RolandR Posted November 20, 2014 Report Share Posted November 20, 2014 I just graduated from high school where my teacher would do everything with the kiln. I just got a kiln and am going to start firing my own things. It is a cress cone sitter. I have a bunch of low fire clays around but i plan on getting some potters choice glazes. will the cone 5-6 glaze would work with the low fire clays? what clays would be good for throwing and firing with the potters choice? can i bisque high fire clays at around 04? Im a bit new to firing my own pieces so sorry about all the questions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavy Fire Studios Posted November 20, 2014 Report Share Posted November 20, 2014 Firstly, congrats on your acquisitions! You are gonna have a blast. As a fellow low-firer, I'm gonna help you out. First off, ^5-^6 will not work on lowfire clay, because they gotta get hot enough to develop and if you try firing lowfire clay in those temps, you'll end up with a ceramic cowpie and ruined shelves! Bad bad bad. I would get some nice terracotta and check out Amaco's Opalescent glazes and Artist Choice. Those are really pretty glazes that love terracotta iron. Theyare fired at ^05, on ^04 bisque. Be sure to bisque and fire nice and slow. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benzine Posted November 20, 2014 Report Share Posted November 20, 2014 Welcome to the boards. As TheGuineaPotter said, your clay and glazes can't be fired at the same temperature. Either get some clay that matures at Cone 5-6, or get some low fire glazes. Bisquing at cone 04, is enough for most clays. Some go even lower, like 06 or even 08. The lower you go, the more porous the ceramic body will be. Low fire clays, tend to be fired a bit hotter, than their glaze firings, so the organic materials can be burned out, that could affect the glaze. For instance, in my classroom, I bisque our low fire clay to 04, but glaze fire at 05. Good luck on your journey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
High Bridge Pottery Posted November 20, 2014 Report Share Posted November 20, 2014 I remember the good days when I could pick a glaze that would then be fired beautifully in a kiln by my tutor/technician Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mug Posted November 20, 2014 Report Share Posted November 20, 2014 Maybe you could stop in and visit with your old art teacher. I'm sure your old art teacher would be tickled that you have your own kiln. I used to stop in and see my old art teacher, there is always more you can learn. Occasionally I helped with with the class as a special guest. It was good for the select students interested in art as a career to see a working artist. I did that until she retired, every now and then I'm still asked to stop in and talk to the students. To me It's been a win win. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RolandR Posted November 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2014 Thank you all it helps a lot. I believe i have 50lbs of porcelain around somewhere I would have to check what cone it is and see if i can use potters choice. I will start looking at some low fire glazes now for the low fire clay. if i was using a high fire clay and cone5-6 glaze would i still bisque at 04? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RolandR Posted November 20, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2014 Maybe you could stop in and visit with your old art teacher. I'm sure your old art teacher would be tickled that you have your own kiln. I used to stop in and see my old art teacher, there is always more you can learn. Occasionally I helped with with the class as a special guest. It was good for the select students interested in art as a career to see a working artist. I did that until she retired, every now and then I'm still asked to stop in and talk to the students. To me It's been a win win. I actually do go back to my school and do the demo for the pottery wheel. Its fun going back to visit and i love teaching others about ceramics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cavy Fire Studios Posted November 20, 2014 Report Share Posted November 20, 2014 Yep, ^04 is pretty much the holy grail of bisque temperatures for most clays, so porcelain will want it, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benzine Posted November 20, 2014 Report Share Posted November 20, 2014 As porcelain is relatively pure, you don't have to worry about burning out organics. So you could actually fire lower than 04. Mark C. uses porcelain, and I believe I've seen him state he bisques at 08. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mug Posted November 21, 2014 Report Share Posted November 21, 2014 Just getting started It might be a good idea to pick a firing range and stick to it supply's can get expensive. There are a lot of good colors in the low fire range. There are a lot of good colors in the mid fire cone 5-6 range. To me the low fire range is more forgiving and you have lots of cool ways to fire pottery, like raku, but the down side is that your pottery may not seal up to hold water. The Mid fire is less forgiving but more useful, your pottery can be dishwasher safe, outdoor safe, and microwavable. High fire cone 10 has less colors and a few more options if you have a gas kiln. Most people in this category have really large kilns. If you want to use the mid range potters choice, it would be helpful to know who your nearest or favorite clay distributor is. Then the forum could help you pick a good mid fire clay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RolandR Posted November 21, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 21, 2014 Just getting started It might be a good idea to pick a firing range and stick to it supply's can get expensive. There are a lot of good colors in the low fire range. There are a lot of good colors in the mid fire cone 5-6 range. To me the low fire range is more forgiving and you have lots of cool ways to fire pottery, like raku, but the down side is that your pottery may not seal up to hold water. The Mid fire is less forgiving but more useful, your pottery can be dishwasher safe, outdoor safe, and microwavable. High fire cone 10 has less colors and a few more options if you have a gas kiln. Most people in this category have really large kilns. If you want to use the mid range potters choice, it would be helpful to know who your nearest or favorite clay distributor is. Then the forum could help you pick a good mid fire clay. Ok thanks! Im pretty set on potters choice just because i love how the glazes look. The closest pottery supply store near me would be ceramic supply in Lodi NJ. I mainly throw on the wheel so i think the clay should have some grog in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mug Posted November 22, 2014 Report Share Posted November 22, 2014 The 240G with grog is not bad if you want a white clay. The straight 240 without grog is more finicky and occasionally has some cracking issues when it dries I like the S211 Hazelnut a lot. I had to throw a little thicker with it, but love it. It also hand builds well. There have been no major issues with putting glazes on these clays I have some 630 its nice so far, but I have some more glaze testing to do. 563 is pretty popular with the people who do not like the regular 240. You may have to ask if they have it. I stick to clays with a shrink rate of about 13% Then all of my calculations are the same and I can stick one clay to another without issue. Standard offers some dry glazes that are worth a look. Ideally you will need a set of scales to weigh and mix, but they will save you a few bucks in the end. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RolandR Posted November 22, 2014 Author Report Share Posted November 22, 2014 The 240G with grog is not bad if you want a white clay. The straight 240 without grog is more finicky and occasionally has some cracking issues when it dries I like the S211 Hazelnut a lot. I had to throw a little thicker with it, but love it. It also hand builds well. There have been no major issues with putting glazes on these clays I have some 630 its nice so far, but I have some more glaze testing to do. 563 is pretty popular with the people who do not like the regular 240. You may have to ask if they have it. I stick to clays with a shrink rate of about 13% Then all of my calculations are the same and I can stick one clay to another without issue. Standard offers some dry glazes that are worth a look. Ideally you will need a set of scales to weigh and mix, but they will save you a few bucks in the end. Ok thanks a lot! Ill check them out and let you guys know what clay I decide to get Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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