Pottery is FRUSTRATING! - Unloading Kiln #54

This is one kiln that actually didn't turn out great! We did get some great pottery out but there were some weird bubbling things going on. Anyway thanks for watching!
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[@saragrady1]

I love the sandstone bowl that is warped. Before you said it wasn’t supposed to look that way, I thought...oohh, I like that, that is so pretty! It’s really beautiful!

[@placeb0fication]

I think the Minnesotas look good unglazed when using dark combos but I almost always prefer glazed with light combos. Also, I actually like how the bowl warped! Still looks pretty symmetrical.

[@HammerlyCeramics]

Just got to the studio, lit the kiln, turned on your video and had my whole day made. Thanks for the shout-out man and great work as always!

[@RAUCH_Davka]

Love you guys, thank you both for sharing so much with the world!

[@michaels.8663]

Future Jon seems to be a pretty sharp dude.

[@averydavis7107]

I love the unwaxed Minnesota! Especially with the trees!!! I love your videos! I'm a new potter and I'm switching teachers this week! She watches your videos too! I'm so excited to have someone who will push me in the ways I need!

[@kerls23]

Thanks for sharing your whole process and letting us see what works and what doesn’t! It’s very helpful. I like the unglazed Minnesotas, but mostly because I fidget and the texture would give my fingers something to do. I do like the look of the glazed Minnesotas though!

[@kevinjamiesonbelou]

My fave mug, and my favourite wife’s mug, are 2 mugs that I made when first starting my journey with pottery. I call hers my “favourite wife’s mug” because I get up first and make the coffees and that’s the one I like to use for her coffee. Lol.

[@blubbmillysings]

My favourite mug is this handmade stoneware mug my boyfriend got me when I was in hospital. It has a good size and It is simply beautiful. He has great taste. I am all better now and we decided to do pottery together :)

[@dellagrace2887]

I would have to say I have two favorite mugs. One is made by Annapolis Pottery and it's just the right size for your average cup of coffee (and I love the Robbin's Egg Blue Glaze). My second favorite is one my sister gave me for Christmas. It was hand thrown in Kandern, Germany and sadly, I don't know the artist. I love it because it reminds me of my sister and it's nice and big!

[@keeperofthegood]

Mugs.... I had a mug once. Spun it on my finger I did. Round and Round. Caught the sun, shone and sparkled the only black gloss can. It went with me from work to home to work again. Spinning, catching the bus, spinning, walking the tracks, spinning, going in the dark dank employees only door. Love that mug, it was a great mug. Spun so hard it seemed it wanted to fly and one day it did, sailed up so high like it could reach those beams of sunlight it joyed in splashing, falling, crashing into a million splintered pieces across the parking lot... no mug love is ever like your first mug love...

[@funnyastronomer1435]

Beautiful.

[@peggymcthompson261]

Goooood morning 🙂. Some absolutely gorgeous glazes. Maybe the thermostat is going out and the kiln is getting hotter than it’s set for? Just a shot in the dark 😋.

[@ginaiannucci]

peggy mcthompson I agree.

[@sybillestahl8646]

peggy mcthompson Stick in some cones?

[@artwoman99]

I posted this as a separate post--but it doesn't seem to be showing up so I'll also post it here. *******I may have the answer to your bubble problem!******** Sorry this post is going to be long. Five years ago I started using a darker clay body and I got bubbles (bloating) inside tall travel mugs. These bubble areas only showed up after the glaze firing. I researched it and found that during the bisque firing high iron clay bodies need more heat to burn off all the organic materials present. I was stacking my bisque kiln very tight. When I started stacking less tight--all the bubbling went away. Two years ago I purchase some dark iron clay from Continental Clay (the same kind that you use). The guy at Continental Clay told me that I needed to do a "sloppy" bisque. I asked him what that meant. He said to to leave more space around the pots during the bisque firing because this clay had a high organic content that needed to burn off. While I had never heard the term "sloppy" bisque, I knew what he meant because that is what I had to do with the dark clay body I was using. I hope this helps. I know that it solved my similar problem.

