Throwing clay pots, one at a time! These pieces are for our line of eye shadows made by Warm Earth Cosmetics. Each miniature pottery vessel is one-of-a-kind as no two are ever identical.
A look inside the top kiln port which shows what is happening inside the kiln during the fire.
After a 12 hour fire up to 2385 degrees Fahrenheit we roll the wares out of the kiln.
After glazing all of the pots, we carefully load them on the kiln shelves, then we slowly roll the load into one of our kilns.
Kiln partially loaded with greenware (unfired clay items) which when the kiln is filled will be fired up to 1750-1800 degrees Fahrenheit
Rolling in glazed pottery on car kiln built by Douglas Leiker. This kiln is made up of insulating soft brick K-23 and K-26. It is built with a sprung arch with approximately 20 cubic feet of interior space. The design is called a down-draft, with four venturi burners with natural gas orifice.
Rolling out car kiln after firing to temperature. This usually takes about 12 hours to reach 2385 degrees Fahrenheit. The kiln rises in temperature very easily early in the process but takes quite a while from 2100 to 2385, with this higher temperature being what we call Cone 10 in ceramics. It is truly quite an exciting process.
Checking the flame color during the fire for the correct atmosphere inside the kiln
Checking the flame color of the kiln during a crucial stage in the temperature rise of the fire.
Finished pieces made by Warm Earth Pottery after being unloaded out of the kiln. These pieces were fired up to 2385 degrees Fahrenheit in a reduction atmosphere.
Finished stoneware pottery while still cooling on the kiln shelves a day after the firing of this kiln. A good fire for us with some great colors and forms!
Electric kiln greenware made by Warm Earth Pottery being loaded into the kiln for the bisque fire.
Warm Earth Pottery is firing the kiln in the early stage of the process.