first firing
Moderators: Brad Walker, Tony Smith
first firing
morning from BC, I tried my first firing yesterday, following the book I did coasters first, the two that I did exactly as the book suggested turned out fine though the edges were a little rough, another I put a 2" square of aluminun foil between layers and it had a couple bubbles that made it unusable, another I put baking soda between layers and bubbled way to much, another I put some thin strips of regular glass between and it also bubbled but usable. I was surprised at the 9 hrs (gm814), didn't realize how long it would take, doesn't this end up being quite expensive? Do most people put 2 shelves in the kiln? Should I be vacuuming the shelf between firings? Also, should I try prefiring at a higher temp than 500? Do I need to use more kiln wash or do I wait until it starts to look used and do you normally scrape it off before spraying every time and I have noticed alot of people rinse it with water and let it dry well before spraying, is this a good idea? I used the app pre-programed firing sched in the kiln. thanks, Archie
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Brad Walker
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Lots of questions....
Rough edges just mean to fire a little bit lower or soak a little bit less.
Usually, the longest time is in cooling your kiln, which uses little or no energy. And even when a kiln is heating the elements usually aren't turned on continuously.
Most people don't have two shelves in the kiln, but you can do that so long as you realize that the temperature will likely be different on each shelf and you'll need to plan accordingly.
Usually no need to vacuum between firings, but if there's crap on the shelf you need to vacuum of course.
Prefire higher than 500 if firing to 500 isn't working for you. (I don't usually prefire, instead I leave a spare kilnwashed shelf on top of the kiln while it's firing something else.)
Some people re-apply kiln wash every firing, some don't. Try both ways and do what works for you.
Those who use a final spray of water do it because they believe the water makes the kiln wash smoother.
Hope this helps
Rough edges just mean to fire a little bit lower or soak a little bit less.
Usually, the longest time is in cooling your kiln, which uses little or no energy. And even when a kiln is heating the elements usually aren't turned on continuously.
Most people don't have two shelves in the kiln, but you can do that so long as you realize that the temperature will likely be different on each shelf and you'll need to plan accordingly.
Usually no need to vacuum between firings, but if there's crap on the shelf you need to vacuum of course.
Prefire higher than 500 if firing to 500 isn't working for you. (I don't usually prefire, instead I leave a spare kilnwashed shelf on top of the kiln while it's firing something else.)
Some people re-apply kiln wash every firing, some don't. Try both ways and do what works for you.
Those who use a final spray of water do it because they believe the water makes the kiln wash smoother.
Hope this helps