@floriangadsby: Something must have been in the water today. I don’t normally cause this much destruction when unpacking the kiln but here we are, three pots down, two beyond repair, one that I may be able to fix myself with a bit of time and some careful filling and sanding. Unpacking the kiln is always an exciting moment, some kilns more than others, this load though was leaning on the dull side as it was mainly filled with mugs and bowls. No test tiles, no particularly interesting shapes, apart from the bowl with fragments of molybdenum inserted into it. The truth is I forgot which bowl that was amongst the stacks of glazed wares and would have weeded it out had I remembered as I knew the results weren’t fantastic. Once unpacked, I give all the props a quick grind to get rid of any stuck batt-wash on them and then the base of each piece is sanded. This is a necessary step as otherwise, those coarse specks of grog in the clay that become apparent again after the reduction firing, are severe enough to scratch any tabletop they’re placed on and are dragged across. I don’t polish them too much. I don’t want to remove the flash brown-red tone given to the surface of the clay from the flames that swirl around it, instead I want to lightly sand the stoneware just enough to knock away those tiny protrusions. This was very much a “stock” firing, a kiln load of work to replenish stock for my upcoming shop restock later this month. As soon as I have a date set in stone I’ll let you all know via a proper announcement, but I’m aiming for the end of November. #fail #blooperreel #ceramicscasualties #pottery #ceramics

Florian Gadsby

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Region: GB

Thursday 05 November 2026 14:58:23 GMT