Soderstrom Pottery Blog

Today I was re-wrapping the handlebars of my 20 year old Miyata road bike. I was using a black handlebar tape that is made out of cotton. Very rarely do people still use cloth tape for their handlebars. Now there many synthetic options for covering handlebars including gel pads that fit under the tape. The reason I use cotton tape is because I feel a connection with the past through continuing this tradition. It is also an aesthetic choice, and gives a different tactile experience. This is much the same as the role that pottery plays in my life. I choose to make handmade pots so that people who use them can feel a connection to the long history of pottery. I also want people to have a pleasant visual and tactile experience each time they use one of my pots. Bicycles and pottery...

It is cold here this week in Minnesota. The temperatures have been below zero for close to a week now. I am missing being able to be outside. I am looking forward to being able to fire the Raku kiln soon, but I would like to wait until it is at least 40 degrees outside, which may be a while. In the meantime, I have been throwing stoneware pots that are being fired in the indoor kiln, and making a some Raku pieces for when the weather does improve. A few people have asked me about how I made my Raku kiln:
I began with taking an old electric kiln that I bought for $75 and no longer worked. I took out all of the elements and removed all of the electric components from the outside. I took some soft brick, and carved plugs to fill the holes where the kiln sitter and thermocouple were mounted. I also filled in some of the peeps that I knew I wouldn't be needing. I used a hole saw to cut the burner port and flue. I contacted Ward Burner Systems and purchased a MR100 single burner system set up to run off of two LP tanks in tandem. Using the two tanks helps prevent them from freezing up. If anyone is interested in a more detailed description of how I built this kiln, I would be happy to answer any questions. The kiln works great. I usually fire four pieces at a time, and fire it four or five times back to back. It gets to 1800 degrees F. in about 45 minutes, which is plenty fast for me.

Raku burner from Ward Burner Systems

Two LP tanks a safe distance from the Kiln