[@ritalayman9396]

Love the winter wood.

[@mrohmiller1098]

LOVED all the blue & green glazes! Even the green(blue?) over the top of that one black mug was cool! 👍🏼 Winter white is also beautiful. You really had some beautiful glaze combinations in this load, Jon. And I think the glaze over the trees is great, as long as it's thin enough to still see the trees. Just depends on the glaze, and thickness. Bummer about the bubbles, but overall a really beautiful load. ❤️😎

[@smOVERCOMINGITALL]

My husband would die for those red white and blue shot glasses.

[@larrylass4268]

I throw a porcelain that loves to warp. My experience shows warps happen when wall near base of pot is thick and uneven and not totally dry before firing. Increasing compression and use of sponge to dry bottom of pot has reduced the bloating in my pottery. You might consider increasing preheat time in kiln because Minnesota is experiencing high humidity.

[@gatorbyte5254]

I like the Minnesota glazed as long as the glaze allows the trees to pop!

[@MissMolly75]

Awesome kiln unloading. Thanks for sharing the mis-haps as well. As a pottery myself, it helps to see we all go through it. Just remember that clay doesn't vitrify until it reaches the highest cone given by the manufacturer. I have cone 6 clays that leak if I fire only to cone 5 or even 5.5. Vases and pet water bowls that are meant to hold water will leak, even through the glaze. So keep that in mind. Something you can try on the trees on the MN mugs is to dip in glaze, then lightly wipe back the glaze just on the trees. I do this a lot and it's a great look. Or go a step further and put underglaze on the trees, then wipe back the underglaze so it's just all around the edges of the trees. Then dip in glaze and wipe that back on the trees as well. Can I ask where the tree roller is from again? I remember you sharing it a while back but I forget!

[@angiemorris2493]

I'm always about the handles and not tooooo large of a body. Loved the first green mug you pulled out

[@cliffordmitchell1076]

I have a round coneish mug that says “joy” on the side of it and I only drink out of it cause it’s my cup of joy in the morning

[@windisemmes3641]

my favorite mug is one I bought from a pottery studio in New Mexico in a VERY small town called Carizozzo. It's just the right size, weight, the color is pleasing. Just love it. I don't like a huge handle or a wide thick lip to drink from. Also, I love the light blue glaze you're using. Very pretty and nice for morning.

[@pattimiller5571]

I love to unload the kiln with you because I can feel the excitement/anticipation as if it were my own kiln. I don’t get to fire mine as much lately so I live vicariously through your unloading and love it!! I kinda like the bare clay states better. ❣️

[@gardeninginthedesert]

I like Mountsorrel in the green glass, the very first one you showed, the trees stand out better and seem more natural. My favourite mug is round sided, I men rounded top to bottom. It's there a word for that? I'm on vacation and just bought one with a hedgehog picture. It's very cute but probably not as nice to hold as its not as round.

[@katherinesmith140]

The white glazed Minnesota reminds me of snow storms. I think a selection of them would be good in a store so people can buy one that reminds them if nature scenes they saw on a trip. It's like different weather. The darkened trees on unglazed minnesota is so so cool

[@kimmcneely2576]

A really cool thing to do with the bowl is to repair it with the Japanese technique called kitsugi I use a uv resin mixed with a gold pigment or you can use a adhesive and glue the bowl then take gold leaf and apply it to the cracks.

[@earthrider700]

Which is really cool, I agree.

[@claymazingartworks5682]

The States to be glazed and wiped..

[@marcmigala1118]

YO!!! Throwing mugs and scarecrows. Firkin awesome. Been a while but I bet I can still throw raleys, S bends, Vulcans, and Tantrums behind a boat too.

[@vickiebovender9580]

I actually liked the warped bowl!

[@ariannaeagar7529]

I love the northern lights glazes on the darker clay! Beautiful! Do you ever do classes? Or thought about it?

[@kathycrain3459]

Hey Jon from Mankato. Enjoy your videos and your work. Really like the Minnesota cups with the trees, both glazed and unglazed.

[@jennyleemiller6546]

I'm in love with the chocolate drips!

