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Electric Kilns 3 Ed
Electric Kilns 3 Ed
org
This special report is brought to you with the support of Skutt Ceramic Products
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Atmospheric-like Effects
for Electric Pottery Kilns
by Steven Hill
Proving that a neutral or oxidizing atmosphere in an electric pottery kiln can produce
exciting results similar to those in atmospheric kilns, Steven Hill focuses on layering
glazes and a single-firing schedule. Start with his glaze recipes and firing schedule to
get great success in electric kilns.
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Atmospheric-like Effects
for Electric Pottery Kilns
by Steven Hill
Pair of yunomis, to 4 in. (10 cm) in height, thrown and altered porcelain, applied slip design (either ribbed or slip trailing), multiple sprayed glazes, single-fired to cone 6 in an electric kiln, 2011.
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Platter, 16 in. (41 cm) in diameter, thrown and altered porcelain, with ribbed and trailed slip,
multiple sprayed glazes, single-fired to cone 6 in an electric kiln, 2011.
Firing
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Ramp
End Point
Hold
200F / hour
220F
13 hours, depending
on the wetness and/or
thickness of the work .
100F/ hour
500F
400-500F / hour
2100F
100F/ hour
21602190F
60 Minutesthis
temperature is about
cone 5, with an hour
soak cone 6 should
fall . Not all kilns are
calibrated the same,
some adjustment may
be necessary .
9999F/ hour
On L&L Kilns you
should program it
for 4000/ hour .
1700F
50F/ hour
1600F
4560 Minutes
50F/ hour
1500F
ly. Its beyond the scope of this article, but I have found
the journey from cone 10 to cone 6 inspiring, and it has
revitalized my sense of experimentation.
Glazing
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recipes
I am constantly searching for new glazes
that will stir my soul and inspire previously inaccessible colors or textures.
I both formulate and collect glazes
from other sources, but I am constantly
experimenting with new combinations.
The base glaze that underlies many of
the surfaces and encourages crystal formation on my pots is Strontium Crystal
Magic, which began as a Tom Coleman
glaze, Yellow Crystal Matte. Through an
extended series of experiments and the
shift from barium to strontium, it ended
up far enough afield to warrant renaming. It is rather dull by itself, but it brings
glazes layered over it to life.
SCMWarm loves iron-saturated glazes
sprayed over it for rich earth tones. SCMCool can develop icy colors with cobalt
or copper glazes sprayed over it. Shiny
transparent glazes can break from matt to
glossy depending on the thickness used.
I have never sprayed a workable cone 6
glaze over SCM that didnt show some
potential. If you have any interesting cone
6 glazes, I would love to add them to my
ongoing glaze experiment.
4.5 %
12.6
17.3
4.5
45.9
15.2
100 .0 %
Add: Titanium Dioxide . . . . . . . . . . 13 .8 %
Yellow Iron Oxide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 .8 %
Bentonite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 .3 %
Combine with iron-saturated glazes for rich
earth tones .
5.7 %
12.4
16.8
5.7
22.5
22.5
14.4
100 .0 %
Add: Titanium Dioxide . . . . . . . . . . 13 .5 %
Bentonite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 .0 %
Combine with glazes containing either copper or cobalt to develop icy colors .
Mug and saucer, 41/2 in. (12 cm) in height, thrown and altered porcelain, applied
slip, sprayed glazes, single-fired to cone 6 in an electric kiln, 2011.
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ence, however, spraying glazes has the potential to integrate seamlessly with the form.
Think about how clumsy and uncoordinated your
hands felt when you first attempted to throw on the
potters wheel, and compare your experience to how
naturally and intuitively a seasoned potters hands move
across the form, applying pressure just where it is needed.
The results achieved as a beginning sprayer are not too
dissimilar, but, fortunately, the learning curve is much
quicker when learning to spray than it is for throwing!
