The Ketchup Package Principle

The Ketchup Package Principle of crack prevention is explained in an article by Pete Pinnell in a back issue of Clay Times. I'll do my best, Pete. It's damn near impossible to open a little package of ketchup or vingegar unless you make a slice or cut so that you can tear along the slice. The same goes for clay. If your knife leaves a slice the crack can begin and follow a line down thru your piece. I knew this and yet ignored it. To prevent this slice drill a hole in each corner and cut from hole to hole. I saw the Chinese do this in Jingdezhen. Why did I foolishly ignore this and make the same mistake? 2023 the year of foolishness and the year of wisdom. Whadda life! My life is the best omelette you could ever make with a chainsaw.- Thomas McGuane author of Nobody's Angel. I had some good pots although I lost most of my brushwork. I so dislike the bright orange shinos that I over reduced the load and got a lot of black soot ( carbon trapping). I do love the black! As in most mistakes you learn something. Now if I will only not repeat it. With carbon trap shino ( a maverick glaze) there are so many variables that it is hard to dial it in for the absolute best. Glaze thickness, humidity, weather during firing, timing from glazing to firing, when to reduce, how hard, how long, how to cool it and the list goes on. I think as well as the heavy reduction I need to apply my oxides thicker. One pleasant surprise was a nice yellow oxide. You better get out your notebook as this is really complicated. 100% ghastly borate and 100% Rutile. It was a hunch so I didn't do much of it- dammit! I'm just really learning to cook experimenting with different herbs and spices. It's about knowing your materials. I know my glaze materials and should have gone with my intuition. Here's to our human flaws and scary frontiers.