WELL THAT SUCKED

Pasty, lutefisk-looking pots

The Demon Crudebake has been at work.

Ugh, it's been so long since I had a bad firing I forgot how much it sucks. I was prepared for this one to be less than stellar; I knew the kiln wasn't firing right: climbing very slowly, and unevenly. When I shut it off I knew I'd have some refires in there...Wasn't quite expecting three-quarters of the kiln to be refires, but there it is.

Pots from the top shelf

So, here's the weird thing: it looks like a draw issue. The top shelf was good - juicy, even. Everything below it was as pasty as the denizens of Lake Wobegone. Even those top-shelf pots, you can see their bottoms quarters got less soda.

 Insufficient draw would make sense, because when I rebuilt the stack I rebuilt it two courses shorter, because it drew a little too hard before. Except, I've fired it since then, and it went perfectly. My firing in December was great! It's a mystery.

For now I'll be grateful that I got just enough pots to pay or the propane, and that I know (or hope I know!!) the cause and cure. I don't have anyone urgently waiting for pots now, so it is not a bad time to do kiln repair. I needed to rebuild the bag walls anyway, so looks like a trip to INFAB is on my list this week.