Hey guys! I have some pieces I have been working on and one in particular that is quite delicate and doesn’t really have a good bottom to rest on. What kinds of options are there for support during firing if any?
We have a variety of stilts and other furniture we can use to support items, particularly if they have glaze on the bottom that can’t be avoided. If you have concerns about firing your piece, I would suggest you arrange a time to meet with myself or Scott so we can review your piece.
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Well, I’d like to plan on being there when it’s loaded, and I’ll work around your loading schedule, but I’ve only finished the piece tonight, so it will be a bit before it’s ready to fire. I know it’s fragile, and I know that there is a high probability of it not surviving, but I’d like to try! It’s a snitch from HP. I’ve always wanted to make one, so I did. :]
So question how do you plan on displaying it. will be resting on something or would you wanna put a hanger on it.
that’s a wire that can be pushed into the Clay like an ornament hanger in when you glaze, it can handle the high temperatures
The bisk fire is the easy part. But the glaze now that going to be a Challenge ( need a hanger)
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Once fired it should be just fine to set on it’s bottom and the tips of the wings, and that is the plan. I do appreciate having the knowledge of the wire for future endeavors, though! I really need to just come in again and see all the options we have once more.
Looks great! Good work. The bisque firing will certainly be the easy part. If there’s any concern about the wings drooping we can prop them up.
Is the body of the snitch hollow? If not, we’ll have to let it dry for quite some time to avoid in-kiln theatrics.
I’m sure we can find some stilts that’ll hold it fine for glaze firing. There will be a couple of small holes in the glaze where the stilts are in contact with the piece, which is normal. They’re not horribly noticeable for the most part, though on such a small object meant to be held in the hand they will be a little more noticeable. If you look at the back side of any of our numbered sample tiles you can see what those look like. The thicker / more runny the glaze the more noticeable they are. If we stilt from the bottom or the back they won’t be noticeable when you have it just sitting on a shelf.
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Thanks for all of your insight, Patrick! It’s solid, and going to be quite a while before it’s ready to fire. I was just trying to get an idea for how exactly to set it in there for the bisque fire so the wings don’t break off. For glazing I already expected to use the stilts and of course that will leave little blemishes. It’s just apart of the process. I’ll probably bring it in after Thanksgiving.
The wings are definitely going to be incredibly fragile until it’s been bisqued. I’d recommend keeping it in a small box with some tissue around it so it doesn’t get jostled around. When you’re ready to bring it in, I’d keep it that way till we actually load it in the kiln. Super thin clay pieces like that have a nasty habit of snapping with even the slightest bump.
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