Crafturgy – The Process of Craft

We purchased this automatic kiln when the baby was born so that we did not have to wake up two times a night two hours apart.

The “baby” is now taking behind the wheel drivers training.

Time for a new kiln.

Old kiln with controls removed

Comes apart into three sections

Now to remove the base and sweep.

New kiln.

We purchased the same model kiln !

Good luck with the last one plus we can use our same kiln shelves and posts made it an easy decision.

It of course has updated features and more bells and whistles that I can not wait to try.

We fire almost every day and open Hot so we can get your orders to you fast.

Here is a “Target” nightstand that looked pretty close to the look we wanted.

Hardware removal .  You may choose to use other tools to do this – files, screwdrivers and prying tools.

Remove.  These popped off with a thin bladed screwdriver.

I cut a thin panel the same size as the doors and nailed rustic wood that had a great weathered look . This is the back off the door panel.

HINT: I left big overhangs on both sides and just cut them after. The doors close perfectly.

I made the butterfly design more rustic by cold forging.    Hmmmm.

The butterfly did not contrast enough . So off to Menards to get some Arts and Crafts Style handles.

I painted the hinges because I scratched them taking them apart .   Wow!

Check out the night stands and headboard too. I will demonstrate how I made the nightstand out of some Target merchandise.

 We had some friends and family making bowls in the studio earlier this week. They were a lot of fun to make and I was really looking forward to giving them their awesome creations the next time I saw them. So imagine my disappointment when they came out of the kiln covered in pinholes. Pinholes are tiny glaze defects. They look like popped air bubbles stuck forever in the glaze surface. We put them back in the kiln hoping everything would melt out in the refire. No suck luck. We still had pinholes.

At this point I figured we had nothing to lose so I resorted to drastic measures. I found a pumice stick and rubbed away the sharp edges around each pinhole. 

Then I applied a thin coat of clear glaze. We put them in the kiln again and gave them a thirty minute soak. A soak is a period of time at the top end of the firing that keeps the kiln at maximum firing temperature for an extra amount of time. We figured we needed some extra time to melt all of those defects away!

The end result – perfection! Not one pinhole left! A perfectly smooth glaze surface. Notice the fingerprints in the bottom of this bowl – those were made when the clay was wet and are intended to be there. But the tiny pinholes are gone. Looks like we need the pumice stone one more time to remove the stilt marks!The inside of this bowl had pinholes and now it is perfectly smooth!

One feeder was ripped out of the ground. The other was easier to bend over and lay down next to it to get the sunflower seeds.

Christine learned Krygyzstan techniques in a felting class she took at Otlak felt studio in Duluth.

Sanded after it was painted turquoise to cause a distressed look. Then I applied old english dark wood with a soft cloth. I wiped it off and it accents the sanded light colored wood and kind of gives it an antique effect.