I decided to buy a table top pottery wheel. The two most highly recommended table top pottery wheels I could find, are the Shimpo Aspire and the Speedball Artista. But which one is the best? I wanted a table top pottery wheel that I could put in the back of my car, and transport easily. …
A sawdust kiln is one of the easiest ways to fire clay at home. The kiln can be made using a simple brick construction. It can be used to bisque fire pottery, or to create lovely smoked effects on already bisque fired ware. Here is an easy to follow step-by-step guide on how to build…
Making a DIY propane kiln is a great way to start firing your own pottery. A lot of the time DIY propane kilns are used to glaze fire pottery using the raku technique. But some can also be used to bisque fire pottery. There are lots of different ways to make a DIY propane…
There are different types of kiln, and each of them works a bit differently. However, regardless of design, kilns are simply chambers that are heated up to bake clay at high temperatures. In this article, I will look at the question, how do kilns work? I will consider some of the differences between types of…
Raku firing pottery is often described as a low fire fast method of glazing or finishing your pottery. But if you are thinking of firing raku, you might be wondering what exactly is the recommended raku firing temperature? In the context of a raku firing temperature, what does ‘low fire’ mean? Raku pottery is often…
The most common practice when making ceramics is to fire pottery twice. The first fire is the bisque or biscuit fire. But what is the second firing of clay called? The second firing of clay is called the glaze fire. After the first fire, liquid glaze is applied to the bisque fired pottery. This is…
One of the first things that you will learn about firing clay is that it happens in two stages. These two stages have different purposes. This article is all about the first stage. So, let’s look first at what the first firing of clay is called… The first firing of clay is called the bisque…
Usually, clay is fired two times. The first time is the bisque fire and the second time is the glaze fire. Clay undergoes changes during both of these firing processes. And this article is all about what happens to clay when it is fired in a bisque and a glaze fire. In essence, when clay…
When you are starting out in pottery, most likely someone else is firing your pieces. Or perhaps you have a new kiln and you are wondering about firing schedules. Either way, you are probably wondering, how long does it take to fire clay in a kiln? This article is all about how long the firing…