Lula Posted May 25, 2022 Report Share Posted May 25, 2022 (edited) Hi everyone, I have a bisque firing question. I have some Amaco 38 white stoneware clay and the studio I want to fire at only bisque fires to cone 03. Amaco recommends 04. Has anyone done this ? In any case, what are possible outcomes of this? Thanks! Edited May 25, 2022 by Lula Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kielb Posted May 25, 2022 Report Share Posted May 25, 2022 (edited) Amaco #38 is a cone 10 clay so for full vitrification it should be glaze fired to cone 10. Cone 03 for bisque is a bit hot for most as cone 04 or 05 is popular to leave the body open for glazing. Bisque firing to 03 instead of 04 will make it a bit more sintered or tighter. You will need to try a test to see if it causes any issue when you apply your glazes. It’s very likely you will not notice the difference between 03 and 04 when you are glazing but testing is always key. I can’t help wondering if there is some disconnect with these cones though, as 03 is not the most common for bisque. What temperature are they glaze firing to? Edited May 25, 2022 by Bill Kielb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lula Posted May 25, 2022 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2022 6 minutes ago, Bill Kielb said: Amaco #38 is a cone 10 clay so for full vitrification it should be glaze fired to cone 10. Cone 03 for bisque is a bit hot for most as cone 04 or 05 is popular to leave the body open for glazing. Bisque firing to 03 instead of 04 will make it a bit more sintered or tighter. You will need to try a test to see if it causes any issue when you apply your glazes. It’s very likely you will not notice the difference between 03 and 04 when you are glazing but testing is always key. I can’t help wondering if there is some disconnect with these cones though, as 03 is not the most common for bisque. What temperature are they glaze firing to? Thank you for your response! I also thought cone 03 was kinda weird for bisque, and I don’t have a **ton** of experience … They are glaze firing to cone 5. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kielb Posted May 25, 2022 Report Share Posted May 25, 2022 That clay will remain porous at cone 5. Good practice is to try and fire to rated cone for full vitrification to be as strong as practical and least absorbent. Clays with a wide firing range tend to be fairly absorbent when fired lower than their peak rating. Some might say a bit deceiving by publishing such a wide range. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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