Momo

Thank you to everyone for your replies. I'm wondering about burnishing and terra sig. I'll look for some posts on these things. Maybe that's the way I should go.

Hi all, Happy New Year to everyone! I'm interested in firing stoneware dishes without using a glaze. I only want to use coloured slips. Would this still be food safe? I spoke to a potter at a rather prestigious ceramics event in London and she didn't use any glazes. I asked her if her ware was foodsafe and she told me, yes. I'm guessing that the high-fire temperatures will vitrify the clay sufficiently to make it washable/hygienic/easy-to-clean? One of the reasons I want to do this is so I can stack the shallow dishes on top of each other during the firing - but I also like matt finishes. I know there are matt glazes available but if I can skip this part, it would make my life a bit easier...and cheaper! Thank you in advance

Thanks. I've just contacted the guy who installed it for me.

It's a Cambridge 401

Thank you. I did wonder about the elements so will definitely get them checked and replace if necessary. Can I replace with a different element that will withstand higher temperatures or are all elements the same? Thanks again.

Hi, After only ever doing low-firings, I attempted my first high firing yesterday but my kiln simply refused to go higher than 1165 celsius. It was very frustrating as I had spent quite a lot on stoneware clay and glazes. What are the reasons why my kiln wouldn't reach the temperature that I'd set? I noticed that the temperature rise slowed down significantly after it reached 1140 celsius and for the last half hour it didn't move from 1165. Now, I'm guessing, I'm left with bowls that aren't food safe. Any advice would be appreciated. Thank you.

I fired to 700 celsius and it turned out fine - so that's good to know.

Hi all, I'm just wondering what the lowest acceptable bisque firing temperature would be - and why? I usually single-fire my pottery but occasionally I like to brush on and sponge off a watered down underglaze (so it clings to the texture) before glaze firing. So...could I technically bisque fire at a much lower temperature because all I need is a porous surface? Thank you in advance.

Thank you!

Will do!

Good advice. I'll let you know how I get on. Thanks again.

Thank you. Yes, I thought I'd give it a try anyway but just thought I'd ask as I'm guessing I'm not the first person to want to try this.

Hello. I have a few high-fired glazed pieces that I'm unhappy about. Is it possible to re-glaze using earthenware glazes and then re-fire at earthenware temperatures? The reason for doing this is simply so I don't have to fire at such a high temperature again (trying to reduce time and cost) So just to clarify: would a low-fire glaze work on top of a previously fired high-fired glaze? Thank you.

I would like to re-glaze the inside of some smoke-fired pieces so they can be used for food/drink. To what temperature can I fire without losing the smokey detail? Thank you in advance.

Thanks, guys!