Monday, February 3, 2014

High Fire in my Kiln

Today is an exciting day. This is what my kiln looks like when  still red hot. It is full of glazed pots that have been firing for many hours. My kiln is an older model, electric, not a computerized model like is currently used.I am in charge of how I choose to fire. 
I  use a high fire porcelain clay body, which has a smooth surface after glazing with my choice of turquoise, blue, or clear glaze. This is my second, and final, firing.
The  first firing, called the bisque, makes it dry and hard enough, or vitrified, to apply the colorant.Some shrinkage occurs.There is still some porosity, hence it can absorb the glaze.Once it is in that form, I can dip each pot into the liquid glaze, containing various chemicals and oxides.Their melting point is a temperature of 2236 F. At that point, there is a small triangle, called a cone, resting on a sensor rod.When it melts, the lever falls, the kiln shuts itself off. The results will result from my skills, and the luck of the kiln gods.
I will leave it alone overnight. Slowly I will pull out the white peeps in front, crack the lid, and bring it to room temperature. Finally, I will see my results... 

3 comments:

  1. Will you post photos of your results?

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  2. whew, so hard to wait, isn't it? I don't see a temp gauge, but by now you have a 6th sense about the color and temperature. Good luck!

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  3. Love the blog! Very informative as to the process.. It will help people to appreciate the work involved ....

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