Big (for me) bowl

As I said before I have very little time right now, and so tonight I decided to only throw 2 large bowls. This one is just under 16 inches wide and is the biggest I've thrown so far. I say I had planned to throw 2. But when I had thrown this one I couldn't get it off the wheel without taking off the splash pan, which I didn't want to deal with. The bat that I was using was exactly the same size as the wheel head so I can't really get a good grip on it with something so heavy on it. It's best to use a bat that is at least slightly larger than the wheel head so you can get a good hold on it.

Too busy

I'm plagued by a good problem. Even though it is the off season, I have been selling what little pottery I can make. This doesn't mean I am selling a ton, but rather that I have very little time to make any. This is the busiest time of year at work. And while I don't usually take orders I have several "requests" in where I am suppose to call people when I make them. This is of course a good problem to have, but I am hoping to get a big stock pile before spring and summer so that we can go fly fishing at least once a week in the evenings without feeling guilty.

Drying Pots

I have been using a wooden rack with that thick clear plastic you use for drop cloths, etc for drying pottery. It keeps the pottery from being dried too quickly by air currents. On the other hand, it can make drying take a long time. To help with that I add heat. This humidified heat allows for a more even drying. The best would be if I added even more humidity. You can dry ware really fast if you have high heat and high humidity. I know it sounds odd to say you dry something with high humidity, but it works in pottery. I causes the moisture that is in the pottery to come to the surface, which is opposite what would normally happen. Normally clay is drying from the outside in and this can cause cracking because clay shrinks as it dries.

Anyway, I ordered a baker's rack off ebay that has a fitted, zippered cover. Then I just bought some plywood for shelves and drilled holes in them to help the heat move through the rack. The heat is provided by several 100 watt bulbs I have in the bottom of the rack. You can just see them in this picture.