWEG5t89fyzVRax0CYLOrTjLcZ1/s1600/threetrees.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUWXUTyachtzBprN1o9Q5_bFn0Xa3ZbfjOPLtBMf70apteG65GmjV9Et0IAijKEG2D44fAmyDnS3rvYcSBz74CcKoiN2HzIiBPYITgvOuN988w753SAjWEG5t89fyzVRax0CYLOrTjLcZ1/s320/threetrees.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three small vases</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnLwQ_RNKYRg11-UQieTR8Yzpq1242o34cVBHt1AxOQC58LjmNB6qkEiKdJ5zwq4qeE07Bw7OYvzXKjduVIJJaWLzkHG2bsVUQj6ahAZr0gprUraDQdv5MJl0WEBWMpxv11PMZHIoDAmOe/s1600/medtreevase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnLwQ_RNKYRg11-UQieTR8Yzpq1242o34cVBHt1AxOQC58LjmNB6qkEiKdJ5zwq4qeE07Bw7OYvzXKjduVIJJaWLzkHG2bsVUQj6ahAZr0gprUraDQdv5MJl0WEBWMpxv11PMZHIoDAmOe/s320/medtreevase.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Small vase</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9hQS5mhZireMyZkMv0MoULqXu4uUW-J6AkYL-Bc4dwqAZoy5C0cuA2FfkfkfWnjrnbqST19zCzjo4XEz-81QSJ5YtS9IJV7y0h4fQ48sk0ZbkOEVWSpZnJ51Nd82-zr56Z3mVtNvzNG62/s1600/localtreevase.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9hQS5mhZireMyZkMv0MoULqXu4uUW-J6AkYL-Bc4dwqAZoy5C0cuA2FfkfkfWnjrnbqST19zCzjo4XEz-81QSJ5YtS9IJV7y0h4fQ48sk0ZbkOEVWSpZnJ51Nd82-zr56Z3mVtNvzNG62/s320/localtreevase.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My high-iron local clay</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE-r7ZsOALTrVhCWmybn_a8isV3-f0vAaN3XhFLZPW1zkkf1dwoEV1-yHbKWPOAekY-_uylrPYWsj_GFJFu3faUyUS59OQwqelizaZAlKv07pBxIMvyIYkokIKoDmc34GVbpE73wmKsIiZ/s1600/mug.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE-r7ZsOALTrVhCWmybn_a8isV3-f0vAaN3XhFLZPW1zkkf1dwoEV1-yHbKWPOAekY-_uylrPYWsj_GFJFu3faUyUS59OQwqelizaZAlKv07pBxIMvyIYkokIKoDmc34GVbpE73wmKsIiZ/s320/mug.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My local clay</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAoHzGe-d5IauZ_jaP-Sr8IPjCaOsU5Ez9DIKgltIHNyNFSX-RKt5qOpihgvHDOiLa-kMPd8i7ZIweLelzMKGI8aJFlSETKfTnsJwbTn_MW2shyZnmLECaS3asZX4bhbMqP_44I7iaecdc/s1600/threejars.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAoHzGe-d5IauZ_jaP-Sr8IPjCaOsU5Ez9DIKgltIHNyNFSX-RKt5qOpihgvHDOiLa-kMPd8i7ZIweLelzMKGI8aJFlSETKfTnsJwbTn_MW2shyZnmLECaS3asZX4bhbMqP_44I7iaecdc/s320/threejars.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Three small jars</td></tr>
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Michael Mahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09178266405071704355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163495987400607710.post-71852106188490849792013-10-03T22:07:00.000-07:002013-10-03T22:07:18.106-07:00Come by and Take Part in the Unloading<br />
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Normally, I'd be up in the morning today to begin unbricking my wood-fired kiln, but this weekend I'm giving my customers the chance to experience seeing the pots for the first time. I'm unloading Saturday morning beginning around 9 a.m. - the start of our annual R.D. Mahan Kiln Opening and Turkey Roast here at From the Ground Up (Oct. 5 and 6).
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For me, unloading a kiln is significant, especially the wood kiln, since there is so much labor involved, and so much that can happen which is beyond my control. I enjoy spending time with each pot as it's removed from its place in the kiln. I think about why it looks the way it looks, what it might have looked like if it got more ash, was behind another pot or other such things.
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"This one got a bit more reduction...."
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"I like what the ash did here...."
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"Nice color on this one...."
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Of course, there's disappointments, too, and I usually take a moment to mourn the loss of that pot before moving on to the next one. Pottery making can be frustrating. Pots collapse, crack, warp. Glazes run, crawl, shiver. Kiln overfire, underfire. So, when a really nice pots come out of a kiln, it's very satisfying.
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Come on by Saturday morning and take part. We live and work at 172 Crestwood Road, Robbins, NC, 27325. Ten minutes south of Seagrove, NC. See you then.
