I got the first firing stared just after 7:00 and did 9 firings while firing 21 pots. Most of the firings went pretty well. The first firing was real good but the 2nd wasn't quite as good. The lp tank ran out of gas when the firing was about 75% completed and then when I finally got them fired the all 3 pots had big cracks in them. The 3rd firing was a little better and after some adjusting of the pots in the kiln and changing up the firing schedule a little bit the rest of the firing were okay. I have been trying to fire at least one horsehair pot with some raku and the trick is to get a high enough temperature to melt the glaze correctly while not getting the horsehair pots too hot to crack it.
I have added two sections to this blog which explain the raku and horsehair firing techniques which are located on the right side of the blog.
Below are pictures of the pots that I fired. I hope to do another firing in a couple of weeks as I get ready for the Dublin Service League's 44th Annual Antique Fair & Marketplace which this year has dedicated a special section called the Artist's Attic will contain art from 30+ plus artist from the local area. See the link in the Links section for more information.
