CarolynB Posted September 9, 2015 Report Share Posted September 9, 2015 I just bought a kiln that has never been fired and stored in a garage. The kiln shelves have a bit of mildew or mold on them. How would you recommend cleaning the shelves before i apply the kiln wash? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJR Posted September 9, 2015 Report Share Posted September 9, 2015 I would just fire them in the kiln. The mildew would burn off at a very low temperature. Store them in a dry place. Easy fix. TJR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarolynB Posted September 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2015 Thanks, I was wondering if that would be ok. Sorry if it was a silly question; I'm slowly moving from making work in a community studio to my home studio. Thanks to the wonderful CM community I can find the answers to most of my questions. I will be test-firing the kiln later today and hope to run my first bisque load later this week. I'm still working on getting my image gallery set up; if interested you can view some of my work here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Carolyn-Bulkley/1541903372763167?ref=aymt_homepage_panel -Carolyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GiselleNo5 Posted September 9, 2015 Report Share Posted September 9, 2015 The fire will kill it. No work required. My friend spent hours digging mildew bits out of a block of clay before she realized it would burn off. It's not silly, just inexperience, and every one of us has been there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Min Posted September 9, 2015 Report Share Posted September 9, 2015 Hi Carolyn and welcome to the forums! Are your shelves damp? My thought was if there is mildew growing on them then they could be a bit wet, if they are then take it slow heating them up for the first time. Your sgraffito is lovely! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarolynB Posted September 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2015 Thank you for the compliment Min. I'm glad to hear that the fire will kill it...I guess I should have known I brought the shelves inside, if they are damp would it be safe to assume that after a couple hours of being inside they would still be cool to the touch? Should I do the test fire at 04 slow instead of the suggested 04 medium? -Carolyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph Fireborn Posted September 9, 2015 Report Share Posted September 9, 2015 I am not familiar with what medium and slow means, but I would go very slow to start with for at least 2-3 hours. If the shelves are damp enough to have mold growing on them, they might be pretty damp, and damp shelves heated too fast are going to crack and break. You want to dry them out first, then heat them to burn the mold off. Water starts turning to steam at 212F. So you should try to dry them below 200F(ideally 180F) for at least 2-3 hours just to be sure. After that burn the mold off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Min Posted September 9, 2015 Report Share Posted September 9, 2015 I'm guessing your shelves are cordierite or high alumina shelves, off white colour not the black shelves? If so they are quite porous and can have up to 15 - 20% porosity, I've no idea how damp your shelves might be but if they were mine I would err on the side of caution and heat them in the kiln at about 185 overnight. After that increase the heat to around 200 and hold a piece of glass or mirror up to the peep hole and if you see moisture on it then shelves are not dry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarolynB Posted September 9, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 9, 2015 Thank you; your answers are really helping me get thru this. Based on my anxiety level for this simple test fire I'm going to be a basket case when I do my first glaze firing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeU Posted September 10, 2015 Report Share Posted September 10, 2015 I just set up a home studio recently and must share that I've figured out that ramping up my anxiety over firing/glazing--whatever--is just not just worth the energy it takes. I learned real quick to just do my best, use this community and other resources for input, suggestions, discussions, and cautions, and then let myself enjoy the process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flowerdry Posted September 10, 2015 Report Share Posted September 10, 2015 Nice work Carolyn! It would be great if you would flesh out your profile a bit so we can get to know you better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TJR Posted September 10, 2015 Report Share Posted September 10, 2015 Thanks, I was wondering if that would be ok. Sorry if it was a silly question; I'm slowly moving from making work in a community studio to my home studio. Thanks to the wonderful CM community I can find the answers to most of my questions. I will be test-firing the kiln later today and hope to run my first bisque load later this week. I'm still working on getting my image gallery set up; if interested you can view some of my work here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Carolyn-Bulkley/1541903372763167?ref=aymt_homepage_panel -Carolyn Carolyn; I did not think that this was a silly question. I also knew the answer, so jumped in. Welcome to the forum. Please ask as many questions as you wish. Someone here will know the answer. TJR. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavy Fire Studios Posted September 10, 2015 Report Share Posted September 10, 2015 Dangit that link won't open for me. I wannnnaaa seeee!! I'm so excited to see another lowfirer on here FINALLY!! Welcome to the forums! ♥ -Guinea OOPS, check that--looks like stoneware. WAAAH I'm all alone again... LOL my tiny rodent brain always associates sgrafitto with lowfire because that was what we did in college with terracotta. I love the sheep you did! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph Fireborn Posted September 10, 2015 Report Share Posted September 10, 2015 I like the moose mugs. Nice work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PRankin Posted September 10, 2015 Report Share Posted September 10, 2015 Not alone, Guinea. Most of my work is low fire. I should add that I have been recently working with cone 6 stoneware also. Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CarolynB Posted September 11, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2015 The test fire is done! Hopefully the shelves survived; yesterday I dried out the shelves in my oven and I (very slowly) ran the test fire today. Thank you so much for the advice. I have learned so much valuable information on these boards this year. Guinea, your work is a huge inspiration, your critters are so lively! -Carolyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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