Loading the Kiln, Optional Glass View Port

The Optional

Glass View Port

Caution: Wear fir- ing safety glasses whenever looking into the optional view port.

Maximum tempera- ture for a kiln with view port is 1700°F/926°C.

Firing hotter will damage the glass. See page 17 for glass port maintenance instructions.

Loading the Kiln

Place Ware on a Protective Shelf

Always protect the firing chamber by firing your pieces on a shelf or in a bowl. Do not place the pieces directly on the bottom of the firing chamber.

Types of shelves and containers:

Fiber Shelf

Place the standard fi- ber shelf directly onto the kiln bottom. This shelf is used to support silver and gold clay.

Note: Fire only silver or gold clay on the fi- ber shelf—never ce-

ramics, enameling or glass. Do not coat the fiber shelf with glass separator or kiln wash.

Fireclay Shelf Ceramic fireclay

shelves, available from Sundance protect the fir- ing chamber bottom and provide a smooth surface. Use a ceramic shelf in your jewelry kiln to fire ce- ramics, glass, and enameling.

Insulating Firebrick

Piece

Insulating firebricks are porous, light-weight, and can be shaped to sup- port delicate silver clay designs. Carve the fire- brick with a knife or hack- saw.

Ceramic Bowl

You can purchase an unglazed, small ceramic bisque bowl from a ceramic supply store. The bowl will last through many firings. Use it to hold alumina hydrate. You can also shape hot glass by slumping it into the bowl.

Note: Ceramic shelves and bowls and insulating firebricks may slow the firing. They absorb more heat than the ceramic fiber shelf. They also cool more slowly than the fiber shelf.

Applying Glass Separator or Kiln Wash

Glass and ceramics are fired on a fireclay kiln shelf and not directly on the kiln bottom. You can also slump glass over a mold, such as a bowl. The kiln shelf and sagging mold must be coated with glass separator to keep glass or ceramic glaze from sticking to them.

A coat of glass separator or
kiln wash will usually last
through several firings. When
the shelf coating begins to
crack or chip, apply a fresh
coat.
When recoating a shelf, re-
move most of the old coating	Separator lasts through several
with grit cloth (available from	glass firings. Apply new separator

sundance). This is an abra- when the old coat begins to flake.

sive-coated mesh that allows

residue to pass through. Removing the old coating gives you a smooth surface to start with. Then recoat the shelf using the following directions. (Both glass separator and kiln wash will be referred to as “separator.”)

Caution: Do not apply glass separator or kiln wash to the ceramic fiber firing chamber or to the bottom of the shelf! Contact with glass separator or kiln wash can ruin the embedded heating element.

Note: Do not coat the soft ceramic fiber shelf with separator. If you are firing only silver or gold clay, you do not need separator. When firing silver clay with glass, however, fire the piece on a hard fireclay shelf coated with separator.

1Mix the separator with water following the directions on the bag. Stir.

2Use a haik brush or a soft paint brush to apply the separator to the shelf. (The haik brush is easier to use because it lays down a more even coat- ing.) Each time you dip your brush into the sepa- rator mixture, swirl the brush around the bottom of the container. This is

because the separator settles quickly. Use two or three thin coats changing the direction of the brush stroke 90° with each coat.

3Dry the shelf before firing. To speed drying, place the shelf on three ½” posts inside the kiln. Heat at full rate to 300°F/148°C and hold for five minutes. Then turn off the kiln and leave the shelf inside.