Done and done

I finished firing the kiln Saturday afternoon, let if cool all of Sunday and then unloaded it this afternoon. Here is a shot of the kiln with all of the finished work (well not all, I started unloading then remembered to take a photo. So there are a few shelves missing).



Here is a picture of all of the work sorted and ready for packing (shortly after this photo everything was wrapped and packed away for easy transport to Oklahoma).



Here are some close up photos of some berry bowls and some Milton mugs (I thought they turned out quite nicely).




Also I have been asked to make some bean pots/casseroles for someone. So here are a couple of shots of those.




Once we get settled in Oklahoma we will unpack all this work and take individual photos of everything (or group shots of stuff that belongs in a set) and start posting things on Etsy. There might be another long silence from us while we do the final packing these next two weeks, but we will start posting as soon as we start setting up our new studio.

An Etsy Adventure

We have started an Etsy page, where we plan to sell the items that we have been making. We are starting out by posting some of the brushes we featured in an earlier post, the black bamboo ones. We will soon be adding some pottery and hopefully some knitting will be coming soon as well (she says probably not). Also, we have linked our Etsy page to this blog so that it is easy to locate our shop. So please take a look and let us know what you think, and any suggestions will be appreciated.

Bamboo Snob.....

I just wanted to share some photos of the black bamboo after it has been cut down to length for the brush handles. They also have been sanded and de-limbed (meaning the limbs or branches have been removed). This first photo is before I take all the wax off of the bamboo, as you can see it looks cloudy. This is from the dirt and wax that coats them.



This next photo I’ve used my handy dandy propane torch to melt the wax off the bamboo. As you can see they are no longer cloudy, which makes the colors brighter and gives them a kind of gloss.



I fear that I’ve become a bamboo snob, because I no longer like working with the green bamboo. The black stuff seem so much more alive, I dread the day when my stock of black bamboo runs out and I’m forced to return to the green stuff. Although, I’ve acquired some black bamboo to grow, right now it seems to not be doing much. We are hoping that it’s growing roots, and will send up some shoots...soon...

Treadle Wheel (An update)

Here is an update on the treadle wheel I’m currently making. I have made the flywheel, and that’s it.... I made it out of some plywood I had laying around, cutting eight rounds that were two feet four inches across and a half inch thick. I then laminated them together to create a flywheel that is four inches thick. This, I am told, will create a flywheel that is of average weight (I will weight it and let you know the exact weight), from there you can make it lighter or heavier depending on your throwing style. I’m going to keep this weight and see how I like it. Here is a front view and a side view of the flywheel as it is now, I still have some work to do on it to make it look nicer.




Today I bought the wood to make the frame of the treadle wheel. I’m using two by fours and laminating them together to make them a little sturdier. Tomorrow I will be buying the steel for the center beam that runs from the flywheel to the wheel head, as well as going to Onalaska to pick up some more black bamboo and hopefully a raccoon tail (we will see if it’s any good for brushes). Hopefully Friday I will start constructing the frame and start putting it all together, I would like to get it finished by next Monday, but we will see...

Black Bamboo Brushes

Here is a quick post about some brushes we have been making. These are not our first brushes, but they are the first ones we really like.



The handles are made from black bamboo, and the tips are made from grey squirrel tails.



Also, we have started burning an enso onto the back ends of the brushes to identify them as being made by us.