[@BrokenArrowPottery]

My fave: Northern Lights! Straight up Jon the Potter! with the dark halo behind the trees... at 5:45 min. ♥♥♥

[@beads2yarn]

Love those Minnesota mugs. My husband is from Cloquet Minnesota. I’m going to check your shop to get him one. Your work is stunning. Thank you for sharing these videos..

[@artwoman99]

Years ago I had a similar bubble (bloating) problem with darker clay. Dark red clay bodies have more organic compounds in them and they need to be bisqued fired with more space around them to make sure that enough heats gets all around the pot to burn off the carbon compounds. I started leaving more space around the pots and the bubbles (bloating) stopped. Two years ago I purchased the same dark iron clay you are using from Continental Clay. They also told me not to pack the bisque firing too tight.

[@mapachearrollado]

Love EVERYTHING, JUST BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!

[@munbeam1]

I like the unglazed state better. I love that sapphire mug!

[@fay3803]

love your glazes, that chocolate drip one very nice. The mug I use a lot right now is a old caribou coffee mug.The size and shape are what I like. 16 oz. but moving around I fill it cup and a half.The shape is like an egg.I do wish it had a glaze like any of yours.

[@barbarac4138]

Putting big bowels on a solid circle made of the kiln shelf material and putting them in middle section of kiln seems to help keep them from warping most of the time. I use 3" or 5" circles from Highwater Clay. Where did you find your tree stamp? Keep up the fine work.

[@karenryker5740]

As always I loved your video. We all have those kilns that when you open them we think AWE what happened? That's the PC response around small children. I've been known to say more. Or your counting on getting that one piece in the mail and it cracks in the kiln. But every failure is a learning experience in my book.

[@ww-ti6js]

I like them both glazed and unglazed!! As for my favorite mugs... they are usually pretty big circumference wise and have a decent weight to them.

[@kaseykathleenx550]

You could grind down that half bowl to be flat and find a way to mount it on a board or somethin, then youd have a little planter that looks like its peaking out!

[@carinebelloclamanufactured9674]

I love the first mug you get the green one is beautiful!

[@pamelakeen7942]

Thinking your big sandstone bowl warped because your cookie placement underneath was inconsistent... But I really like the idea of diamond shaped cookies to give you leverage pulling it off.

[@littlesammyf7380]

Oh Jon, I feel the pain and have learnt from your advice, my last glaze firing was mixed but I had bubbles with my light stoneware so will be reducing the firing temperature, I also think the glaze will thank me. Still awesome to see the unloading PS Norse Blue is 🥰

[@danitasimmons4042]

That first mug you pulled out is beautiful.

[@DanO7052]

I lean toward the unglazed states, but think it depends on the glaze itself. (?)

[@mccluredb]

I like the darker glazes left on the states.

[@larksie]

I think the glazed MNs work best with glazes (like the green and blue) that have slightly more colour contrast from the clay, some translucency, and break more over edges so the trees still stand out - the winter wood seemed to wipe out the details a bit much for my liking. It's a gorgeous glaze generally though! So much like birch trees.

[@thelasthomelyhouse]

I like Future Jon, he is so wise. I make a sort of 'beaker' without a handle - oatmeal glaze spattered with cobalt oxide and I like drinking my coffee out of them. I sell them at my daughter's bakery, next to her coffee machine - they sell well. Was that Future Jon at the end? he's so cool (ha ha ha!)

[@sheepsrubberpants]

I loved the greens mugs at the beginning the best. 👍🇬🇧

[@oqvp]

They're beautiful, love them all, he is funny.

[@Alanica47]

Hey these mugs and shot glasses are awesome! When I was in school everything I did in clay and put in the kiln, well the teacher would. They would either break and be unusable or explode. To this day I have no idea why that is.

[@amylynn4507]

I love the sandstone over the dark iron ♥

[@erikadonaghy9946]

Do you use the small pieces of ceramic under the mugs to prevent the glaze from sticking to the kiln shelves?

[@sybillestahl8646]

Well, that broken bowl does demonstrate that your walls are nice and consistent. Silver lining?

