My very own Leaning Tower of Pisa

[Captain Pre-Capsize]

Here is a quick picture of some of our bowls as they came out of the kiln today. We are out of Starry Night in our store so will be glad to pick these up next week and get restocked. That is Starry Night in the three columns on the left and a column of Sapphire on the right.

If you have a sharp eye you can spot some of our newly revised scuttles in the lower left corner sitting on a table. That is how they look after the bisque firing which is the first time through the kiln. Following that they are dipped in the glaze and fired a second time in the kiln into the finished product. We have had a number of items explode in the kiln that has set us back. Their moisture content was a bit high prior to the bisque firing and - BOOM!

 

[luvmysuper]

Scuttle Claymore!
Get to the choppa!

 

[hairless wonder]

absolutely gorgeous!

 

[Rhody]

Looks lovely.
2 bowls might be missing there

 

[Lightcs1776]

Beautiful bowls, Sir.

 

[Captain Pre-Capsize]

Looks lovely.
2 bowls might be missing there

Right you are - we had two that went BOOM in the kiln. Too much moisture in the clay prior to being loaded for the bisque firing.

The deal with pottery are the losses along the way. Losses like explosions... dropped items... completed ones not fully covered by the glaze... glaze that comes out matte finish rather than gloss... there are a ton of variables. All of them drive up costs and keep things interesting on this little ship called Captain's Choice.

 

[Rhody]

Explosions are fitting for a pirate and a captain

 

[RookieGuy]

What does a matte finish indicate? Is that an imperfection or simply not what your standards call for?

 

[Captain Pre-Capsize]

What does a matte finish indicate? Is that an imperfection or simply not what your standards call for?

Not what we want the end product to look like.

We have to decide on what the appearance will be. Photography is done, pictures edited / uploaded, retailers have photographs on their site, etc. Human nature is that you buy what you see, not what you read about. So the pictures are critical, the description of the item is simply not prioritized by consumers.

If the pictures show glossy, it better be. Some glazes are much like a prom queen: stunning on a good day but moody and temperamental. For instance, some of the Starry Night were in an upper part of the kiln and those are in the picture above - exactly what we are after. The glaze is unbelievably vivid, jaw dropping. A few were in the bottom part of the kiln where it is three degrees cooler. All of those in the bottom of the kiln had an unacceptable matte finish. Lesson learned.

I have become good friends with my buddy, Johnny Walker, over this. Ahem.

 

[luvmysuper]

Not what we want the end product to look like.

We have to decide on what the appearance will be. Photography is done, pictures edited / uploaded, retailers have photographs on their site, etc. Human nature is that you buy what you see, not what you read about. So the pictures are critical, the description of the item is simply not prioritized by consumers.

If the pictures show glossy, it better be. Some glazes are much like a prom queen: stunning on a good day but moody and temperamental. For instance, some of the Starry Night were in an upper part of the kiln and those are in the picture above - exactly what we are after. The glaze is unbelievably vivid, jaw dropping. A few were in the bottom part of the kiln where it is three degrees cooler. All of those in the bottom of the kiln had an unacceptable matte finish. Lesson learned.

I have become good friends with my buddy, Johnny Walker, over this. Ahem.

Can the dull product be re-dipped and re-fired?

 

[Captain Pre-Capsize]

Can the dull product be re-dipped and re-fired?

Actually yes, they are going to try that and see - it sounds like there is a 50/50 chance it may work. Fingers crossed!

 

[hairless wonder]

Actually yes, they are going to try that and see - it sounds like there is a 50/50 chance it may work. Fingers crossed!

If it doesn't work, could you just sell the matte ones as another color variation?

 

[Captain Pre-Capsize]

If it doesn't work, could you just sell the matte ones as another color variation?

It gets confusing since they are the same color but different finish.

Actually what I do is give them away when a customer places a nice order - they are free. The customers love them and always remember the surprise they got with their Captain's Choice order. So I try to make the best of it. The goal, of course, is to not have to do this very often and we are getting better.

 

[ylekot]

Man those are beautiful! Wouldn't last me a week before it was in pieces but that Starry Night finish is eye catching for sure. Never really thought about picture versus actual and "buy what you see" mentality of consumers. This is just another reason why I am not a small business owner.

 

[Captain Pre-Capsize]

Man those are beautiful! Wouldn't last me a week before it was in pieces but that Starry Night finish is eye catching for sure.

Here is a closeup. This picture has not been enhanced - it really is that vivid.

Tell you what - Captain's Choice has a subsidiary we just acquired. Upon request and for a reasonable fee it installs carpet in bathrooms so that the lather bowls will not break if they hit the floor.

 

[luvmysuper]

Man those are beautiful! Wouldn't last me a week before it was in pieces but that Starry Night finish is eye catching for sure. Never really thought about picture versus actual and "buy what you see" mentality of consumers. This is just another reason why I am not a small business owner.

Cap sells unbreakable Copper lather bowls too. Just sayin'

 

[ShavingPanda]

I have a sapphire bowl en route from the Captain; maybe it was one of the five shown in the pic above!

 

[ylekot]

Cap sells unbreakable Copper lather bowls too. Just sayin'

Oh I'm aware!

 

[South Dakota Guy]

I have become good friends with my buddy, Johnny Walker, over this. Ahem.

John Walker's brother Black is a particular friend of mine. We must move in the same circles!