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Michael
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIyviUgbQIwCEt6IFGAmcROwTsAmjVdehZnWKRwcgYaK1xYJGiidVZAf6y53wM1dMJGzcWbrmOlVJtbbae92vpJMJLdCGVa3KG5Byxu8JxqcbbWY-ccx6w50uYMu1t01c53OFFiPhpM8Wk/s1600/back.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIyviUgbQIwCEt6IFGAmcROwTsAmjVdehZnWKRwcgYaK1xYJGiidVZAf6y53wM1dMJGzcWbrmOlVJtbbae92vpJMJLdCGVa3KG5Byxu8JxqcbbWY-ccx6w50uYMu1t01c53OFFiPhpM8Wk/s320/back.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking in from the back of the kiln</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB2Mb-Wn95-_HCF6_HAFDc503v5yLF7CtUTleK-8f2E3VTx5DVsiud4uC2bdBL-sQEpMeCR_VXIh_yZbne2390mgEAQA7GNp_9bV9w7o1l5W4_ocLFmEpiOcE1A0D0xONgI8FHIfvoRERw/s1600/front.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB2Mb-Wn95-_HCF6_HAFDc503v5yLF7CtUTleK-8f2E3VTx5DVsiud4uC2bdBL-sQEpMeCR_VXIh_yZbne2390mgEAQA7GNp_9bV9w7o1l5W4_ocLFmEpiOcE1A0D0xONgI8FHIfvoRERw/s320/front.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pots at the front</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpYZTwZfdzUguzwpY8LO3rJZK7t0X7dMIqnUh8H2Y_WiX8OgH2KGR_mprBO4dijv949W2j3OKl0oMIrZncwMApnFUCsGAw_RNRweHzg8KLK1IqPfePgsG2yZDecQklUXWBdg1Mv9whkGoK/s1600/frontbottom.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpYZTwZfdzUguzwpY8LO3rJZK7t0X7dMIqnUh8H2Y_WiX8OgH2KGR_mprBO4dijv949W2j3OKl0oMIrZncwMApnFUCsGAw_RNRweHzg8KLK1IqPfePgsG2yZDecQklUXWBdg1Mv9whkGoK/s320/frontbottom.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I really want to pick up that one at the far right.</td></tr>
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<br />Michael Mahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09178266405071704355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163495987400607710.post-31585357587553167172013-09-29T11:24:00.000-07:002013-09-29T11:24:21.720-07:00R.D. Mahan Kiln Opening and Turkey Roast<br>
Come celebrate with us at our annual kiln opening this coming weekend, Oct. 5 and 6, all day long. We're unloading the wood kiln Saturday morning. It'll be filled with a variety of pieces created with my local clay, a rich dark clay body. Many of the pieces are adorned with my trees and tree limbs. It's up to the flame to decorate these pieces.<br />
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We're serving organic coffee and scones for breakfast, leek and potato soup and roasted turkey, as well as Mary's colcannon, an Irish potato dish. We'll be demonstrating on the wheel throughout both days, and the studio is stocked with new creations by Michael, Levi and Chelsea Mahan.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnFin4KAPPIv2dxifah7l3VIii2t_zXfR81_OPirO3T9ogoi36RVP2ZQtibawzM-PS_0ezK1gmk3ad1IaHWFmZd6vY4ZR7S5K3wRzAa99hJtR7JYrKTzFFCDnGnFq36ZKNA2dsZXRCohLa/s1600/carving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnFin4KAPPIv2dxifah7l3VIii2t_zXfR81_OPirO3T9ogoi36RVP2ZQtibawzM-PS_0ezK1gmk3ad1IaHWFmZd6vY4ZR7S5K3wRzAa99hJtR7JYrKTzFFCDnGnFq36ZKNA2dsZXRCohLa/s320/carving.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Michael has been busy incising trees through a slip</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLvGMmTj76gFc_8TaWPhQDr1blpc9kvhV_VnJAyHm9yxP5nJ-y1fc7R-QQSPs0isQmjIX4SKZbE3OhVg8mujTtHFS9RXN3x4JWiYMKT6HRr-B4jJH5wuraTt6n4JG9PUnQIQ1sqatgmMoE/s1600/twovases.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLvGMmTj76gFc_8TaWPhQDr1blpc9kvhV_VnJAyHm9yxP5nJ-y1fc7R-QQSPs0isQmjIX4SKZbE3OhVg8mujTtHFS9RXN3x4JWiYMKT6HRr-B4jJH5wuraTt6n4JG9PUnQIQ1sqatgmMoE/s320/twovases.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two large vases for the kiln</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlh8bsaxdU4WIqn-WYKCAE6mbqN5uF2sCDEwbWZF2xGHWbHNWRTbGB1MpfD6_6hTUfINS7wd5qQmrPk-bRoe4E02hnjwt9rabe9p99qvorhkCc6ztFDocZjk3l0V9P__pHuRzdzFeiQIEa/s1600/smalltreevases.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlh8bsaxdU4WIqn-WYKCAE6mbqN5uF2sCDEwbWZF2xGHWbHNWRTbGB1MpfD6_6hTUfINS7wd5qQmrPk-bRoe4E02hnjwt9rabe9p99qvorhkCc6ztFDocZjk3l0V9P__pHuRzdzFeiQIEa/s320/smalltreevases.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Some small vases with trees</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdCW6hfFaqTeywhhwELvbdt2Q47ydUHyMAx4xAvD9FvQU9Av8bIn6bGd8RWpaqQTZM66opLc7sxIU5sqHDx2qti-qIQH2NBGBZWdRbmeoD3HVcraRYSC6iVhdZSdu924-HnTFjUI2GW19M/s1600/drying.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdCW6hfFaqTeywhhwELvbdt2Q47ydUHyMAx4xAvD9FvQU9Av8bIn6bGd8RWpaqQTZM66opLc7sxIU5sqHDx2qti-qIQH2NBGBZWdRbmeoD3HVcraRYSC6iVhdZSdu924-HnTFjUI2GW19M/s320/drying.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Solar drying some last-minute work - plates are a special order</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfMmKZU4Q-L2_0aR3bmqHblD-yHgEyKDYWD91x3xD92CkG_06IdJTT69adSJk2XNWE7EKcOHvqtTP4H9ZMAHupsY22SrL6BSEVEU9h1RbpGtExkJ6WJ6zvmerxAd__eXWRxTo6Cal-Nuo7/s1600/bc.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfMmKZU4Q-L2_0aR3bmqHblD-yHgEyKDYWD91x3xD92CkG_06IdJTT69adSJk2XNWE7EKcOHvqtTP4H9ZMAHupsY22SrL6BSEVEU9h1RbpGtExkJ6WJ6zvmerxAd__eXWRxTo6Cal-Nuo7/s320/bc.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">BC says she's excited (NOT)</td></tr>
