These things happen sometimes. I opened my kiln the other day and found that one of my pieces exploded. Apparently, I didn’t allow it enough time to dry, so the moisture in the piece expanded too quickly during firing, and … bang! It is a fairly violent action; parts of it flew into another piece which also broke.
My bisque fire is over 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. Once the kiln reaches 212 degrees Fahrenheit, from what I have read, the moisture in the clay turns to steam and requires room to expand. This is why it is really important to be patient and allow each piece plenty of time to thoroughly dry before bisque firing. Over the years I have experienced fewer accidents like this. Occasionally though, I get really excited to fill up the kiln and put something in that really isn’t quite dry enough. Patience is a virtue with which I still need some practice.
I’m very thankful that everything else in the kiln (except for the two casualties) came out just fine. I did have to totally empty out the kiln and use my shop vac to clean up all of the tiny shards of clay that baked into miniature spear-like objects after the explosion. It is really important to keep the kiln clean so that every firing has a nice environment to bake up to perfection.
Well, now I have a nice, clean kiln, and some good pieces to glaze. Thanks for visiting!
Debbie Johnson Ceramics 