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firing large sculpture twice

updated mon 9 aug 99

 

Sheron Roberts on sun 8 aug 99

------------------
Ok,
First let me say that I have just spent 2 hours online and via cellphone =
with my
webmaster trying to figure out why my email messages would not download to =
my
file account. I almost lost 3 days of messages. So, to those of you who =
ask,
why fire twice, now I shall answer. First of all, this was the first time I
have done this, fire twice a piece that I do not intend to glaze. I was not
sure when I put it in the kiln how it would turn out, if it would slide over=
and
warp into some strange shape, or slide over and hit an element, etc.. I was
apprehensive about the whole thing.
And I was not so sure that I would not glaze it. I could have taken it to =
the
college and glazed it in the gas kiln. But after I saw that it survived the
bisque, and pondered how I would glaze a human figure, colors, etc., and how=
not
to have bare spots, I decided to leave it alone and carrry it on up to it's
maturing temp.. As I said it turned out a lovely off white, like it is =
chiseled
from stone. Next time, the whole project will be better thought out.
And Joy, I wish I could offer you words of wisdom, but I have no experience =
with
paper clay.
Diane, I have not experimented with the ramp/hold method yet. I started out
using a gas kiln at the college. For my studio I purchased the electric =
kiln
and I am still learning about it. So right now it's pretty much the basic =
stuff
for me. Set it on a particular cone and fire her up. I had to fire to cone=
8
because the clay I used has a range of 7 - 10. Felt like 8 was a safe =
number.
:)
Hope all this makes some kind of sense,
Sheron Roberts
gemini53=40weblnk.net
Whiteville, NC