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<br />Michael Mahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09178266405071704355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163495987400607710.post-60424398010195367592013-08-02T12:25:00.000-07:002013-08-02T13:24:20.619-07:00New Shape from Ireland<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge_2D-VFBxsPgL3fObiwfuWmnqAhj2DAR7YnaYWZxdc2GDg-JA4CWVJ4tRkgFu4ds1NPHbftQzaXy5ux11-M4aixn9MQoIM7_AlXvrKPuEzOsSEhok6cJ9nucc88uGQtgWZsS-BqlDC99v/s1600/milkchurn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge_2D-VFBxsPgL3fObiwfuWmnqAhj2DAR7YnaYWZxdc2GDg-JA4CWVJ4tRkgFu4ds1NPHbftQzaXy5ux11-M4aixn9MQoIM7_AlXvrKPuEzOsSEhok6cJ9nucc88uGQtgWZsS-BqlDC99v/s320/milkchurn.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Old milk tankard in Ireland</td></tr>
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We're back from Ireland and I couldn't wait to get on the wheel and make some pots. I found myself influenced by an old rusty milk churn or milk tankard I saw in Ireland at my brother-in-law's house. Mary grew up on a dairy farm, and back in the day, they used these tankards to carry the milk by horse-drawn cart to the creamery.
I suppose I could call these "milk jugs." What do you think?
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipEuk-k6lGSN8zBfKMJ-NV2bk8o0XyHkhYRaXfG88RDFe2yt6euU0LfZiPz15LiMSrTmwO4yK14R4uRLvEv3CV1D025dlk0JFBccqFuK7MsYrwzqck5tHB-BRWQ1rZf-mAJtpxNiPsOCrm/s1600/milkpitchers.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipEuk-k6lGSN8zBfKMJ-NV2bk8o0XyHkhYRaXfG88RDFe2yt6euU0LfZiPz15LiMSrTmwO4yK14R4uRLvEv3CV1D025dlk0JFBccqFuK7MsYrwzqck5tHB-BRWQ1rZf-mAJtpxNiPsOCrm/s320/milkpitchers.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Four 'milk jugs'</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Cqzy4lRx5wyGqvz11uzDUKsJr6IX2KuUk0SXPy0DMduQzDvXdgGNUG5nB2XwVAo0r2CY0Y_mRyMDpQeuAJrd5i0o1sq3SFQRCqKEGQFl4u4-8tJrxNIXOcDHVdXVZa9ZwlZDj3DqGtip/s1600/milkpitcher.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Cqzy4lRx5wyGqvz11uzDUKsJr6IX2KuUk0SXPy0DMduQzDvXdgGNUG5nB2XwVAo0r2CY0Y_mRyMDpQeuAJrd5i0o1sq3SFQRCqKEGQFl4u4-8tJrxNIXOcDHVdXVZa9ZwlZDj3DqGtip/s320/milkpitcher.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I like this one best</td></tr>
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Michael Mahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09178266405071704355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163495987400607710.post-20191386378676019972013-07-09T04:13:00.003-07:002013-08-02T13:24:41.164-07:00Sausages and Sunshine<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge_gxIBlg7w6WabXSnHNom12QTzD8Dbnrr9zqVEhtAgCtr7-N8DlssXZKRgvxf9sT5whWDJNUbFEqogMD4Q-lFCI3V2oSCqpYrLq_grvGNgGULuYrui_cNEOqu4R2rfHugRvyuPCnclKf2/s1600/archwork.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge_gxIBlg7w6WabXSnHNom12QTzD8Dbnrr9zqVEhtAgCtr7-N8DlssXZKRgvxf9sT5whWDJNUbFEqogMD4Q-lFCI3V2oSCqpYrLq_grvGNgGULuYrui_cNEOqu4R2rfHugRvyuPCnclKf2/s400/archwork.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Laying arch brick</td></tr>
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Percussive flare ups of small sausages in the cooker greeted me this morning as I stepped into the kitchen. A fine morning.
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"Tis warm this morning," Mary's Mom says.
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Indeed, it got up to nearly 80 yesterday and today should be warmer. Mary and I are going for a massage and then heading to Kilkenny to pack our rental car with 300-plus insulating fire brick. We found a great source for new brick - an old brick manufacturing plant that went out of business. I wrote about it in my last post.
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The kiln has come along quickly in last few days, after an extended period of working willy nilly, according to the schedules of the family friends and who are helping out with welding and whatnot, and the availability of brick saws in working order. I have a great kiln shed. It's actually great weather for working beneath it, especially in the morning. Prior to the roof, I had to stop working for the rainy spells.
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Ireland's weather is always changing. Wear a sweater in the shade, step out into the sun and take it off. Put it back on when the clouds shade the sun. This week it's sunshine for a week, followed by more sunshine, something that hasn't been experienced here for 20 years.
