I1£RAMIC STUDIO 
Fourth Prize —Mrs. Louise Brittain, Dayton, Ohio. 
[extracts only.] 
There are many different makes of kilns in the market 
now. The particular one of which I write is a Fitch gas 
kiln. Fuel used is natural gas. 
The first point to be considered in firing a kiln is 
cleanliness and dryness of the firing pot in which the china 
is to be placed. Give the pot a wash of plaster of Paris 
as often as need be, not every time it is fired but when 
burned off so that it flakes away from the iron. After 
applying the wash, light the gas long enough to thorough- 
ly dry the plaster coat, before putting any china into the 
kiln. 
Always before firing, heat the kiln sufficiently, lid 
and all, to remove all moisture which gathers from stand- 
ing. Turn out the gas, open the kiln and stack the china 
while the pot is still warm. 
By the time the china is all placed, the pieces in the 
bottom and sides of the kiln are already warm and dry, 
so that when finally heat strikes them, they are ready to 
receive it. In most kilns, the heat is from the bottom, 
the burner being under the pot. A gradual heat is always 
safest. 
Have the china to be fired, ready, all at one time 
upon a table or shelf near your kiln. 
Separate pieces, upon which gold colors, such as 
Rose, Carmine, Ruby, etc., are used, from the pieces, 
upon which iron colors, such as Carnation, Blood Red, 
Capucine Red, etc., are used, giving the gold colors the 
places in the kiln where the heat is most intense. 
Stilts made of fire clay must be placed between all 
pieces that are stacked one upon the other, to allow the 
heat to pass freely between and to keep the glazed surfaces 
from adhering one to the other. If the piece used as a founda- 
tion for the stack has an unglazed rim, it will not be nec- 
essary to place a stilt between it and the bottom of the 
kiln. If possible select a piece which is so made, as by 
directly resting the first piece upon the bottom of the pot 
the stack will be much firmer. 
Stand as many pieces upright around the walls of the 
kiln as possible. See that all stacks of pieces are straight 
and firm, so that they will not slip, causing breakage when 
the jar of fitting the lid on the pot comes. 
When all is ready, close the kiln securely, some cement 
the lid on with plaster of paris, or asbestos cement, but I 
prefer a rope of asbestos closely fitted around the seam 
where the lid fits into the pot. After the muffle is fitted 
on, and the vent pipe into the chimney is in place, see to 
it that your damper is all right, allowing the burnt gas to 
escape. You are now ready to light the gas. A very 
low blaze at first. At the end of ten minutes turn up gas 
one notch higher and so on every ten minutes for the first 
hour. A steam rising from the drying of the colors will 
be seen issuing from the two small vent pipes, soon after 
the fire is started. That is one reason why a gradual 
and slow fire is best at first, so that all the gas from the 
paints may escape from the kiln and not interfere with 
the clearness of the colors. At the end of the first hour, 
turn on the amount of gas necessary to finish the firing. 
The blaze should come up around the sides and over the 
lid of the kiln. Do not turn on the full pressure of gas as 
it is always more than can be consumed and will cause 
trouble. The kiln should be bright red inside at end of 
first hour. Keep the same amount of gas burning for 
one hour longer, making in all two hours from the time of 
starting the fire. At the end of the second hour the kiln 
should show a bright haze inside. Articles that were 
plainly discernible a half hour before, should now be dimly 
visible. When this condition is reached, which should 'be 
in the time named, turn off the gas entirely and allow the 
china to remain within the kiln until perfectly cold, all 
night usually. Exposing china to the air before entirely 
cold causes the glaze to craze and sometimes if too hot 
the breakage of the piece. The greatest care should be 
taken to have the heat regular from the beginning of a 
firing, carefully timing the intervals of increasing the heat. 
Firing can be done in less time than I have mentioned but 
in my experience it is not getting the heat quickly which 
is desirable, but holding it, after acquired, long enough to 
produce perfect fusion of the colors. 
Underfiring is a fault not easily corrected ; even when 
retouched entirely and retired the piece never has the 
brilliant glaze of a perfectly fired one. Different colors 
from different manufacturers require different handling, 
some glaze more readily than others, while some lose in 
value, when others are intensified by firing. One can 
only learn from experience just how to allow for these 
things. 
In case the china comes from the kiln with all the 
beautiful colors turned a dull smoke grey, then first of all, 
look for a break in the pot, which has allowed the gas to 
leak in. If no break is found then you have used more 
gas than could be consumed, or your damper was not 
open enough to allow the burnt gas to escape. 
There are many chemical changes, which take place 
during firing that cannot be accounted for and that cannot 
be reproduced. 
Do not put freshly painted china into the kiln with- 
out first drying it thoroughly as moisture from the fresh 
paint is liable to cloud some other piece near it. 
When the colors come from the kiln, having a crawled, 
separated appearance, too much oil has been used, or 
when the color burns off in spots it is nearly always from 
the same cause. 
Dust in the paint will give a specky appearance. 
Figure painting should be fired alone, as ofttimes the 
iron colors, lustres or other work which creates a strong- 
gas, will mar the delicate color of a figure piece. 
Work can sometimes be finished in two fires but usually 
three are required to thoroughly develop it. 
o o o 
Fifth Prize— Mrs. J. W. Gowie, Sarnia, Ontario, Canada. 
[EXTRACTS oni/y.] 
After finishing the decoration of the article prior to 
firing, make a careful examination of it, particularly on 
the underside, to see that there are no daubs of paint, or 
gold, or finger marks. Clean all off carefully with turpen- 
tine, and place in a warm oven to dry. 
A studio oven is a great convenience as china may be 
dried in it as soon as painted, thus insuring safety from 
dust; as any dust which may settle on it after it is dry 
may be brushed off with a piece of soft silk. 
Lustre must be dried immediately after painting, as 
every particle of dust which settles on it will leave a white 
spot after being fired. 
After drying the china do not handle till it is cold, for 
all paint is soft while warm, and finger marks will show 
plainly in soft paint. 
Always wipe each piece gently, with a soft piece of 
silk, before placing in the kiln. 
Dampness and dust are two of the greatest foes china 
decorators have to contend with. If the kiln is in a damp. 