Spraying has the potential to be every bit as painterly as
decorating with brush in hand. As with any painting, you
will benefit from both a clear vision of what you are trying to create and the flexibility to let the process lead you
in directions you never imagined.
The journey into spraying as my main method of
glazing began more than 35 years ago. For most of that
time, my goal was simply to create atmospheric surfaces
on pottery fired in a gas reduction kiln. When I made
the transition to electric firing in December 2008, I was
luckyI had already laid the groundwork for success, or,
as Pinnell says, Luck favors the prepared mind.
the author Steven Hill has been a studio potter for 40 years. He is a member of 323
Clay in Independence, Missouri, where he makes pots and teaches.
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by Jayne Shatz
Barcelona, 4 feet
(1.2 meters)
in height, porcelain, with Clear,
Blue Matt, Costello Carbonate and
Rutile Matt glazes.
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Alligator Plate, 12
inches (30 centimeters), stoneware, with
Matt Black, Costello
Carbonate and Alligator Green glazes.
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recipes
Shatz Stoneware
Blue Matt
Cone 6 oxidation
Cone 6 oxidation
Dolomite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Gerstley Borate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Talc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Nepheline Syenite . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
EPK (Edgar Plastic Kaolin). . . . . . . . .
Silica (Flint) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Shatz Porcelain
Cone 6 oxidation
Nepheline Syenite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 %
EPK (Edgar Plastic Kaolin). . . . . . . . . . . 38
Jackson Ball Clay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Silica (Flint). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
100 %
Add: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bentonite 4 %
Fantastic strong body, good for large-scale
work. It is not translucent, but is excellent for
throwing. Add white sand for a raku body.
Add: Cobalt Carbonate . . . . . . . . . .
Cobalt Oxide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Rutile. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Matt Black
Cone 6 oxidation
7.2 %
11.3
13.9
39.1
9.5
19.0
100.0 %
1.0 %
1.0 %
6.0 %
Ketchup Red
Gerstley Borate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 %
Talc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Custer Feldspar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
EPK (Edgar Plastic Kaolin). . . . . . . . . . . 5
Silica (Flint). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
100 %
Add: Spanish Red Iron Oxide . . . . . . . . 15 %
Glossy Black
Cone 6 oxidation
Cone 6 oxidation
Add: Rutile. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 %
Zinc Oxide. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 %
A beautiful, soft, tan matt, this glaze pools
creamy white where thick.
2.3 %
3.4 %
2.3 %
9.2 %
Cone 6 oxidation
Barium Carbonate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7.6 %
Gerstley Borate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18.5
Talc . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.5
Whiting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2.1
Custer Feldspar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41.3
Silica (Flint). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24.0
100.0 %
Add: Copper Carbonate. . . . . . . . . . 6.8 %
Zinc Oxide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.7
Zircopax. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86.9
Alligator Green
Cone 6 oxidation
Rutile Matt
Whiting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20 %
Nepheline Syenite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
EPK (Edgar Plastic Kaolin) . . . . . . . . . 18
Silica (Flint). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
100 %
2.1 %
4.1 %
4.1 %
Costello Carbonate
Cone 6 oxidation
Barium Carbonate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 %
Gerstley Borate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
Whiting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Custer Feldspar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
Tennessee Ball Clay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Silica (Flint). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
100 %
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Left: Disk Vase, 18 inches in height, with Blue/Green/Purple variation of VC Glaze with PV Black sprayed over. The detail shows
the cooling crystals that developed during a controlled slow cooling. Right: Vase with Circular Attributes and Stand, 15 inches
in height, with Edgy Green glaze. This glaze contains barium, which helps in the formation of small suspended crystals giving it a
satin matt finish.
Color and texture in cone 6 glazes are the result of three variables: First,
selecting proper glazes; second, learning how to layer and combine different
glazes by pouring, dipping and spraying; and third, using a controlled cooling
cycle to further enhance the color and texture.
Glaze Selection
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10
Glaze Application
Recipes
VC Glaze
Whiting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.9 %
Gerstley Borate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11.6
Titanium Dioxide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.9
Nepheline Syenite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46.8
Kaolin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.9
Silica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13.9
100.0 %
PV Base
Cone 6
Gerstley Borate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 %
Whiting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
PV Clay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
Custer Feldspar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
Silica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
100 %
Black liner glaze:
Add: Mason 6600 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 %
An excellent gloss base. Spray or dip over Blue/
Green/Purple. This glaze is very receptive to commercial stains. Again, with encapsulated stains,
an opacifier is not necessary. If a more opaque
surface is desired, add between 610% opacifier
such as Zircopax.
Cone 6
Blue/Green/Purple variation
Add: Cobalt Oxide. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
1.1 %
Edgy Green
Cone 6
Barium Carbonate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.6 %
Gerstley Borate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.4
Wollastonite. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15.6
Nepheline Syenite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39.7
Kaolin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10.4
Silica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8.3
100.0 %
Add: Black Copper Oxide. . . . . . . . .
3.1 %
Firing
Record Keeping
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How to Fire
Electric Pottery Kilns
From the Pottery Making Illustrated Instructors File Archives
All clays and glazes are formulated to mature at certain temperatures. Firing clay
too high can cause it to deform or even
melt, too low and it will not be durable.
Firing glazes too high can cause run-off
on the pot, too low and they will be dry
and rough. To fire to the right temperature, pyrometric cones are used. Cones are
made from various oxide mixtures and
bend at known temperatures (figure 2).
In general, the following cones are used
in the pottery studio: bisque fire (cone
0805), low fire (cone 0604), mid-range
(cone 47) and high fire (cone 810).
Using Cones
More Science
Heat in an electric kiln is transferred
in three ways (figure 1):
n conductionheat transferred
through physical contact (1)
n convectionheat rising through
the air (2)
n radiationheat emanating from
all the kiln elements (3).
Electricity passing through coiled
heating elements (made especially for
high temperatures) generates radiant
heat, which rises and is absorbed by
everything in the kiln.
How Hot
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Get Ready
Kiln Furniture
Kiln Controllers
Many electric kilns are now
equipped with kiln controllers. Kiln
controllers use a signal from a thermocouple (a sensing device that
detects temperature) thats located
in the kiln. When the controller
senses the temperature, it compares this information with a computer program that tells the relays
to turn on or off. The relays control
current going to the elements. Controllers take the guesswork out of
when and how high to turn up the
heat on the kiln. Because they are
accurate at sensing temperature,
they are more efficient than manually-fired kilns. They come with
preset programs, or you can even
easily input programs to adjust to
special firing requirements.
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Safety
Firing is a potentially hazardous activity and all students must obey safety rules to
avoid injury. Instructors must read and understand all the safety information that
came with the kiln, and assure that the kiln is properly installed and maintained.
If a manual is not available, many companies post them online or you can request
a replacement copy from the manufacturer. For operating the kiln, students must:
n
Turn off kiln prior to loading or unloading. Disconnect the kiln for any
servicing or when kiln is not in use.
Do not touch heating elements with anything since they carry high voltage.
Do not place any combustibles within 12 inches of any surface of the kiln.
Never look into a hot kiln without properly tinted safety glasses
(e.g., welders glasses). Sunglasses only block ultraviolet light.
Remove all tripping hazards. Keep the power cord out of the way.
Do not fire with cracked shelves. They can break during firing, which could
damage the ware inside the kiln. Store kiln shelves in a dry area.
If you smell burning plastic, turn the kiln off. Examine the wall outlet and
power cord for signs of burning.
Keep the kiln closed when not in use, and never place anything on the kiln lid,
even when the kiln is idleyou may forget.
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for more information on Skutt Kilns or to find a distributor, visit us at www.skutt.com or call us directly at 503.774.6000
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