gingersmom

Hi! I used Duncan Pure Brilliance Clear Glaze Brush-On Translucent Gloss. The bottle states that it is overglaze compatible and safe for food containers. The instructions state: apply 2-3 coats and fire to cone 06. The kiln is a Paragon Model P. The clay used is from Rocky Mountain Clay and says "low fire white clay cone 06".

Hello! I am attempting to make small mugs as a gift and am hoping I can find some help with the process and general troubleshooting. I am planning on a finished product that is food-safe, has no color (but shine from the overglaze), and that has some overglaze decals applied (bacon and eggs!). Here's what I've completed so far (please forgive me for any mistakes or errors, as this is my first project with my own kiln): Formed the mugs out of clay, let them dry until they seemed bone dry, and fired them. I accidentally put a cone 6 instead of 06, and let them fire for about 8 hours on low. The setter still didn't drop at this point, so I turned it off and left the lid on for at least 8 hours. Per manual instructions, the lid was vented for the first few hours and the bottom peep hole was plugged. When I opened the lid the next morning, they seemed fine. Painted the mugs with overglaze (3 layers) and let dry for two days. Per instructions from my kiln manual and overglaze bottle, I fired them on low with a cone 06. My interpretation of the kiln manual meant that it would take around 3 hours for it to fire before the kiln setter dropped. Again, per manual instructions, I left the lid vented for the first 2 hours. However, it went for about 10 hours and then I turned it off myself and waited another 8 hours to open the lid. This time, when I opened the lid, I expected the mugs to have a shine to them from the overglaze, but instead they were just chalky. When I put it back down, I had chalky residue on my hands. I can tell something went wrong, and am sure it was user error since I'm so new to this. I am hoping for some ideas on what to do in the future to prevent this from happening, and also some advice on where I can go from here. Are these mugs useless now, or is there a way that I can salvage them? If possible, I'd really like to be able to get the shine I was expecting and still adhere the overglaze decals (from Elan Transfers). My interpretation of the instructions for the transfers was to put overglaze on the project, fire it, then add the transfers and fire again. All help is appreciated!