Shine on pots

[Marianne Cordyack]

I have a cross-draft salt kiln that I have fired 60 times but something still puzzles me: the bare clay surfaces of some of the pots (all made from the same clay) are very shiny and some are more matte (bronze-like). It doesn't seem to matter where they are in the kiln - some close to the salt source, some further back. I have refired some pots in my electric kiln to cone 6 and they always get shinier in that situation. Any ideas?

[Krista Nix-Buckner]

I've noticed a shiny and a matte side on the same pot before, particularly when firing in a cross-draft soda kiln. I just assumed that the difference was a reflection of the path the flame took through the kiln. Maybe that is what's happening with your pots? When you unload the kiln, try keeping the pots oriented the same way they were in the kiln and see if you don't notice a pattern, particularly with pots setting next to each other on the same shelf. Hope this helps!