Arbuckle BISQUE FIRING

Bisque: an initial (or biscuit) firing of clay greenware , usually to a temperature between cone
06 and cone 03. Work may then be glazed and glaze-fired.

Why bisque : Χ reduces fragility of ware and makes glazing easier

Χ pots will no longer slake down
Χ carbonaceous matter in the clay is burned out before glaze-firing
Bisque temperature: cone 010 to 06 depending on clay body. Altho industrial china is often
bisqued high (so it can be supported while being fired to maturity) then glazed lower, studio
potters usually bisque lower so that the work remains absorbent and easily glazed.

The first step is to sign up on the kiln calendar, marking half a day for loading, a day to
fire/cool, and half the next day to unload. Enter your name and firing cone. Any kiln found
firing without signup and a kiln chart may be turned off! Plan to unload your kiln by 2
p.m. so that the next person will have time to load. If you are going to be late unloading, leave
a note on the kiln clipboard so that the person following you will be informed of your unloading
time. If you plan to load late, leave a note on the kiln clipboard so it will not be assumed that
your kiln is abandoned. Kilns not loaded by 8 p.m. and that do not have a note indicating the
loading time may be considered abandoned.

< Ware bisqued too low may be overly soft, prone to damage during handling, and too
absorbent. Carbonaceous matter may not be burned out, and may cause pinholing in
glazed ware from gasses escaping through the glaze.
< Ware bisqued too high may be partially vitrified and not very absorbent. This is more
likely a problem with well-fluxed earthenwares, where the bisque temperature is closer
to the maturing temperature than stoneware or porcelain.
Heating
There are three ways that heat is transferred in a kiln:
< Convection: air heated rises and air currents circulate heat. This kind of heat transfer
happens early in firing. Unless air circulation is even, the kiln will not be even at this
point. Convection promotes more heat at the top of the kiln and a cooler bottom.
< Conduction: transfer of heat through solids from the outside inward by interaction with
molecular structure. Must be done gradually to maintain even heating. Transfers radiant
or convection heat into the ware.
< Radiation: Effective at higher temperatures. Transfer of heat by waves of energy that
are absorbed with they meet cooler objects. Hot objects (ware, kiln furniture, kiln brick)
radiate energy in all directions. Radiation helps even out kiln temperature in still
atmospheres.

Pyrometers measure temperature, usually through a probe inserted into the kiln. This tells us
the temperature at the place of the probe and the time read. This may not indicate whether the
materials in the kiln have sufficiently melted.

Pyrometric cones measure work-heat (the effect of time and

temperature on materials) and are the usual indicators for firing.
Cones were developed by Seger. American cones are
manufactured by Orton. Cones are a combination of clay and

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glaze materials, calibrated to melt at a specific temperature. The interval between cones is
about 32 degrees F. Cones are made in large and small or junior format. Melting temperature
is somewhat different between large and small cones of the same number. Small cones are
often used in electric kilns for visual cones because peeps are small and it's hard to see
several large cones. Small cones are used in electric kiln kiln-sitters. Most general ceramic
texts list temperature equivalents for cones, or see the chart in the kiln room.

Cones with a "0" in front of the number are read like negative numbers, e.g. ascending
temperature would be 022, 018, 010, 06, 03. Cones without a "0 " are read in ascending order
as ordinary numbers e.g. 1-10. There is no cone zero, cone numbers going from cone 01 to
cone 1.

Sample cones for various clay processes and materials

022-016 china paint, lusters, decals
06 raku, bisque, many commercial low-fire glazes
03 popular w/many studio potters for earthenware
4-6 mid-range
8-10 stoneware, porcelain, most salt and wood-fired ware

Cone packs should be made ahead of time so that they are well-dried and not in danger of
blowing up. Water turns to steam at 212Ε F and a damp cone pack as well as damp ware will
explode if heated quickly past this point. In electric kilns, a single cone pack is usually located
at a middle peep. Cone packs are put in front of both top and bottom peeps of the gas kilns.
Evenness between top and bottom is usually a bigger issue in gas firing than electric.

