This year I added a third kiln to my aersenal. It's a big'um and takes up alot of space but it's well worth it. This new kiln gave me more firing power and I was able to step up my game and add more shelves which ment more items I could fire.
For those that don't know anything about ceramics, the initial fire is a bisque fire, where you take the clay pieces that are refered to as "greenware" and fire them to temps around 1888F. If the greenware is not dried properly (one to two weeks) it has a tendency to explode in the kiln at this stage. So, far I have yet to explode anything. Bisque pieces can be stacked on top of each other like a big Jenga game for the bisque fire unlike the next "glaze firing" where the items require their space or else you end up with unwanted surprises like drips, runs nad meltdowns where you end up with just a puddle that looks like a melted snowman.
The second fire, the "glaze fire", is where the magic happens and the temps ramp up to around 2300F. This is where the glazes come to life. You really never know what to expect when you open the kiln after this stage. Its like Christmas morning where you never know what you're going to get. Glazing really is a science. Its all about chemistry. To a layman, the ugly mud color glaze turns a vibrant emerald green or cherry red, a puke green glaze turns a brillant yellow or oyster white when matured with heat. That said, there are still alot of surprises when it comes to mixing them all togther or adding a space here and there to your pieces Thus, the anticipation of opening the kiln after
the glaze fire.
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