smesa Posted July 25, 2023 Report Share Posted July 25, 2023 Hello! I've been doing ceramics for a few years now and have come across a strange dilemma this summer. FYI I live in South FL where it's hot and humid (particularly during these summer months)! The last two bisque firings i've had have resulted in explosions of nearly every piece. This hasn't happened to me since I first started doing ceramics years ago and was unsure about drying times. For some background, I usually let pieces dry for 3 weeks as a rule of thumb, all of these pieces dried for over 5 weeks.. it has been very humid and stormy and I keep my pieces in a garage (no ac). This hasn't been a problem in the past, and my firing cones all give me consistent temps for bisque (04) as before. Could the humidity in the air be causing my pieces to stay wet for much longer than usual? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akilpots Posted July 25, 2023 Report Share Posted July 25, 2023 (edited) 7 minutes ago, smesa said: Could the humidity in the air be causing my pieces to stay wet for much longer than usual? yes. try a pre-heat when you biscuit fire your pieces and that may help drive out some of the excess moisture. Edited July 25, 2023 by akilpots Rae Reich and Magnolia Mud Research 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kellykopp Posted July 26, 2023 Report Share Posted July 26, 2023 You can also try a "candling" program. I run the kiln at 180 degrees for 8 hours. Do not go above 212 degrees (boiling temperature), and be aware of any offsets your kiln may have. Make sure your work is not too thick. Sometimes I touch the piece to my face and if it feels cool I let it sit for a while longer. It's humid now in Indiana, I can't imagine what you go through in Florida! Rae Reich and Piedmont Pottery 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterH Posted July 26, 2023 Report Share Posted July 26, 2023 A visual reminder that a little water expands into a lot of steam, rather quickly. Rae Reich 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smesa Posted July 26, 2023 Author Report Share Posted July 26, 2023 2 hours ago, Kellykopp said: You can also try a "candling" program. I run the kiln at 180 degrees for 8 hours. Do not go above 212 degrees (boiling temperature), and be aware of any offsets your kiln may have. Make sure your work is not too thick. Sometimes I touch the piece to my face and if it feels cool I let it sit for a while longer. It's humid now in Indiana, I can't imagine what you go through in Florida! Yes!! It's like a steam room every day haha! I'm not sure I have the ability to candle with my kiln, it's an old manual kiln..? I've been doing the cheek test but it's oddly been deceiving ... I'll put my cheek to the bottom of a piece an it'll feel warm.. yet BOOM! thanks for your response Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rae Reich Posted July 27, 2023 Report Share Posted July 27, 2023 Might be tortuous in your heat, but your oven can be used to pre-heat your pots, in lieu of (recommended) candling. Mine has a pilot light so it stays warm enough on its own, an electric stove that can be set for 150-165dg works too. Eight hours is about enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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