Our pot of the month is on display at Mareeba, Port Douglas and Yungaburra markets. November's pot is Veni, Vidi, Vici, a bright orange raku pot with lid made using a mixture of stoneware and raku clay.
Veni, Vidi Vici is inscribed on the pot in Mason’s code which is created by placing the alphabet in a grid system.
 Many favourable comments so far; perhaps someone will receive a unique  Christmas gift.  

Think you have something to sell at the local market?
There are sixty plus markets each month in Cairns and surrounds, giving a wide choice to suit you and your product. For example, short-term tourists are unlikely to buy plants and produce; items favoured at local markets such as Rustys and Mareeba.

There are some amusing attitudes to market traders. I’ve heard, ‘I’m glad I don't have to do that,’ and ‘Do you have a real job?’ Stallholders are from various backgrounds; a microcosm of humanity often ignored in support of one-off events. For example, closing roads for races and locking customers in or out and delaying access. Customers stay away, and stallholders lose a week’s wages because of these events.
 
Many stallholders are self-sufficient and make, pack, sell and run their micro-business. Some have an on-line presence with national and international customers. Others supply to local business and keep the economy turning. It is hard work with few perks and more players than stayers. But being a stall-holder offers freedom and independence not found elsewhere, and the weekend market family is always fun.
 
They do for themselves and earn a dollar instead of picking up a pay envelope.
​Interested? Perhaps you can give up your real job.
 
LEUKAEMIA MARKET
This Sunday, 10th we will be at the Leukaemia market in the Fred Moule Pavilion at the show-ground. See you there. Opens at 9 am.

Use clean shelves
Shelves with glaze spills need cleaning as the glaze can eat into the shelf. Grind the glaze flat to the shelf using a  flat diamond wheel on an angle grinder. It is not the perfect solution but you can get away with it by using a couple of coats of kiln wash on the shelf.

Props
There are different views on the number of props to use. I use 3, but some prefer four. Most of my shelves are more than 30 years old and as new after some 500 plus fires using three props. All props should be in line one above the another. Staggering the props can cause bent shelves.
It is not ideal to use three and four prop setups in the same fire.
 I occasionally use four props for large items when the centre prop is in the way.  I use a four prop method once only and on the top of the load - so minimal weight is transferred away from the three prop tower. With the four prop method, you need to check for shelf rocking on three props. Therefore, the 4th prop will require packing.  Pack with fibre paper for small variances or if shelves are too wonky – use clay wads.
 
Shelf Size
When I’m repairing kilns, I see many full-sized shelves in use. First, this is hard on your body and as they are heavy require two people to place in the kiln. Half shelves are a better option and make packing the kiln much easier.
Select items of similar heights and load the half shelves on three props up the back of the kiln first. Then load the other half at the front. Try to stagger shelves to create good airflow through the kiln.
 NB shelves 400 x 400 and 450 x 450 can stay full. Shelves above 530 x 530 should be cut in half.

Packing the kiln
 Again views differ on how tight to pack the kiln.  Some like a good gap between items. I pack my bisque tight to the point the things are touching and place small pieces inside large pieces.  Obviously, we do not do this in a glaze fire; however, items are placed close together. While packing, keep in mind your cones and the shelf required at peephole level.

​Starting the kiln.
Later model electric kilns are more straightforward as you can now select the program, press start and almost go to bed.  In a bisque fire, initially, leave the bungs out.  Around 350°C – 400°C I put the roof bungs in.   If possible, put the door bungs in at 650°C – 700°C  or do as I do and leave the door bung until the following morning when the firing has finished, and the temperature is still above  700°C.
Glaze firing in an electrically controlled kiln can have all the bungs in by 400 deg as by then the moisture has gone.
Unless you have an automatic gas kiln – manual support is necessary for the whole firing.  Temperature control and burner control is every half hour with the use of a manual pyrometer and cones at the end of the fire.  

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Ken Ison Pottery has four kilns; One electric and three gas. The raku kiln is only used a few times a year, while Sparky, Opal & Hercules are fired several times a month.  On the calendar you will see the firing schedules. 

The newest kiln is sparky with over 150 fires to date. Sparky is a workhorse and is fired several times a month. The automatic controller ensures it is not necessary to ride shotgun as with the gas kilns.  Sparky does all the bisque firing and low temperature glaze fires. 

1. ​Pottery scraps and shards should be gently vacuumed from the kiln prior to the next fire 
2. Keep shelves clean and coat with kiln wash when necessary 
3. Every so often clean shelves with a flat diamond stone on an angle grinder & re-coat with kiln wash
4. ​Do not place glazed items close to elements - use edge of kiln shelf as a guide.
5. Do not overhang shelves with pottery.  This can create a hot spot and damage the element. 
6. Glaze splatter also deteriorates elements.  This can be flicked off with a sharp knife - take care doing this as elements are brittle and can break.  They are expensive to replace.
7. Kilns with loose fibre construction should be coated with a fibre coating  as necessary.                                  eg:  Foseco ceramol.
8. Elements which come loose from a kiln wall can be propped up with nichrome wire pins or ceramic pins. 
9. Do not force elements into any position; they are fragile when fired and will break. ​

              

​The striking and vivid glazes on Ken’s raku pots make the metallic effect of traditional raku seem dull. Red, yellow and orange add liveliness to his unique shapes and designs.   See more Raku in the gallery
Here is how he made Fiddlesticks. 
MATERIAL
To make a raku pot, I blend 50/50 Keanes White Raku and Walkers #10 Stoneware clay and process it through a pugmill to mix the clay. This blend makes an excellent throwing clay and is easy to polish.


THROWING
Next, I throw the pot. The pot is polished on the wheel when the clay is leather hard using either a polished rock or small light bulb. The polishing continues at various stages during its drying time until the pot has a high sheen.
Note: if the pot is too dry when polishing it may scratch.

FIRE #1 BISQUE
It is now ready to bisque fire to 1000°/cone 06.  
After the bisque fire, I draw a design on the pot and use masking tape to mask the area not being glazed.

FIRE #2  GLAZE
I apply a commercial earthenware glaze and fire the pot to 1080°/cone 03  
After the glaze fire masking tape is again applied to the fired, glazed area followed by a slip to the exposed part of the pot. I prefer a naked finish which involves applying a thin layer of clay. The clay will craze during the raku fire.

FIRE #3 RAKU 
The next step is to fire the piece in a raku kiln 1020°/cone 05 
When fired the pot is removed from the raku kiln (I use Kevlar gloves and tongs to handle hot pottery)and placed on a hot shelf from thirty seconds to one minute. Using the tongs, I put it in a metal rubbish bin or pit containing sawdust shavings or mango leaves and strips of newspaper. Care needs to be taken as these items will fire up. A lid is placed on the bin to extinguish the flames and produce reduction effects. 
Now the pot is left in the bin for approximately 15 minutes before removing and lightly spraying with water which highlights the crazing in the slip. Set the pot aside to cool. 

FINISH
Now the work begins.
A good quality scourer and water is used to scrub the pot to remove all the loose carbon residue.
When the pot is dry, it is polished using neutral Nugget shoe polish and a soft cloth.