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The smell of freshly cut hay mixed with occasional whiffs of burnt diesel from the tractors mowing, turning and bailing. Sunscreen on the nephews. Sweaty pale and freckled foreheads at the kitchen table. We take a lot of tea breaks....
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It's been a challenge to create this kiln with brick and block taken from different sources. The base of the kiln now rests on large refractory block - five inches thick, nine inches wide and 12 inches long. There's a taper on the end of the block and it's makes for an interesting look. I like it. The six-inch wide secondhand arch brick I purchased last year from a ceramic supplier in Cork worked out great.
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I keep hoping to finish the kiln in time to fire it before we leave, but with three weeks left, the chances of that happening look dimmer and dimmer. But it doesn't stop me from striving for that goal.
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_AgN5lqVWTDRGcAE9kJrzFExPT5Luqol6sE2J9m_iM4J10kdmyTdbc0L_lb62qC6o1B7GjR2mJKJGUCAgjUHXmUc0dyQa7xJm59TRhbAOLQunzLG8IUWkvDTFIxidH3cXzUW2UbtxOxlj/s1600/barnkiln.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_AgN5lqVWTDRGcAE9kJrzFExPT5Luqol6sE2J9m_iM4J10kdmyTdbc0L_lb62qC6o1B7GjR2mJKJGUCAgjUHXmUc0dyQa7xJm59TRhbAOLQunzLG8IUWkvDTFIxidH3cXzUW2UbtxOxlj/s400/barnkiln.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kiln shed and kiln next to old barn</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7eVBg3DzYzhVYZzTad45QbopMl2rHeWw3CKjeq8KOnSbpNCOult-e2nDh1Jr7k5nYZqxzEn334QkdXczNubvU9FZX4w2ynhGsLJAatuo02BCXtxpVuA1OHD8yongVimqJD6IBU7udVHSQ/s1600/fox.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7eVBg3DzYzhVYZzTad45QbopMl2rHeWw3CKjeq8KOnSbpNCOult-e2nDh1Jr7k5nYZqxzEn334QkdXczNubvU9FZX4w2ynhGsLJAatuo02BCXtxpVuA1OHD8yongVimqJD6IBU7udVHSQ/s400/fox.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fox eyes a magpie in freshly cut hay on the farm</td></tr>
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<br />Michael Mahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09178266405071704355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163495987400607710.post-36783739887597010862013-06-19T10:34:00.002-07:002013-06-19T10:34:28.280-07:00I want some Snickers<br>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8YXqEis9y0DY-QIh5NZw7TpfG17w3EyexU9iT82YT5rM1FBdwL9s4IlwJZIceMJ5vcKB6ea61VjW-nPx-1jADudq5-cYhB2-batPWpcbKAaylO8iGx9Ii3ySMc6GKp5ZFILcAd6VUwv1n/s1600/rocksofclay.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8YXqEis9y0DY-QIh5NZw7TpfG17w3EyexU9iT82YT5rM1FBdwL9s4IlwJZIceMJ5vcKB6ea61VjW-nPx-1jADudq5-cYhB2-batPWpcbKAaylO8iGx9Ii3ySMc6GKp5ZFILcAd6VUwv1n/s400/rocksofclay.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Errol Delaney with a handful of clay and his Snickers pants - and me.</td></tr>
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It's been two weeks since arriving in Ireland, and I'm finally starting to build my kiln. I began stacking concrete block yesterday. These Irish block are heavy, and I'm feeling it in my legs - all the bending over and lifting and bending over and setting down - over a hundred block. Then there was the bending over and lifting and setting down we did when we moved the block from out on the main road to the Amazing Pottery Shed at Mary's mother's farm. Driveways in rural Ireland are often too narrow for delivery with large trucks.
We're waiting for delivery of another few pallets of hard brick for the kiln and two RSJs, iron H-posts used for building barns and sheds. We found an old brick plant in Castlecomer that went out of business and they sold us some hard brick and soft brick at a great price. Errol Delaney was the man that sold it to us. He also showed us around the factory and helped us scoop up some fireclay, shale and some unfired brick that was piled up outside.
Internet service is scarce at Mary's mother's house, so I'm writing this blog on our way to Limerick where 3G service is better and my 3G "dongle" actually works. Mary wants to buy me a pair of nice pants. I want a pair of Snickers. Errol wore a pair. Work pants with pockets everywhere.
"You'd have a tool box in your pockets when you get home," he told us with lovely smile on his face.
Slainte.
Michael Mahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09178266405071704355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163495987400607710.post-54597001395386885812013-06-05T05:14:00.000-07:002013-06-05T05:14:59.206-07:00Heading to Ireland<br>
Heading to Ireland today. It was three years ago that we purchased a 23 1/2-foot metal shed and constructed a footing on Mary's parents' farm so that we could work toward developing a place to make pots in Ireland.
