Kyle Carpenter Pottery Asheville, NC

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CARPENTER POTTERY
HANDMADE SALT-FIRED CERAMICS

I make most of my work on an electric potter's wheel. I use a stoneware clay, called Zella Stone, from Highwater Clays. All of my work is once-fired, allowing continuity throughout the making process. I dip all pots, or parts of pots, in a Tile 6 slip or a Helmer slip, at the leather-hard stage. After the pot is slipped, I let it dry again to the leather-hard stage.

I then glaze the interior of the piece with one of my liner glazes. That, of course, re-hydrates the pot again and sits until it is leather hard. When I can pick up the pots without smudging the slip, I begin decorating the exterior with more slips and glazes.

After decorated, the pot is put onto the ware rack to dry thoroughly. When I have enough ware to fill the kiln, I move to the firing stage.

I fire in a 40 cubic foot, cross-draft salt kiln. I fuel it with liquid propane. The kiln is made of hard brick and is not efficient enough to bisque fire pottery in. All pots are wadded bone-dry, then once-fired to 2300 degrees Fahrenheit. Wadding is made of 50% Alumina Hydrate and 50% Kaolin. The wadding separates the shelf from the pottery. Without wadding, the pottery would become fused to the shelf during the firing. The wads are attached with white glue to keep them temporarily adhered to the pot. Pots are loaded onto silicon carbide shelves and the door is bricked up.

The firing begins slowly, being sure not to blow up any greenware. After the kiln has reached dull red heat, I start turning up the gas pressure. When cone 7 is soft, I shut the primary air down half way on each burner, and start salting. I put about a quarter of a pound of salt into the firebox at a time, until I have used three to four pounds. I fire the kiln to cone 9 flat. Inevitably, part of the kiln has reached cone 10 or cone 11. I don't get too worried about that. It offers a nice variation in surface. As long as the kiln is not under-fired, I'm happy. I shut off the gas and seal the kiln up tight, hoping to promote crystal growth in the glazes during the slow cool. The kiln sits for two days before unloading.

After I unload the kiln, I sand and price pots. Some pieces are photographed and some are not. I usually know exactly where the pots are headed. The pots, in most cases, are headed for a gallery, a craft show, or a specific customer.