How to load the workpiece for glaze firing

You should plan to load light-glazed workpieces first and should have a cloth ready for wiping hands especially after touching a dark glaze.

Before start loading workpieces, make sure that the kiln shelves are cleaned of glazes from the last firing cycle because if there is a trace of glazes left it will smear the coating of the new workpiece or damage the kiln shelves. Then apply the kiln wash thoroughly before placing the new piece on the shelf. You can clean the glaze drop by chiseling with a tool or a stone file. Fill the hole and refinish with kiln wash

To load the kiln, set the kiln legs to be triangular, i.e. 2 points in the left-right corner and 1 center point at the opposite side and make sure the shelf is 1 inch above the kiln floor so that heat and air can move evenly throughout the kiln. When placing the workpieces on the shelf, be careful not to break or crack the thermocouples.

What must not be forgotten is the coated workpieces cannot be stacked and touched each other. In addition, there must be a gap between each workpiece. This type of workpiece placement requires more space than loading the raw material. Also you should wipe your hands every time when touching the workpiece in order to avoid contamination of the coating between the workpieces. For accurate glaze firing results, CONE should be placed in order to check the heat inside the kiln and placed it in the proper position which is about the center of the kiln height. If possible, place more than 2 CONES for more accurate results.

Furthermore, gloves should be worn when cleaning the rack before use to prevent debris. When the bottom shelf is full then carefully places the other shelf on top. Do not press or hit the kiln bricks at the kiln legs of the same size in the same position as the kiln legs below. Fill this shelf in the same way as the bottom shelf, leaving 1 inch of space between the piece and the kiln lid. Then slowly close the lid of the kiln. Please be careful because you don't want dust and brick crumbs to fall onto the workpieces. Occasionally a “ping” sound may be heard, which may be due to the hot glassy glaze hitting the cooler air around the workpieces. Don’t forget to keep a record in the log book from the beginning before turning the kiln off until the process is completed.