Today, I'm on my way to Ireland to build a wood-fired kiln. We are blessed with this opportunity. Here's a few pictures from Ireland, and one from the U.S. By the way, my son Levi is watching the shop while making his own pots while we're away. Stop by and visit him.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie82uxKpXwLrtg4w5uqm5cLa4nxvijssM-Ih_wiGiyYriwHEAjLpsE29hyWE0q0iJ5_crTlUynVDK-BKQvA5ZVhd3Skw9OeJF184-a5aYerA11FYMzOcJcU0iI2aElefCbjQBrtHuoUg3Z/s1600/hammer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie82uxKpXwLrtg4w5uqm5cLa4nxvijssM-Ih_wiGiyYriwHEAjLpsE29hyWE0q0iJ5_crTlUynVDK-BKQvA5ZVhd3Skw9OeJF184-a5aYerA11FYMzOcJcU0iI2aElefCbjQBrtHuoUg3Z/s320/hammer.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">February 2011</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh03ku91cHjkA6YNzsqIThqKkwfc6GYwTqNLYjgoiXY0YMNH1ZIwy8ZZYqUslRVeZLurq0iQOYolshkBNYVNFk3kp4_zxSC9vSPKu1Jp_JSpzqTgUnHAqlj5XawXTtb5Y8M6eRXxuUY10gb/s1600/rdubound.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh03ku91cHjkA6YNzsqIThqKkwfc6GYwTqNLYjgoiXY0YMNH1ZIwy8ZZYqUslRVeZLurq0iQOYolshkBNYVNFk3kp4_zxSC9vSPKu1Jp_JSpzqTgUnHAqlj5XawXTtb5Y8M6eRXxuUY10gb/s320/rdubound.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What a beautiful send off on our way to the airport today</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFgFJru_P-S8vKuobrGEZmZKrvvtibmH5N9CLkW4PcPfFn0UqwRFubrIFGp8NbqW4VxAiDGKqmcU2LpTgfzsk-aUnY_zZizeQru2TLMQW9vdYTth6gRsgTP6a2o1x-afIKqXxXLcCy97ME/s1600/reed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFgFJru_P-S8vKuobrGEZmZKrvvtibmH5N9CLkW4PcPfFn0UqwRFubrIFGp8NbqW4VxAiDGKqmcU2LpTgfzsk-aUnY_zZizeQru2TLMQW9vdYTth6gRsgTP6a2o1x-afIKqXxXLcCy97ME/s320/reed.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">June 2011, helping stack reed in Ireland</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7L-uOuxCcqxyu_MgagQfhJ285frq3qxALCByWToM0jz6bbkHjhp5BUAx7BTYUoxxAEkROwHgKMHvvwK3TkK1ftVB4Pdhtc6dlfEoc3-4SYUPR8wJDq_x4iS7_uLBraizmqkW0vjjMaGKt/s1600/rhubarb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7L-uOuxCcqxyu_MgagQfhJ285frq3qxALCByWToM0jz6bbkHjhp5BUAx7BTYUoxxAEkROwHgKMHvvwK3TkK1ftVB4Pdhtc6dlfEoc3-4SYUPR8wJDq_x4iS7_uLBraizmqkW0vjjMaGKt/s320/rhubarb.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mary's mother Lally's rhubarb pie</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKWrw_Fp_vhil7hVf835D53sKkAxXw9VYUtAn8RI6BLQEeZesCUUdrbImV78R6tKtnJyhGuCbriVkPf3_JCo-_1WFsJ7tfniQBKpoEuLSrD3Txajnna2hIWI7Vr6hlsELjrQJlAhiVhjXn/s1600/rook.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="305" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKWrw_Fp_vhil7hVf835D53sKkAxXw9VYUtAn8RI6BLQEeZesCUUdrbImV78R6tKtnJyhGuCbriVkPf3_JCo-_1WFsJ7tfniQBKpoEuLSrD3Txajnna2hIWI7Vr6hlsELjrQJlAhiVhjXn/s320/rook.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Irish rook</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8SybhjOZnzjxNkUNDNKKgQK81SuvAAGZVwwL863ranXMxkYurd1UEw5qdEqo5WisETOVGYCva1RqffWzkpOLQvpyBgGnbkRjqFukoMCE9fqZUFLhXZaFSxzNSz_IDqz-FLsRJ3_Tb8wqd/s1600/shed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8SybhjOZnzjxNkUNDNKKgQK81SuvAAGZVwwL863ranXMxkYurd1UEw5qdEqo5WisETOVGYCva1RqffWzkpOLQvpyBgGnbkRjqFukoMCE9fqZUFLhXZaFSxzNSz_IDqz-FLsRJ3_Tb8wqd/s320/shed.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The shed and kiln pad June 2012 </td></tr>
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<br />Michael Mahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09178266405071704355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163495987400607710.post-5635533004419959232013-05-14T11:49:00.000-07:002013-05-14T11:49:05.371-07:00Tavern Mugs<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7OWxaXwVQXATtbkoYToecHxoU6JFO0txWacJdRnDyE4hyphenhyphen45wyo5__F2BLh9U9kUvfV7ffcfm9B8eq8Ie7iVfg8U05z6OGTeDZSAFGGd07L5JTmu2i_ZssqZJ4y5A27HkHsKEw04_KHdmD/s1600/shadows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7OWxaXwVQXATtbkoYToecHxoU6JFO0txWacJdRnDyE4hyphenhyphen45wyo5__F2BLh9U9kUvfV7ffcfm9B8eq8Ie7iVfg8U05z6OGTeDZSAFGGd07L5JTmu2i_ZssqZJ4y5A27HkHsKEw04_KHdmD/s200/shadows.jpg" width="181" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tavern Mugs drying</td></tr>
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I got a request the other day to make 12 "tavern mugs" for a fundraiser. They want them to hold 16 ounces - a pint. So, I made some of my big steins, the kind that I pull the handle from the bottom. I'm not sure what led me to try pulling handles from the bottom of mugs or steins, but I've been doing it for several years now on certain ones.<br />
