About 40 greenware pieces are firing as I write this post. The tall pieces have been waiting several months because someone (that would be me) constructed the pieces taller than my kiln could hold. Anyway, bisque firing always makes me a little nervous..probably due to memories of past kiln disasters.
This first firing takes the dried pieces to about 1650 degrees Fahrenheit and places a lot of stress on the clay…the high temperature actually transforms clay by removing all water and pushing the clay closer to what qualifies as a mature ceramic material. A second (and sometimes third) firing will include glazes and even higher temperatures. Programmable controls and electronic pyrometers have taken away most of the guesswork and babysitting of a kiln as it heats up. What used to be a lot of up close and personal “Kiln Time” has evolved into “killing time” while the computer, the kiln, and the power source talk to one another…no doubt, a heated conversation.
