2nd Electric Firing

I used the old batches of glaze,wanting to see some semi-predictable results; I changed the program slightly,increasing the soak time at each stage of the crystal growth [I think there are 6 stages on this particular program] by 3 minutes - and the resulting crystals are indeed slightly larger than the previous firing. But since the pots are the same size,bigger crystals mean less background and more crowding,so on the current firing [approaching 1000 degrees C as I write,with another 4-5 hours of firing to go] I raised the temperature of each stage [to thin out the number of crystals,maybe] and reduced the soak just a bit. I'm also testing new batches of glaze after getting a delivery of raw materials.
If this all seems too technical,please have patience. I'm writing these details down to remind myself - if they're of any use to a fellow potter,all the better: if you're not in the business,maybe you'll get an insight into some of the finer nuances of the craft [and understand why you pay more for these crystal-glazed pots when they do work.]