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I like making big steins. I think I'll call them tavern mugs now. I like that. Conjures up images of crusty men with beards and mustaches sitting at round wooden tables in a dimly lit tavern.<br />
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So, I figure a tavern mug should have a wide bottom to prevent knocking it over, and it should have a substantial handle that you can grip with your entire hand. Here's some pictures of me making my "tavern mugs."<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKTpX4AIdjwLy6aH-hudE4k8WSx1adc7Gc6Yxa_ylrpRndpmR0kp0MKFigUZDecOZi9dGt1q63cwNJjrE8hUUZ3cA0Mvdtn2ygcr5Bnv2V0xgUtka62YmX_E4UXqJyuDP6fEhjtrx2xVco/s1600/stub.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="231" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKTpX4AIdjwLy6aH-hudE4k8WSx1adc7Gc6Yxa_ylrpRndpmR0kp0MKFigUZDecOZi9dGt1q63cwNJjrE8hUUZ3cA0Mvdtn2ygcr5Bnv2V0xgUtka62YmX_E4UXqJyuDP6fEhjtrx2xVco/s320/stub.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Attaching stub of clay to bottom</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj2bIV2FXMIOgrG2d7HrSy-RPzUCrAfYPzzrX6CAM5Pyfh7VMuBv_mm4IrLkMmUVksv7XwFD_mkF8ZA6l7J2J8CPi0TRpHubAkNI_X8MDFHUp6M1lwt30bvqdE3yU_uA-vHa4cQMwXyR8t/s1600/sponge.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj2bIV2FXMIOgrG2d7HrSy-RPzUCrAfYPzzrX6CAM5Pyfh7VMuBv_mm4IrLkMmUVksv7XwFD_mkF8ZA6l7J2J8CPi0TRpHubAkNI_X8MDFHUp6M1lwt30bvqdE3yU_uA-vHa4cQMwXyR8t/s320/sponge.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Supporting wall with sponge-on-a-stick</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9zxXJftLImLYpgwge2UvORhjgLQK3WsGwOX0WT6qVtwDdXJ3mBTqTRmxCxNnTgurhkmPXLrGRRcaEYbBGBda988uDglYbeH7woXtoXsHRE7_9kKYeSBk89yg3BijZ9AZhZS3WKA3Jk8Tt/s1600/pull.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="264" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9zxXJftLImLYpgwge2UvORhjgLQK3WsGwOX0WT6qVtwDdXJ3mBTqTRmxCxNnTgurhkmPXLrGRRcaEYbBGBda988uDglYbeH7woXtoXsHRE7_9kKYeSBk89yg3BijZ9AZhZS3WKA3Jk8Tt/s320/pull.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pulling handle</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcCGCqyPH5rA1a7qbzOl3GgufoiPQ6eNsYMR7rp2mcCGvncn3e8SR-MLr98IJuQ_8O9k35ssvj58gj7mZmOd_JDry6aCKz0xPEj9YFEyqrb4hIH2QZLoWLC52RHtl8k6puOXUGsaUFSHp/s1600/attach.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRcCGCqyPH5rA1a7qbzOl3GgufoiPQ6eNsYMR7rp2mcCGvncn3e8SR-MLr98IJuQ_8O9k35ssvj58gj7mZmOd_JDry6aCKz0xPEj9YFEyqrb4hIH2QZLoWLC52RHtl8k6puOXUGsaUFSHp/s320/attach.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Attaching to top of mug</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjdmL8LtvKd4GpGOKxzAwyHmrHZe6t0SRfv23D4bP16u6XDCowsDitNOUKl4RrIVCaYNHDahw-XN8557OmbIieb_LroJtk5-nQK6sWdwXKMRC4HWLLSU2EIn3Q6eFoP0i4RUL4DnwD_a-P/s1600/bend.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjdmL8LtvKd4GpGOKxzAwyHmrHZe6t0SRfv23D4bP16u6XDCowsDitNOUKl4RrIVCaYNHDahw-XN8557OmbIieb_LroJtk5-nQK6sWdwXKMRC4HWLLSU2EIn3Q6eFoP0i4RUL4DnwD_a-P/s320/bend.jpg" width="265" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shaping the handle</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyjFJUhROSHNedc88Eu3iFqPMEyxH783ELpalSxp1QmBdaHH2XDdZ2w_h5p4Y2hUlvXilKgMpfWXvuhSPrdw11x0sNicAb6AeO3PpLTKpnEH5S3hk2oSHGCtyJvUm9p8XVdyXOxgIb7EM_/s1600/handletop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyjFJUhROSHNedc88Eu3iFqPMEyxH783ELpalSxp1QmBdaHH2XDdZ2w_h5p4Y2hUlvXilKgMpfWXvuhSPrdw11x0sNicAb6AeO3PpLTKpnEH5S3hk2oSHGCtyJvUm9p8XVdyXOxgIb7EM_/s320/handletop.jpg" width="268" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finishing join (mug is held firmly onto work surface)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3PJ5opXHEJfUMKtPfldh1Ae4WVrUwqTfakvNVLN4jtRtq215mBpDYSsgl_qqihhOy5w7OZDxM1ue2SlV0HbxODnVH2hFjeWmICX6vTjiH2yAzy8saFQ-INTIAApm4jyv1ercCGDFJr7H/s1600/eye.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP3PJ5opXHEJfUMKtPfldh1Ae4WVrUwqTfakvNVLN4jtRtq215mBpDYSsgl_qqihhOy5w7OZDxM1ue2SlV0HbxODnVH2hFjeWmICX6vTjiH2yAzy8saFQ-INTIAApm4jyv1ercCGDFJr7H/s320/eye.jpg" width="268" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished handle</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGXOrKFHrGuKoBMd06mLR8hVn2oB4ZnYVVh074F-e5hV-D1qEyF5uBa7W9av8p4NGOFpvq03-kiEIjkpCqXGyv12ROmWbQLrUhsVp5wX5LTBUeFWf-sU1yPY4BX2AgYW8cg3k_7BkWEGI6/s1600/twomugs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGXOrKFHrGuKoBMd06mLR8hVn2oB4ZnYVVh074F-e5hV-D1qEyF5uBa7W9av8p4NGOFpvq03-kiEIjkpCqXGyv12ROmWbQLrUhsVp5wX5LTBUeFWf-sU1yPY4BX2AgYW8cg3k_7BkWEGI6/s320/twomugs.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">two finished tavern mugs</td></tr>
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<br />Michael Mahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09178266405071704355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163495987400607710.post-71442941932029269422013-04-26T16:53:00.000-07:002013-04-26T16:59:25.248-07:00Making more Adjustments to Kiln Arch<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg_LFNMpOUY6CDT4XbLN_l8nd9Ihd8AlKQvbWB6WZbxvFmjhcM3BXqmbND8lPz1imoSEP2PWkif_lmLGmlSTvy1P3_9LQ3RYlwBo4twkMUaPvif-HAUm4MRqo3oC-nP2kl41TTDsKIDtm2/s1600/IMG_6486.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="151" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg_LFNMpOUY6CDT4XbLN_l8nd9Ihd8AlKQvbWB6WZbxvFmjhcM3BXqmbND8lPz1imoSEP2PWkif_lmLGmlSTvy1P3_9LQ3RYlwBo4twkMUaPvif-HAUm4MRqo3oC-nP2kl41TTDsKIDtm2/s200/IMG_6486.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Opening the Kiln from the Top</td></tr>
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Hi everyone. It's been a while. Guess I've been Facebookin' more than bloggin'. Thought I'd share a little bit of behind-the-scenes work that might be of interest to some folks. I've been dealing with some brick-slipping issues in the arch of my wood kiln. I ignored it for a while - it was just one brick.<br />
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However, the brick kept slipping. This being the first kiln I ever built, I asked around and other potters said to not worry. But the brick kept slipping. I decided to open the top of the protective shell where the slippage was occurring. I did this a few weeks ago, and I ended up pushing the one offending brick out of the top of the arch, and replacing it with a new brick of the same shape, slathering some wet fireclay onto the surfaces where it was slipping past other bricks.<br />
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I thought the new brick fit tighter, and this might solve my problem. I also got a better view of the key at the very top of the arch which had cracked near the offending brick quite a while ago. What I concluded was that the jagged crack had kept one section of the key from settling back down during expansion and contraction while the kiln heated up and cooled.<br />
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I decided to cut into the crack to try to allow the two pieces of the key to settle evenly, but my saw blade would only go about halfway into the crack.<br />
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After all this, I replaced the kaowool insulation and the protective shell that I had cut away, and proceeded to fill the kiln and fire it.<br />
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Upon unloading, I found that I now had two bricks slipping, and they were slipping further than the previous single brick. So, it was time for more drastic measures. Lucky for me, kiln builder Andres Aillik of Estonia who helped build some wood kilns in Seagrove was in town. He and David Stuempfle (wood fired potter) dropped by yesterday and we decided the best thing to do would be to cut a small section of the key out of the kiln (including the crack), grind the crack smooth and place it back where it belongs, leaving a small space between it and the other sections of the key.<br />
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So, I borrowed Ben Owen's gas-powered concrete saw, drove to Carthage for a new abrasive blade and did what was required. I had to support the section of arch from where I was removing the key, then remove two arch brick on either side of the key section I would remove.<br />
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Perhaps, it will all make sense when you see the pictures:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1W19c9Repb8NTtp8-uaMxc-dd9sUDIn071CBgYYYWzUVDc5bgsTpGcp3PWMrRacAYjNGPu41SCO-peDnrGRgTsoIJl36kjpZ_cteLwUZJvHITjPZ5aqBuOI6T84bdIk0Nku8ZnuJ7_xgO/s1600/openheart.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1W19c9Repb8NTtp8-uaMxc-dd9sUDIn071CBgYYYWzUVDc5bgsTpGcp3PWMrRacAYjNGPu41SCO-peDnrGRgTsoIJl36kjpZ_cteLwUZJvHITjPZ5aqBuOI6T84bdIk0Nku8ZnuJ7_xgO/s320/openheart.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here's the previous repair with the new brick and crack showing.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWwvhgLf25Jslnm9z7cYtrt1VLx6NLEbr7jcBovXW7Z4jQg8F-mhIcn13CD_vrQGVJAqZ-ucMzOZjEa0tYhuOOyAK1jOVkNMIPdyPMmtaEfPxC8ChkY46DCG6lh6c4DYaWqwGQMcG4CVgO/s1600/braces.