All Fired UP!

Yes, I fired up the kiln last night. It was my first time - a little nerve wracking! After reading all of the literature that came with the kiln I was finally able to get it started at about 9 p.m. It took over an hour to come up to temperature. I had no idea it would take that long. So, it was after 1 a.m. before the firing phase was complete. Then, it was time for cool down. Since I had never fired up a kiln before I had no idea what to expect. None of the metal clay books that I had available to me went into any detail about how this process works.

Now that I've processed my first batch of metal clay I feel more comfortable about firing subsequent batches. It was certainly a relief to see that everything came out of the kiln completely fused. I did have one charm that has what looks to be a bubble in it. I'm not sure if it is a spot that got too hot or if it had an air bubble in it.

Here's a picture of the pieces before firing:







I spent the morning tumbling and finishing the pieces. Each piece was lightly oxidized in a bath of liver of sulphur. It really added great depth and a vintage feel. Here's a peek at my Mid Century Mod Bird: