How to Fire Greenware

Examples of greenware.

Greenware is clay that has been shaped into a form such as a vase for example, but has not yet been fired. Greenware must be allowed to be completely bone dry before you put it in a kiln to be fired. Low-fire greenware has to be fired at a range of between cone 06 and cone 02. A cone is the measurement by which you determine the amount of heat needed to correctly fire greenware or other types of ceramics.

Things You'll Need

• Kiln

Instructions

1. Touch your greenware to your cheek or the inside of your wrist to determine if it is bone dry or not. If it is, continue to the next step. Greenware will be cold if it's not bone dry. If it isn't, then allow the greenware more time to air dry before going to the next step.

2. Stack small pieces of greenware around larger pieces of greenware in your kiln. Also, you can nest greenware, just make sure that there is still enough space between the nested pieces for air to circulate.

3. Stand all your greenware pieces in the position they will normally be in. For example, you wouldn't lay a greenware vase on its side, but rather stand it up. The only exceptions are large pieces that have vertical and flat surfaces such as a wall plaque for example.

4. Close the door of your kiln.

5. Check the package your clay came in to find out the best pyrometric cone to fire your greenware at. Set your kiln's temperature appropriately.

6. Let your kiln cool to room temperature once the firing time has ended before you open the lid.

7. Add glaze to your greenware. Fire your greenware again at the recommended pyrometric cone from your glaze manufacturer.

8. Allow the kiln to cool to room temperature again before you open the lid and remove your final product(s).

Tips & Warnings

• Don't fire greenware and glazed pottery in the same load because these two types of ware fire at different temperatures. Also, greenware gives off gases that can cause the color of your glaze to be different than intended, and can cause bubbles in the glaze. Don't nest greenware too closely together, or you can get black carbon rings in your fired ware that look less than pleasing.

References

• Loading and Firing Low-Fire Greenware

Resources

• Clay World