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWwvhgLf25Jslnm9z7cYtrt1VLx6NLEbr7jcBovXW7Z4jQg8F-mhIcn13CD_vrQGVJAqZ-ucMzOZjEa0tYhuOOyAK1jOVkNMIPdyPMmtaEfPxC8ChkY46DCG6lh6c4DYaWqwGQMcG4CVgO/s320/braces.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Supporting arch for today's repair work</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2S9xN1f_v3v_8G0IPi6Cz2KG1TZGgSwrRqMyRqwAdellcj7p0eJ-Sz2D9EObGYkssbPatqBvvUi9n6RHdqzj0l6rjVOHw3HnoZpgOO3xgeYTG92ElzxenTMLuljB_Q1-3YRnkgEvUhRes/s1600/out.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2S9xN1f_v3v_8G0IPi6Cz2KG1TZGgSwrRqMyRqwAdellcj7p0eJ-Sz2D9EObGYkssbPatqBvvUi9n6RHdqzj0l6rjVOHw3HnoZpgOO3xgeYTG92ElzxenTMLuljB_Q1-3YRnkgEvUhRes/s320/out.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bricks and key section removed (rope held key section during cutting)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ItJ9M7J4WTg5PIejjtovDHdtrWP-Iu0ub7rdanrpNDydFOIZqCHvSskEwLztfd15Ds42jJuuncaYFxJERw4yvkMkKNiVaOcjk8X-C0POkQArjKLEqKUtw1v6eExpl_9OIQD1vXBmXzBF/s1600/vacuum.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ItJ9M7J4WTg5PIejjtovDHdtrWP-Iu0ub7rdanrpNDydFOIZqCHvSskEwLztfd15Ds42jJuuncaYFxJERw4yvkMkKNiVaOcjk8X-C0POkQArjKLEqKUtw1v6eExpl_9OIQD1vXBmXzBF/s320/vacuum.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Don't want crud slipping between brick or onto pots.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjysbKxHhpJqzs5P6SJRsFzt_vz395s1FECppr6UhA0xXJKWMwOyp_rDhGV8ri4CHYmD5ShRPaiheVSKnX3xOoo5GAU_pyyRtrzvil0qPu_p7JjotL5eCSynFlQ7wyqF59Zb-hvv9mohXsG/s1600/finish.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjysbKxHhpJqzs5P6SJRsFzt_vz395s1FECppr6UhA0xXJKWMwOyp_rDhGV8ri4CHYmD5ShRPaiheVSKnX3xOoo5GAU_pyyRtrzvil0qPu_p7JjotL5eCSynFlQ7wyqF59Zb-hvv9mohXsG/s320/finish.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finished job. Hope it works.</td></tr>
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<br />Michael Mahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09178266405071704355noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2163495987400607710.post-68218705884333574482013-03-20T06:14:00.000-07:002013-03-20T06:14:06.965-07:00Preparing for Catawba Valley - Hickory<br />
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We've got pots from the wood kiln, pots from the electric kiln, new director's chairs, a new light fixture.... We're almost ready for this year's Catawba Valley Pottery and Antiques Festival in Hickory, March 23.
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Hope to see some you there.
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Here's some pots from the latest wood firing:
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3V5JstGqD2eMrwGnIdzG_rOystaFwctwiY3HuXHCQJHYbzLObzWnasfHf0jpCpa_te2ZBjWtQOVYgrBWemc1RKi5tNQBJAPcW3YuqglQRrHm-S2UA7zWdqq2BaBqvd7r-HuvIm0yjopcM/s1600/bigtreevase.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3V5JstGqD2eMrwGnIdzG_rOystaFwctwiY3HuXHCQJHYbzLObzWnasfHf0jpCpa_te2ZBjWtQOVYgrBWemc1RKi5tNQBJAPcW3YuqglQRrHm-S2UA7zWdqq2BaBqvd7r-HuvIm0yjopcM/s320/bigtreevase.jpg" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDM7Hq25Ya_sbZ2f1i1M_CJ-VwSdbvW1LwmcXrrRVrCmYHTZrGM1hiLbpHo1Euxu0IbH1yHQKoENQPh60tRfoMTV2T00mD80w2SNhyphenhyphenOrsVC2sy2tyn4oB8FjFGP699jatWHQIzm1W4zcNr/s1600/bottles.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDM7Hq25Ya_sbZ2f1i1M_CJ-VwSdbvW1LwmcXrrRVrCmYHTZrGM1hiLbpHo1Euxu0IbH1yHQKoENQPh60tRfoMTV2T00mD80w2SNhyphenhyphenOrsVC2sy2tyn4oB8FjFGP699jatWHQIzm1W4zcNr/s320/bottles.jpg" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtG3GxS3tqmzinsKU5ZHOQS5roHROsjGUpWLX2Dpu2fk34UTP5e7iBF2-4eornPfMvNhrMBR4K3uiQ7lSXyhY1aeVCtD9U3x4_cMLD7lTdTKa5An6mFqUVjNaApMMYiOwf96CSWE6MV05z/s1600/close.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtG3GxS3tqmzinsKU5ZHOQS5roHROsjGUpWLX2Dpu2fk34UTP5e7iBF2-4eornPfMvNhrMBR4K3uiQ7lSXyhY1aeVCtD9U3x4_cMLD7lTdTKa5An6mFqUVjNaApMMYiOwf96CSWE6MV05z/s320/close.jpg" /></a>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnL6UGNs4LRD1uCHOjN4t-FEi2egNCRg6pBgyArfuFoo_X-jiUsrNEm8OGxJAAIDtmlrmL14P0hEFoC-Xi41BUzb0rG6aiZXe-lE2loOQx9osoz2yiWZIiDtdSXwlL735bxxz0xscUliWN/s1600/soulpot.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnL6UGNs4LRD1uCHOjN4t-FEi2egNCRg6pBgyArfuFoo_X-jiUsrNEm8OGxJAAIDtmlrmL14P0hEFoC-Xi41BUzb0rG6aiZXe-lE2loOQx9osoz2yiWZIiDtdSXwlL735bxxz0xscUliWN/s320/soulpot.jpg" /></a>
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Michael Mahanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09178266405071704355noreply@blogger.com