Week One
The arrangement with the internship is that I will work around the workshop one day per week, then the next day I will be tutored in pottery techniques. On my first day, I received the Induction tour of the facilities.
These are the two large gas kilns. They are used for reduction firing. I have to keep this area well swept and clean as it gets very dirty.
Above the gas kiln area, is the studio section where the wheels are located. This is also where students come to learn pottery. My job is to clean the wheels after use, clean the sink area and the benches, empty the waste clay into the recycling vat and keep the floor swept.
Beyond the studio section and the chook yard, is the large shed. The incorporates an area for visiting potters to use a wheel in some privacy. This is where the plaster trolleys are kept, for drying out clay in the recycling process. There is a storage area and glazing benches. The electric kilns are here. They are used for oxidization firing.
The above photo, on the left, shows the recycling vat. All waste clay, dry or wet, goes into here and is churned about with water. It's a long process and can take many weeks to fill the vat. The photo on the right shows the mixing bucket where freshly dug clay is mixed and the pug mill, which removes air bubbles and extrudes the clay into long 'sausages'.
It's very important to watch out for the back of the electric kilns, backing on to this area, as I found out to my cost. They can be super hot and give a nasty burn. Also, when using the big bucket and mixer, it is well to tie up your hair in case of accident.
On my first day, I spent six hours cleaning and doing odd jobs, including sanding and varnishing some outdoor tables. On the second day, I had my first attempt on the wheel. I was very proud of my first pots!!
Then the boss suggested I try to make a perfect cylinder. This proved very difficult and I became frustrated with myself. And the boss did not make it easy by yelling at me for half an hour! He was quite alarming and seemed a bit unhinged! I did manage to do it but it was probably a fluke! When I got home, I watched many Youtube videos on the process, over and over.
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