POTTERS GUILD OF BC
FIRING AT THE GAS KILN
WHAT TO EXPECT AND TIPS FOR YOUR WORK
PLEASE READ ALL NOTES BEFORE SHOWING UP TO THE FIRING
-
*All glazing happens outside- we have no indoor space! Come bundled up; bring your gloves, whatever you need to do! Or become a PGBC member so you can use your own glazes and just drop off pots at the kiln instead! :
-
Bring bisque fired, waxed pots in a cone 10 suitable clay. If you do not definitively know what your clay is you will not be allowed to fire in the kiln. This is to protect everyone's work and the equipment. Low fired clay can MELT in the kiln
-
One slot= one cubic foot of work. If you are bringing multiple cubic feet of work, please sign up for spots in sequential time slots rather than multiple spots in the same time slot.
-
PGBC Members can bring pots with their own glazes. Non-members are limited to the glazes we provide.
-
All glazes are cone 10. This will be a cone 10 reduction firing. We provide six main glazes to use: Carbon Trap Shino by Malcom Davis, Chun by Robin Hopper, Celadon by Tom Buck, Soft White by Keith and Celia Rice-Jones, Tenmoku Rust, Glossy Clear. We have limited additional donated glazes that will be used up until they are gone.
-
PICK UP your work on the date of the UNLOAD provided. The kiln will be opened at 10am sharp (unless noted otherwise) and all participants are expected to be there. Please arrive on time, we wrap up around 11am and participants are encouraged to participate in the kiln opening and unloading. It is the best part of the firing!
-
All participants must be prepared to grind shelves and clean up after the load. Though we have limited space and have designated volunteers to do grinding and kiln washing of shelves. If a piece of yours creates a particular disaster, you will be asked to grind the shelves. This is a communal task and an important part of the smooth running of this kiln. We will have masks and safety goggles to provide for shelf grinding.
CLAY TIPS FOR THE FIRING
-
What clay body do I use???
Make sure your clay is cone 10 tolerant. It should be described as “high-fire” to go in the PGBC kiln. Read the details on the clay’s website or ask your supplier especially if you’re making functional ware. For example, most “sculpture” clays, Laguna WSO and Plainsman H441G are non-vitreous and will not be watertight even when glazed at cone 10.
-
If using plainsman H440 or any other clay that leaves residue or speckles on the kiln shelf, please WAD your work or provide COOKIES for your work. We have a limited amount of wadding per firing and many cookies. It is best to make ones that fit the size of your pieces though. Please email us if you are unsure. pottersguildofbc@gmail.com
-
Clay bodies that are popular in the PGBC kiln:
Plainsman’s H550, H440 (needs cookies or wadding), P700
Laguna’s cone 10 B-Mix, Rod’s Bod
Georgie’s Deschutes, Cannon Beach (we recommend avoiding Santiam - several potters have suffered dunting)
-
If you’re using a red clay, we love it! But please fire on cookies or wadding to prevent specking on the shelves.
-
If you’re using porcelain & our Malcolm Davis shino, our tip is to fire on wadding as we find the bases sometimes get stuck to shelves (due to the wicking of soda ash through the clay body.)
WADDING RECIPE FOR YOUR WORK
A recipe for great wadding: 50/50 alumina hydrate and EPK by VOLUME (i.e. one scoop of each, not by weight). Mix with water until clay consistency, form little balls and use white glue to attach to the feet of your pot. If you’re not sure about this process ask a volunteer at glazing day - we’ll be happy to give you a tutorial.