Clay wads are used as a base to support a series of cones: theoretically, a guide cone (tells
you when you are getting toward temperature desired), a firing cone (the desired
temperature), and a guard cone (to gauge the limits you may fire to). Cones should be tilted at
a slight angle (8Ε) so that you will see them soften and bend before melting. Large cones
should extend 2" beyond the cone pack, small cones 15/16th". Place cones close to each
other so the group may be easily seen through the peep, flat side facing forward, number
facing you, cone that melts soonest first (i.e. leaning to the left 08, 07, 06). If cone order is
reversed, the first cone to melt will knock the others over. Make a "boat" at the end of the cone
pack if there is any chance of going several cones above the first cone to melt.

Make cone-packs early and dry them to avoid blow-ups. Glaze kilns are usually heated
faster than bisque (and gas burners are often harder to control at low temperatures), and wet
cone packs may blow up, scattering bits of clay onto glazed ware. If this happens in a glaze
kiln, TURN IT OFF, cool it, unload and clean up the shards, then re-load (using new cone
packs) and refire. Pyrometric cones that have been subjected to heat will not register heat
accurately a second time. Used cones should be discarded, even if they have not deformed,
as they will no longer register accurately once heated.

Small/junior cones are used in the kiln sitter. The cone in the sitter is horizontal and has a bar
on top of it, so it will deform sooner than a visual cone in a conepack. The cone that bends
visually is usually a cone LOWER than the one in the sitter (e.g. an 06 in the sitter usually give
an 07 bending in front of the peep). This will vary depending on how the metal trip plate is
adjusted and how a tapered cone is set in the sitter.
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To set the sitter, turn all switches of OFF. Raise the trip lever on the outside of the kiln. Lower
the claw to hold it in place, and hold this while you insert a cone (06 unless otherwise
directed) flat side down, centered between the thick and thin extremes, on the cone supports,
holding up the sensing rod. The cone should rest against the "step" on the metal supports, and
the midline of the cone should be parallel with the end of the sitter tube. Insert your finger into
the hole in the trip lever and depress the button until it locks. The kiln is ready for firing.
.
Stacking: The bottom shelf of the kiln should be placed on small posts above the kiln floor for
adequate heat circulation at the bottom of the kiln. The next shelf should be at least 6" above,
or the work on the bottom shelf may be under-fired. Shelves should be tri-posted, with each
half sharing a post at the outside center edge (i.e. it will take four posts to stack a level of two
half shelves). Stack posts above posts as you add more shelves so that the posts, not the
shelves, support the weight.

If you have extra space in the kiln, please see if there is other work waiting to be bisque-fired
that you can load, or ask around to see if anyone has work to fire. Kilns fire more evenly and
economically full, and you should not waste kiln space.

Since there is no glaze that will melt during the firing, sticking is not a problem and pots may
be stacked. To avoid cracking, support the piece while handling:, do NOT pick greenware up
by the handles, or single-handedly pick up a work by grasping the wall at one point. Work
that feels cold has not completely air-dried yet, and care should be taken in firing to avoid
blowing up work. Nest items inside each other, but be conscious of not extending weight out
beyond the foot ring of the bottom piece. Pieces may be "boxed" or stacked rim to rim, foot to
foot, if they are the same size. Pieces may be stacked like this if the thrust of the weight is
downward, not lateral. Lids are usually fired in place to avoid warping. Tall, knobbed lids can
be inverted to save space. Broad, flat items may need to be put on a clay "waster" (clay
support made at the same time as the piece that is used for a support during firing, then
discarded) or on grog or sand to aid movement during firing and prevent warping and cracking.

Remember to turn the timer up when you turn up the electric kiln switches. Kilns with a timer
will shut off when the timer winds down, regardless of temperature reached. The kiln-sitter may
be over-ridden if it shuts off too early. Please be aware that the kiln will NOT shut off if the
sitter is over-ridden, and should be monitored very carefully.

Kiln-sitters on electric kilns should be considered back-up

devices. Use visual cones in front of the peep hole. The student
in charge must be sure the kiln is OFF before leaving. If a kiln is
firing slowly and it's late, you much choose between shutting it off
or staying until it shuts off.

