Firing, Firing, Firing!

I've been doing nothing but bisque firing all week, and I am so pleased with the results!

For those not in the know, bisque firing is pretty easy, as long as everything going in the kiln is dry. Unglazed clay pieces can be stacked on top of each other, and I've actually seen some folks pack their bisque firings up to just shy of the lid!

Glaze firings are another story. Because of all the silica and all the other stuff in glazes to make it flow and end up smooth, you can't have them stacked or even touching each other. They'll fuse together like melted glass and there goes your piece. You can't chip off anything without damaging it, unless you get really lucky.

But I'm very pleased with how the colors are showing in their initial firings! There will be touch-ups needed, certainly, and washing up, too!

Is it wrong how much I love the new "Assbutt" mugs? I'm thinking of making a few others with various pithy quotes from the show.

Remember my happy skeleton mug? He turned out so well! I just love him!

The reds will turn deeper in the high firing. Like a dark cherry. I really can't wait! 

The Ouija bowl and Goddess offering bowls are still in one piece, which makes me hopeful for the clear glaze and final firing at the ceramics studio. I have so much "regular" ware - bowls , cups, tankards and mugs - that I need to use their glazes. I just don't currently have the ability to store all the glaze materials and time to test their formulations. That's going to be for another time! Meanwhile, I'll go back to throwing cone 6 clay and use the Potter's Choice glazes from Amaco. I had such great results from them and it's going to be so wonderful to create those beautiful color textures again!