Firing, Studio Tips
Kiln wash is a material that you can paint onto your kiln shelves. It looks very similar to a glaze when being applied. It acts as a barrier to prevent unexpected glaze runs or drips from ruining your shelves. Kiln shelves are made of a hard material that is similar to…
Firing, Studio Tips
I receive a lot of glaze questions and the first question I generally ask in return is “What did the cones look like?” Knowing whether the kiln was over- or under-fired is important for diagnosing many glaze issues. Sometimes I’m told a kiln temperature in response. But…
Ceramic Glazes, Firing, Glaze Q&A Videos
What’s the role of witness cones in a kiln-sitter kiln? Question: Any suggestions for using witness cones when your kiln has a kiln-sitter rather than a controller? I have a small, old school doll kiln and can’t create a schedule. All I can control is on,...
Firing, Glaze Q&A Videos, Studio Tips
What’s the difference between Orton self-supporting cones and large cones Large cones vs Self Supporting cones Question: Orton temperature equivalents – I thought self supporting and large cones were interchangeable, but the table shows slightly different...
Ceramic Glazes, Firing, Glaze Q&A Videos
Does a lower bisque temp = more pores? How temperature affects the porosity of our bisque We start with bone dry greenware, which is porous. So all the water – the physical water – has evaporated from the clay body before the bisque firing. Then we put it...
Firing, Studio Tips
If you’re anything like me, then your first kiln wasn’t or isn’t going to be the digital programmable kind. Many of us start out with a manual kiln that we got second hand. I have 4 different sized kilns in my home studio and none of them are digital or programmable.