Bobg Posted February 23, 2011 Report Share Posted February 23, 2011 I fire my pottery with an elcetric Skutt kiln to cone 6, that includes my greenware and the bisque. I've seen mention of firing the greenware lower than a cone 6 and then the bisque at cone 6. Does it matter which way you fire? Do people fire their greenware at a lower cone to just save money? We have a very cheap electrical rate, but I wanted to check if I'm doing it right or if I could save a little money by firing my greenware at a lower temp. Thanks, Bobg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Idaho Potter Posted February 23, 2011 Report Share Posted February 23, 2011 At what cone does your clay mature? If it matures at cone 6, then I would think you would bisque fire at cone 06 to 04. That range gives you a bisque body that will absorb and set the glaze when it is applied. Wouldn't think you'd fire to cone 6 bisque as the glaze probably wouldn't adhere to the pots. You say you're a newbie, but surely you know the difference between cone 06 and cone 6. Maybe in your posting the bisque cone you show was a typographical error. Process is greenware (bone dry) fired to cone 06, then glazed and fired to (vitrification) cone 6. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobg Posted February 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2011 Idaho Potter, Thanks for the info. I've been making (trying) pottery for about three years. Yes, my clay does mature at cone 6 not 06. In all the books I've ready, I haven't seen where you fire your greenware at a lower temp. Even though we have low electrical rates in southeastern WA, every penny counts these days. I mostly use what is called PZN Clear, you can get it from Seattle Pottery Supply. Haven't had any problems with the clears, but I've tried some Coyote glazes and didn't get the results that they post on their website. I will have to retry some of them. Thanks again for the info. Bobg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Campbell Posted February 24, 2011 Report Share Posted February 24, 2011 The reason for firing bisque at a lower temperature is to keep the clay body open enough for your glaze to stick to it. Open clay has more air holes between the molecules so the glaze fills those spaces and stays put. Think of trying to get glaze to adhere to glass ... It runs and sags. Well, your fully fired clay is like glass ... nowhere for the glaze to hold on. This is probably a reason why your glazes did not turn out as you expected. You can bisque fire anywhere between about cone 010 to 04 with the 010 being the coolest. If you are not glazing the wares or decorating with underglazes and such there is no reason to bisque fire. You can once fire to the final temp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bobg Posted February 25, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 25, 2011 We'll see what the difference is when I fire the next load. I've never had any problem with the glaze staying on the pieces, some of the Coyote glazes just didn't turn out like the picts they post on their site. Thanks for setting me straight. Bobg Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whimsysodafire Posted March 3, 2011 Report Share Posted March 3, 2011 normally when i am bisquing my pieces i do it at a lower temp. due to the fact that the clay is more porous when fired lower, so when i am glazing the piece is more absorbent. i use a cone 10 clay body called bmix by Laguna. and i normally bisque my clay at 1700 degrees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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