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Are some cone 5 clays ok to cone 6?


keridawn

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My local studio only sells cone 5 clays, and I want to fire in my home kiln to cone 6 because glaze results are usually better. 

I have two clays that say to never fire over cone 5 because of bloating: Speckled B-mix and B3, so I won't do those over 5...but the other clays I have don't say NOT to fire over cone 5....I have Laguna's Dover White that just says its a cone 5 clay (but doesn't say not to fire over cone 5)...so I'm wondering if it might be ok to ^6? Anyone have experience with this one?

I also have Some Aardvark clays like Sedona Red & Bmix 5, that on their chart is under the cone 5/6 category, which is confusing to me because it's name has a 5 in it, does that mean I can't fire that to ^6 either?

Thanks!

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I think it’s always a good idea to verify the firing temperature and porosity of your clay body, or even make some tests intended to find the breaking limits of it. If you know exactly how far you can push your  materials, it can open up some fun creative possibilities. 

edited to add: 

Sometimes there’s some flexibility in what the manufacturer suggests, sometimes not. Some things like super glassy porcelains, black clays or anything with a manganese speckle may be more susceptible to bloating or warping if they’re over fired. If your firing cycle is different than the one the supplier used to base their recos on, the final porosity may be different as well. 

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keridawn, why not contact the manufacturer by TELEPHONE not email to ask a technician your questions?    the one marked 5/6 indicates you can fire successfully at either cone number.  ask the professional, they have a stake in keeping your business and will help you.

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