ZDillingham Posted April 16, 2022 Report Share Posted April 16, 2022 I've been working on a piece that has a 6" tall, 3/4" wide cylinder and when I fire it with glaze it warps and bends slightly. Does anyone have any recommendations on how to prevent this? Should I do a solid coil instead of a tube? Some have advised inserting a wire or metal rod too but I've never used wire in my work before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Beller Diesel Posted April 16, 2022 Report Share Posted April 16, 2022 Hi and welcome to the forum! A cylinder those dimensions that’s made out of a clay thats even a little pyroplastic is going to have issues however you construct it. Can you tell us what you have done so far to get this, and what the piece is for? Our answers for a sculptural piece will be different than if the piece needs to be functional/hold water. Information on how you made it in the first place, what kind of clay you made it out of, how it was bisqued and glazed would be helpful. Was it fired in a particular way, and is it your kiln, or is someone else in charge of the firing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZDillingham Posted April 16, 2022 Author Report Share Posted April 16, 2022 Thanks so much Callie. I'm making a miniature topiary. So there is a sphere that sits on top of the cylinder. I constructed it so that the cylinder goes about halfway through the sphere and then is secured in a base "planter" of about 3". See the attached picture. It's mostly glazed only with underglaze but there is a thin layer of clear on the cylinder which is what im wondering caused it to bend. It was all fired to cone 6. Thank you for your help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kielb Posted April 17, 2022 Report Share Posted April 17, 2022 @ZDillingham“It's mostly glazed only with underglaze but there is a thin layer of clear on the cylinder which is what im wondering caused it to bend. It was all fired to cone 6.” The shape itself being top heavy or supported on a relatively slender cylinder will be hard to keep string straight when fired. We had the same issue with making long stem wine glasses with truly fine stems. In the end it’s often easier to make it in two pieces and epoxy in place at final assembly. These are very high end delicate porcelain wine glasses so high temp food grade epoxy and very straight construction is a must. I mention because very high quality joined work can be made and often is an easier path to get your shape requirements. IMO, glaze did not cause this, the shape of the form makes it difficult to keep in plane during firing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shawnhar Posted April 17, 2022 Report Share Posted April 17, 2022 Fire it upside down, use kiln furniture to make shelves the planter rim rests on. Awesome piece by the way, that looks great even bent! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Beller Diesel Posted April 17, 2022 Report Share Posted April 17, 2022 For glaze to be a factor in warping, usually there has to be enough of it to exert enough tension to “overpower” the clay. The slight gloss you’ve got there isn’t going to exert enough pressure to make your tube move. It’s not the tube, it’s the weight of the ball on top of it. If it was me, I’d fire the topiary ball on stilts. The marks can be easily hidden on the bottom. It’s a lovely piece! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZDillingham Posted April 17, 2022 Author Report Share Posted April 17, 2022 Thank you for all of your advice! I'm going to try firing separately and joining with epoxy. I think that may be the best way to avoid any issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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