After the fun of firing….

I can’t imagine how I could load my kiln with conventional kiln shelves.  I use only recrystallized silicon carbide shelves, bar-stock, and posts in my firings.  After each firing, I carefully sand each piece by hand, removing bubbled glaze – the salt glaze itself – that is deposited on every surface of the kiln.  Add about 3 hours to the labor budget for the firing…  sigh.

The wadding comes off easily, most of the time.  I use a 40-grit paper and a special silicon carbide tool for most of the work.  The wadding I use now is great – on stoneware, it leaves only a trace of its’ presence.  It’s half alumina hydrate and half Helmer kaolin, by volume. If you mix it up about a month ahead, it is very plastic and easy to form.  I like pretty dinky wands for most of my pieces, and am willing to spend the time to roll them all out by hand.