Kiln charts must be filled in so that anyone having questions about

the state of the kiln can find out what's going on, as well as to
provide a tool for checking on how that particular kiln has been
firing.

Temperature rise should be gradual. Water turns to steam at 212Ε F, and will move from

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areas of greater concentration to lesser, blowing out the wall or bottom of heavy, damp work if
the change is sudden. Thicker ware should be fired more slowly. Dense clays will hold water
longer than more open or grogged clays. Many sculpture bodies add extra grog or combustible
materials to help open the body up and facilitate drying. In climates with high humidity, even a
"dry" piece still holds considerable physical water and is in danger of blowing up if not heated
gradually to complete evaporate physical water before reaching 212Ε.

Ware is usually candled overnight or for several hours with the bottom switch on low, the
others off. Often the kiln is left with the lid propped open a crack and/or the top peep out to let
moisture escape and to keep the temperature from rising above 212Ε While this does work, at
times draft patterns w/the lid cracked will distribute heat unevenly and not all pieces will dry
uniformly. After firing with the lid up or door open to dry work, it's a good idea to put the lid
down (or close the door) and all but the top peep in for an hour, before beginning to turn up the
switches or gas at intervals. Switches are usually stepped up one turn per hour, bottom to top
on 3-step switches (Low/Med/Hi). On kilns with infinite switches, after candling, the switches
are stepped up in sequence, one per hour, until all are on 1, then all are increased one
increment per hour. Large kilns, tightly packed loads, and/or old elements may slow firing.
Several of the larger electric kilns fire VERY slowly and can be turned up more assertively than
normal. Check the kiln charts.

From about 600-1000ΕF (visible red heat), combustibles are burning out of the clay, and
chemically combined water is being released, and shrinkage results. The ware in the kiln
should be heated slowly to red heat. A heat rise of 100 ΕF/hr. Is recommended between 950-
1450Ε F to adequately burn out carbonaceous matter.

Cooling should be gradual. At about 1000Ε, quartz inversion takes place, and quartz changes
shape from alpha to beta, shrinking 1-2%. Cristobalite inversion takes place at 439Ε F, and
causes the cristobalite in the body to expand or contract about 3%. Cooling quickly during
either phase may cause dunting (cooling cracks). Once the kiln is dark and about 400Ν, the
peeps can be pulled to aid cooling. Paper burns at about 451Ε F so if a paper stuck into the
peep ignites, it's too hot to open. Next, prop the lid a crack. Later open the lid to finish cooling
if necessary.

Be careful not to handle bisque ware with oily or greasy hands, as these spots may resist
glaze application later.

Stoneware and porcelain are often bisqued in gas kilns. At UF, electric firing is cheaper for the
department, and work is bisqued in electric kilns. Slight reduction in gas bisque firing (or tightly
packed electric with combustables to be burned off, e.g. newspaper wadding) will turn normally
pink stoneware bisque white from localized reduction (incomplete combustion with more fuel
than oxygen to burn completely). This may make it slightly denser, but color differences
disappear in the glaze firing.

If anything has blown up in the kiln, please sweep or vacuum out the kiln. It is especially
important to vacuum out the elements grooves of the electric kilns, including the large electric
car kiln, as iron-bearing clays will eat into the elements in subsequent firings and destroy them.
Remember that the elements in an electric kiln are brittle unless heated, and care should be
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Arbuckle BISQUE FIRING

used in moving them.

Please chip and re-wash any kiln wash that is damaged. Put shelves back in the rack. Stack
posts by size.

The Orton Foundation (U.S. pyrometric cone manufacturers, a non-profit, educational

foundation) publishes information about kilns and kiln firing. You may join the Orton Firing
Institute and receive their publications for $15.00 annually:
Orton Firing Institute
P.O. Box 2760
Westerville, OH 43086
(614) 895-2663

Orton=s 80 min. video Key Principles to Successful Firing in the Architecture and Fine Arts
Library offers more information about firing concerns, particularly with electric kilns. TT924
.S931 1994

Other resources for information about firing, kilns, and cones may be found in The Potter=s
Dictionary of Materials and Techniques by Frank Hamer (UF Architecture and Fine Arts
Library).

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