Kilns & Firings- the basics

Ms.H

urt POTTERY

01A beginner's guide

OLD POTTERSNEVER DIE. THEYJUST GET FIRED!

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REMEMBERThe term "firing" means cookingthe clay. In the world of potteryyou say, "fire a piece or work"not "bake or cook a piece ofwork"

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Kilns & Firing 

What is a kiln?

PLEASE DON'T

CALL IT AN

OVEN :)

Kilns &

Firings

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A KILN ISa furnace or oven for burning, baking, or dryingsomething, especially one for firing pottery, calcininglimestone, or baking bricks.

3 MAIN TYPESOF KILNS!

ELECTRIC

can plug directly into a120-Volt wall socket andfire in oxidation

WOOD

fueled by wood and havebeen used for thousandsof years in pottery.

GAS

run on natural gas and firein reduction

Kilns & Firing

05

Electric KilnTHIS IS WHAT WE USE!

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- probably the most commontype of kiln used in ceramics.- always fire in oxidation,meaning there's oxygenpresent in a completelycontrolled environment, whichyields consistent results withglazes.

- Gas kilns run on natural gasand fire in reduction, whichdoesn't allow oxygen in duringfiring.- Reduction firing results can beunpredictable, but typicallyyields rich, earthy colors. It'sdifficult to maintainconsistency, so gas kilns aremost ideal for one-of-a-kindcreations.

Gas Kiln

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- They're very labor-intensivebecause they need constantstoking and re-fueling- A wood kiln firing can takethree times as long as it wouldin an electric or gas kiln, and itneeds to be monitored thewhole time.-The kiln creates its own glazewhen the wood ash lands on thepieces as they're firing.

Wood Kiln

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Cones are what we use to measure thetemperature of our kilns!

Cones!NO NOT ICE CREAM CONES

Kilns &

Firings

09

WE FIRE AT

CONE 4 FOR

BISQUE AND

CONE 6 FOR

GLAZE

What the heckdoes that mean?Here is a chart that explains thetemperature at each cone level. ...don't worry about it too much.You won't have to worry aboutcones since I handle the kilns (:

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Once a cone is

placed in the

kiln it will start

to melt and

indicates the

temperature

based off its

bend 11

Kilns & Firings

1. In your own words define the term “firing”.

2. In your own words define the term “kiln”.

3. There are three main types of kilns. Match the kiln type to its correct definition. a. Wood__ 1. Always fires in oxidation, meaning there’s

oxygen present in a completely controlled environment.

b. Gas __ 2. Fire in reduction, which doesn’t allow oxygen in during firing.

c. Electric__ 3. Labor-intensive firing that needs re-fueling. Also creates it’s own glaze during the firing.

4. What kind of kiln do we use at Eagle Middle School?

5. Cones are what we use to measure the _____________ of our kilns.

6. What cone do we use on our kilns at Eagle Middle?