Sunday, October 5, 2014

First Firing


First firing is always magical. That means your creations have made it through the conception, development, and shaping process and it's ready to be put through the trial by fire to see how well it all holds.

This is the initial step to convert the wet piece of silica, brittle and fragile when dried, to a more permanent vessel. Silica converts to glass, also known as "quartz conversion" happens around 1100 degrees Celsius.

Once this phase is completed, the creation can be glazed and fired to higher temperatures, depending on the Cone value of the clay used.

After I prepare the bisque-ware, I will share the next step of the process. Some will be glazed. Some will be pit-fired. Some may have them all done.

Stay tuned...