Sugar Me Sweet ~ Pendant: Cindy Gimbrone, Enamel Bead: Sue Beads, Lampwork: J Savina Beads, Ceramic: Golem Studio.

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Live and Learn

I'm a little bummed to report that the kiln gods were not smiling on me as I fired my first load of bisque last night. This is one of those "live and learn" type situations. I have discovered that the temperature inside my kiln does not match what shows on my pyrometer (this is the temperature gauge on the outside of the kiln). I ended up firing my bisque load about 250 degrees hotter than I should have. They look fine but this could effect how the glaze adheres. But all is not lost. They should be salvageable.

My first bisque load of beads
Bisque-1

I would like to thank the kind folks on the Beads of Clay Yahoo Group who talked me through this little mishap. There is nothing like picking the brains of people who've "been there, done that". I really thought this load was toast but hopefully they can still be glazed with a little extra work. Perhaps I will save this task though for when I have a little more experience with beads that have actually been fired correctly. ;-)

Live and learn, live and learn...

Lisa
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9 comments:

  1. bcsymmesFebruary 10, 2011 at 3:55 PM

    well in the raw stage they look amazing already. i am sure you will make lots of lemonade out of these semi lemons.
    larissa

    ReplyDelete
  2. Diana P.February 10, 2011 at 7:47 PM

    The same thing happened to me the first time I bisque-fired in my little kiln. Amazingly, most of the pieces turned out ok when I glazed them. Ironically, I just got a big giant kiln for Christmas and get to go through this all over again!

    ReplyDelete
  3. jamberry_songFebruary 10, 2011 at 8:14 PM

    Glaze a couple up to test how they will come out. If they don't, can't you paint the others with a different kind of paint? Then at least these won't be wasted. (They're lovely!)

    ReplyDelete
  4. JenniFebruary 10, 2011 at 9:18 PM

    They look lovely at the moment, almost edible! Hope it works out with the glazes.

    ReplyDelete
  5. TesoriTrovatiFebruary 10, 2011 at 9:22 PM

    Those look good enough to eat, Lisa! I think that happy accidents is what I would call them. You wouldn't have learned something new without this experience. Now you can move on confidently. Enjoy the day!
    Erin

    ReplyDelete
  6. Lisa GodfreyFebruary 11, 2011 at 8:11 PM

    Thanks everyone! I tried painting glaze on some of them today and so far so good. I'm going to try firing them this weekend. :-)

    ReplyDelete
  7. CindyFebruary 11, 2011 at 10:48 PM

    Oh I do hope you can salvage them!!! That is an impressive grouping of beads - I bet they will be amazing once you fire them...good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Creative Arty FactsFebruary 12, 2011 at 3:15 PM

    Beautiful bisque firing - looking forward to seeing the finished product!

    ReplyDelete
  9. jamberry_songFebruary 13, 2011 at 3:44 PM

    Hey, there! I'm pleased to inform you that you are the winner of my birthday bracelet giveaway! :D Please email me, jamberry underscore song at yahoo dot com to claim the piece and let me know you measurements and shipping details. :)

    Congratulations!!

    ReplyDelete

Your comments make me smile. :-)

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