[@xxIAKxx]

Unglazed on the Minnesota mugs is my preference! Beautiful opening👍🏻

[@evanvorous]

I love the red, white and blue shot glasses 🙂

[@f0xh0nd51]

I like the trees

[@judi3427]

Woooow I loveee them, it just amazing 🥰🌺

[@camillesanford8021]

I like the darker blue on the red, white, n blue

[@joshuaboehner4652]

I had a problem with large things warping, I found that I'd I left the rim just a little thicker it eliminates most warping. I'm the guy that threw 41,000 pieces last year from your live vid. Also, the little bubbles is called "bloating".

[@samaritzdesigns8871]

I choose mugs with a handle I can fit all 4 fingers in, not too big (cools quicker, then I can drink it all before it gets too cold.), fun design last.

[@sharewaterglass]

I fire bowls in the middle, with the mugs around the outside. No more warped bowls.

[@BDFALK1]

Lovin the wakeboard sesh

[@Cate7451]

I wonder the sandstone bowl war page came about as the base isn't flat with those cookies. Bigger items with flat bottoms are more susceptible to problems. Mugs not so much. Quickly make up a new big bowl maybe try a dif Clay. I say this as I get bummed out and give up so it's what I say to myself. There are a lot of steps to making successful pots. Just don't give up.

[@deborapickett]

My favorite coffee mug is one of the ones I bought from you a while back. I like it because it is a good size and holds the right amount of coffee and I love the glazes on it !!!! Wish there was a way to add a picture on these comments so I could show you which one it is !!! P.S. I LOVE your new studio. This is the first I have seen it - I haven’t seen your videos in a while !!!

[@doughain9445]

I think they call that bloating, Ive seen Simon Leach get that from over firing his kiln at cone 10 or 11, so you are on the right track

[@brendastraley8829]

The dark Iron stoneware mugs i like because the trees are noticeable due to the dark glaze outlining them.

[@corieddings5713]

Beautifully done

[@TSurtX-jl4zw]

The broken bowel could be turned into a beautiful flower shelf with a piece of driftwood fixed at the back and hung up at the wall... Voila 😉 would love have it!

[@fromcalifornia2822]

Try Kintsugi, also known as Kintsukuroi, is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum, a method similar to the maki-e technique. What is also/really interesting is breaking a pot, glazing it separately and then using Raku firings. Though placing the pot in a cool kiln glued (temporarily) and bring it up to temperature after putting different glazes on each piece can work, theory being it will not fall apart and fall to the shelf (and get stuck). Anyway, hope you will research the technique. You will not regret broken pottery from your first Kintsugi pot forward. 😀

[@melissaphillis7247]

Love the northern lights straight up mugs......how about with an Australia on one? Don't forget Tasmania on the bottom though, lol. Glad you worked out what had happened to get bubbles. And I think the dark chocolate runny drips were cool.

[@saundragrenard3789]

Great tip Jon, I have some pitting also, maybe I will try cone 5

[@rebekahbrandhorst9756]

I think the glaze over the Minnesota worked really well

[@justinstott9565]

I know this is an older video, but test fire a few pieces at cone 5, med, 10 minute hold sometime. That’s my go-to for anything finicky, clay, glaze, or raw glazed pieces.😉

[@jeremybrake-zacherl7715]

I like the blue drip going down over the US, that's right where some of the Great Lakes are

[@lisalovelylpa]

Very inspirational that bowl you broke , looks like a cool sculpture piece could emerge from that mishap. I love those chocolate dripped mugs ! How many kilns you have lol Nice video

[@robertcole1098]

Love the sandstone and your northern lights will always be popular, because they are great. I'm so jealous of you in the USA because we in the UK can't get all the glazes that you use, like the Sandstone, I just can't find it. 🤷‍♂️. Unlucky with the bubbles , I hope you cure it. Cheers Bob 🇬🇧

[@stephaniemichaud6954]

MN glazed are my faves. More subtle and less in your face. Particularly in the light glazes. Nice!

