Jessica Guenzer

Good recommendation - yeah, we have done it. Thank you for sharing valuable inputs

Wow, thank you everyone – I follow this thread and check on regularly and your insights are very helpful to me The kiln I have has maximum firing temperature 1832 F.

Hi everyone, thank you very much for your recommendations. I am happy we did our first piece from such useful material as clay. Hopefully one day we get better and make better work It is just fun not to sit at home and do something useful Cheers everyone and thanks again!

Hello everyone, This is my first post on this forum – I received as a gift a manual (but temperature-programmable) kiln with temperature up to 1832F that can fire a small art piece. I am total beginner but I read many articles about how necessary is drying and how it is not recommended to make thich pieces. Well, my grandchildren made a small duck - please see photo with tape for reference in centimetres - it is however around 2" US inches thick (and about 4" US inches in length - simply small piece of art, nothing big) We made it on Monday 19th , so now it has been 4 days of drying. We very love this our first own piece!!!! 1) Please what can I do for it not to make any explosion during the bisque fire? How long should it be drying - (please see photo = there is tape for reference in centimetres not inches)? 2) Would "candling" help? If so, how long and how to do it for this little present? 3) How to set temperatures for this manual kiln? And for how long to increase them or "hold" each phase? I am user from Czech Republic, but my friends from the USA recommended me this forum. You would be very kind to give me any recommendation and I am sending best regards to you all over the ocean. Sorry for my English if some terminology is incorrect.... Jessica G.