Post #697093 by Jürka on Tue, Oct 22, 2013 3:52 PM

I received my third army of mugs. Result is okay, but not perfect. Being glossy/matt is something between first and second army... Not as good as first, but not so bad as second. Hibiscus is fcked up, it has been three times in glaze-burning-kiln and crack is still there. The mug got pretty much of its shine back, but on the face there are few lumps and as big that the glaze has given up and cracked in that spot also. So, yeah... I will leave it to remind me bad things to learn in my future life. But. If I'd come back in spring, I have true plan to make the new one, new Hibiscus. If something can't be fixed, must make the new one. It feels for me like this Tiki is alive and reflects the real life. I sure have a lot of fantasy.
Anyway... Janni's mug is better now, though the red glaze on letter "J" has been melted and flown to spot where it should not be, but... it doesn't ruin the view. I leave it like that because there's nothing I can do to fix it and I've learned that putting too many times into kiln may cause additional problems... Just like happened with Hibiscus, the most beautiful of my all armies with only one crack... After second try it was with crack and matt... And after third time it's now with crack, not-so-matt-anymore, but fcked up. That's what I've learned of mug-making-business and of life. Cracked, not-so-matt-anymore and f*cked up. Amen.
Anyway... The last special I made... Well, it looked li'l bit better before glaze... Too thin lines are bit dangerous to glaze... The thinnest (the farrest actually) palmtree is not as straight as it should be... Also I don't like the edges where red meets brown, they appear white... but there's nothing to do with it. That's how it works. This effect doesn't catch the eye so much where red details are bigger, robustious. Well, but otherwise not so bad. I still miss the real shiny glaze like it was in first army.

And here are my all specials so far. Next summer I would like to do maybe 5 different ones more, cause I have some too great people around me... :D

Oh yeah... And tomorrow I will put Dixie, Janni and Spade to post. I use only one box per each. For softening I use peanuts. Put one layer on the bottom, then I fixed it with a plastic which is meant for packing food... Then another layer of peanuts... Tiki... Peanuts again... Plastic... And peanuts again... as much as it goes... and close box, tapes... I'll print out addresses together with clear fragile-sign (I hope that "this-side-up" sign is not so important in this case)... and place it on top under filmy tape to prevent getting wet. The box is small enough, so I will put only one of it on top. Hope they'll arrive in one piece. 700...800 grams each. Two pieces to Finland, one to Greece...

[ Edited by: Jürka 2013-10-22 15:53 ]