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Just Bought My First Kiln... Now What?


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My mom got me a used kiln for my birthday. It's about 3 feet tall and 3 feet in diameter. I am an art major, so of course I'm so excited about my new toy! The only problem is that I have no idea what I'm doing. The only time I did ceramics was in high school, and my teacher handled all the firing and picking out glazes on her own. I'm seeing that there are high fire and low fire glazes. Could someone explain to me what that means? Any recommendations on what kinds of glazes to buy? Being used, this kiln didn't come with any instructions. If you have any pointers at all they would be highly appreciated!

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Welcome to the forum. :D

 

Here's a great answer ... look at the top green menu bar of this page and click on 'Ceramic Arts Daily'.

Then click on 'Education' from the menu on the left.

You will see a link on that page to firing a kiln as well as one to glazes  ... lots of videos and good, solid information to get you started.

Have FUN!

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Your clay and glazes must mature at the same cone. Low fire is cone 04/05/06, mid range is cone 5/6, high fire is cone 9/10/11. All bisque fire at low fire, then the glaze is applied, and fired again to the correct cone. If you put low fire clay in a high fire, the clay will melt.

 

Buy whatever you can afford. Most any commercial glazes will work just fine.

 

The best thing you can do is take a class at school or from a local art center, so you can get some hands on experience. There's far more to it than we can explain in a forum. But take some time and do some searches. Most things have been covered to some degree in past posts.

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Could you post any information on the kiln controller faceplate . . . such as manufacturer, model, voltage, etc. Some kilns can fire higher than others -- so that will help you decide what type of clay to use and what type of glazes. Also, what is the condition of the kiln . . . what do the elements look like, kiln brick condition, etc.

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First off... assuming your kiln is electric... was it set up correctly to the power... are you sure? If not, then get an electrician involved.

 

Start out simple.  All you need is some clay and maybe a rolling pin. Search the internet for ideas. There are a million of them out there. Probably start out with "hand building". this is where to start (unless you got a wheel, which is a whole different set of problems) to see if this is really for you... it might not be.

 

If I were you I would start out with some low fire white clay. just ask for low fire white. cone 05 or 04. buy two or three pre-made glazes for this temperature. The people at the glaze store will help you. Don't buy too much. no more than a gallon or less. You are going to start by brushing this on, so ask then for the right kind of brush to do this. Ask for a glaze that matures at cone 05 to 04.

 

If your kiln has a digital controller... you are in luck, you have more control over your firing.. If not, well you need to learn what cones are used for, and what a "kiln sitter" is.

Roll out a slab and make a box or two. Make a pinch pot or two. Get a cookie cutter and cut ceramic cookies out of the clay you role out with your kitchen rolling pin.

Best thing of all... TAKE A BEGINNING CLASS AT YOUR LOCAL J.C. OR CLAY STORE!!! Nothing beats having a teacher. Otherwise you may feel lost.

Start out slow, and don't get discouraged... ceramics has a steeper learning curve than painting or drawing. You are already familiar with art... think 3D! and just have fun.

 

At this stage Google will be your best friend. The people in this forum love to help. The more specific the question you have, the better the answer will be. Keep us informed how you are doing.

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You might be able to find the manual for your kiln online, or by calling the maker. YouTube has tons of instructional videos and CAD has a huge library of free excerpts/downloads. Suppliers such as Bailey's and Clay King--and many others-will help on the phone & online. But nothing is more useful and practical than a decent class. One thing I learned right quick was how many pieces I needed to produce in order to reasonably fill the kiln. These forums are terrific, and people are responsive. As I get familiar with people who post, I sometimes use the "send me a message" option in people's profiles so as not to overload a topic/thread with a specific simple question I know so-and-so can/will probably answer pretty quick and simple (I do try to look it up first, but direct feedback from a ceramist is great. Oh-I also copy tips and info from the posts here and put them in a Word doc to keep in my "how to" files - I just copied one about a type of glue to try for mounting a clay piece onto wood..so when I run into a "how to" situation I'll look on my tip sheet first. 

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