I have been trying to make some pots using the same techniques as Shozo Michikawa, following a wonderful demonstration of his techniques to PACS Potters in Petersfield. However, his techniques leave the pots with substantial thicknesses of clay in some areas, which could make them a challenge to fire without exploding….! As a result I have had them drying above our oil boiler in the house for several days, and have now loaded them into the kiln for a Bisque firing. I am using a complex temperature profile designed for ceramics which are quite thick and/or large, in the hope that they might survive.
Luckily we have a kiln programmer which allows linked sections/profiles, as this includes 12 separate ramp sections through the heating and cooling (it includes controlled cooling as well). So here’s keeping my fingers crossed. Will let you know success of otherwise in about 2 days time….