[@DanceToHeal]

I looove the warped bowl!! ❤️

[@kimcastaneda9138]

Hope I didn’t miss this. Tried to comment on the cone video but any to the question... what’s the difference between the little tiny cones and the bigger cones. I have no idea which to buy. A friend gave me some of the bigger ones so I can do y first firings in my new kiln.

[@AnonEMouse-lk3ji]

Minnesota nice!

[@heathergraham6161]

My favorite mug is my favorite because the handle feel like an extension of my hand

[@hellokirby1]

Isn't warping a sign of being over fired too? Sometimes when I put midfire in a stoneware high fire you get the slight warm / oval shape. But i guess the thickness of the piece is also important as well

[@larryraineri8895]

I like your ideas of not firing too hot as well. Having impurities in the clay sometimes make it through the bisque process. We used a common art space with kids and adults so we had to constantly watch out for paint or plaster or other stuff on tables. If you are pretty confident about not having other foreign stuff in your clay bodies then my next guess would be firing too hot also. do you own a small test kiln? It wouldn't hurt if you ever found one used to try and do a test piece or three if switching to a new clay body. Aside: I choose mugs, usually, soda fired because I love the look when they are used and hold liquid. handle feel is important. Matt long and Kip O Krongly have good handles. good luck with warping. Also, I saw a potter at a fair have a kids table with slightly less desirable pots only for cheap purchase by kids and not adults. I thought it was a cool way to sell pieces but get youth engaged about pots also.

[@hardisiahaan4106]

very nice colour, how to create the red glaze like that. amazing 😭😭😭

[@calvinthompson35]

I like the unglazed MN's but with the black glaze wiped off on the trees.

[@blakeclewis]

I have been developing a kiln controller using a Raspberry Pi computer. It has a kilnsitter hooked up to the computer so the computer knows when the kiln reaches cone temp/work.

[@puck34fan]

Perfect drip over Niagara Falls!

[@stasiaspade1169]

LOL

[@RAUCH_Davka]

Hi Jon! Try using a big cookie for the bowl next time, may help with warping!

[@kdmcgee174]

I'd love to have a TX one!!! Gorgeous!!

[@UniquelyPenny]

For me my mug has to have a pretty thin rim. I have no feeling in 90% of my bottom lip and I can’t physically make my top and bottom lips touch so my mugs need to be thin. But I love coffee so also big. Which is hard to find. I like quirky mugs but haven’t found one that I’d say is my fav.

[@sharonbryant2547]

I lean to a handle that has a thumb rest. I agree It looks like it over fired to me. Great stuff. The unglazed states have more punch Rock on. Love the new glaze combinations but your northern lights is still the best with a close second the winter white alone

[@OurRosewoodTV]

I like a large mug with no handle, one I can get both hands around, a beautiful Blue-Green glaze.

[@WildAcornsArtStudio]

Dark clay does not like anything above cone 5. My Standard 266 bloats if I go over cone 5. Beautiful work, as usual!!! 😊

[@littlemanoo]

The dark unglazed

[@lindenjenesse5078]

Hey, Future Jon! If you figure out a good technique for removing the cookie from the mug where the glaze really dripped and fused it to the bottom, would you please share? I have a similar problem with a piece I would like to save, but I haven't tackled it yet!

[@levishepherd4387]

Have you considered venting directly up and out from the kiln lid.

[@ronniepryor8679]

My Steven Hill spiral mug!!!

[@KAS326]

I’m new to your channel. But I like the unglazed look better. Can I order customer pottery from you? And where?

[@ambergavin6461]

Where are you getting your state and country cookie cutters? You seem to have quite a collection now, well beyond just the Minnesota shape. I bought a Wisconsin shape online but I am not happy with the size or the way the clay seems to stick to it.

[@abdulrahmanaljowder5401]

I have a question.. how to stop the glaze from dripping like you have on your mugs? I want to make a clear line where the two glazes meet but dont like the drips

[@jpcory]

Warping issues... Paper Clay. I have just started beginning research and testing into this, but I understand that paper clay addresses warping and cracking issues... But have yet to verify it's claims.