If you have a SLIGHT under fire or discover you used too much silica and have white areas, then re-fire to cone 5.
| Bent arms or legs that won't stand up on the pour hole or balance on the foot. Do not lay the arm/leg on the seam line, it tends to flatten the piece. Instead, lay the piece on the bed of silica and slightly roll it to the left or right (away from the seam). |
| Bent legs with silica sand or powder on the shelf. Notice that a fluffy wad of Prop It has been used under the heel. New/unused "Prop it" will also shrink with the porcelain and prevents the leg from cracking in the bend. Using old "Prop It" will not be as forgiving, as it has already shrunk as much as its going too. It can cause too much stress as the porcelain shrinks, and the "Prop It" doesn't. |
| Body (torso) with slight amount of "prop it" in holes and resting in a DEEP bed of silica sand or silica powder (silica powder can be purchased from MayBelles I love it and use it exclusively). |
| Firing dome heads in a mound of silica sand/powder sprinkled evenly on the shelf. |
| Firing arms and legs that will not balance on the pour holes using a shelf with silica sand or powder |
| Try not to use Silica sand/powder and "Prop It" together. Using both has a tendency not to allow the porcelain to conduct heat evenly and can cause white blisters where "the two" touch the porcelain | |
| Please! Wear a mask when loading and unloading your kiln. Silica is silica is silica! It's harmful to your lungs!!! | |
| Use as little silica sand or powder as possible. Too much can cause uneven heat distribution, and therefore, uneven colors on the bisque, even whitish spots. Firing Slow (10-12 hours) will help prevent the "whitish spots" since the porcelain will have more time to mature. | |
| If you have an drastic under fire, re-fire to cone 6. If you have a SLIGHT under fire or discover you used too much silica and have white areas, then re-fire to cone 5. |
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