Pottery: Cones Explained

[@ianknight7376]

At last, a video that explains the importance of heatwork and how to use cones in plain English - perfect for a kiln novice - many thanks!

[@tamcinnerney]

Very nice job Kara. I've been making Orton Cones for 20 years now, and it is people like you who make it worthwhile.

[@KaraLeighFordCeramics]

Aww that's a really lovely comment to receive - thank you so much 🙏

[@vkumra]

An absolutely perfect video. Thank you!

[@Lapisandlavender]

Most helpful video! Thank you for being clear and straight to the point. Spent all morning trying to find the right video. 💗🙏

[@KaraLeighFordCeramics]

My pleasure, thank you for your kind comment 🙏

[@lisacridland8034]

Thank you so much, this really helped me! I’ve never used cones in a firing and I now intend to do so from now on! 👍🏼

[@KaraLeighFordCeramics]

So glad it was helpful!

[@sanpottery3161]

Your videos are super helpful! And your studio is my DREAM studio! Don't stop making these videos!

[@KaraLeighFordCeramics]

Thank you so so much!

[@MAHAMOM-l3k]

Thanks!! your video is the best for understanding what the cone is! :)

[@veganjones8492]

thanks for the video, now i have to figure out temps, cause i dont have a digital readout, just three house type switches

[@rogerthecatodino2185]

this is so important and super interesting! very clear explanation and thank uuuu!

[@KaraLeighFordCeramics]

Thanks! so glad you found it helpful 👍🏻

[@RachelSorrento]

Thank you so much. Super helpful.

[@KaraLeighFordCeramics]

Glad it was helpful!

[@amberspence6779]

Great video! Great explanation! Thanks!!

[@KaraLeighFordCeramics]

thanks so much for watching 👍🏻

[@surfdiva0]

Very helpful! Thank you

[@4story]

This is gold. Thankyou ❤

[@emel60]

Thanks a million! I just started learning about ceramics, due to the dissertation about the crucible steel melting, and I have issues with my crucibles melting. Not fun at all. But most sources referred to the heat wear as these comes, which I knew nothing about. :)

[@KaraLeighFordCeramics]

Sorry about your crucibles. Thank you for watching!

[@NathalieNadeau-ChamaneUrbaine]

Thank you for this! I have a question :-) I am new to using a manual kiln...how often should I look at my test cones through the peepholes to make sure it's not overcooked? Thank you!

[@joesulak3206]

nicely done! great explanation!!

[@KaraLeighFordCeramics]

Glad you liked it!

[@feyzaatalay5287]

Hello ☺️ Thank you for this informative video.What should the cone look like when it reaches the desired temperature?

[@KaraLeighFordCeramics]

The cone should be bent over in an elegant arc.

[@kunsthusetzoega]

Thank you so much❤️🙏❤️

[@stmproduction7117]

Very impressive

[@uib301]

Hi, that's really helpful thanks. I am a hobby potter and make all sorts of things, sometimes using this clay or that clay or this glaze or that glaze so a kiln firing will be full of very different items (I try to keep recommended temps of the glazes or glazes similar but the range may still be quite large. How come cones help with this? I get they'll be fantastic if you're doing a kiln full of mugs but these are all individual pieces. Hmmm?

[@joshualutepo5501]

thank you

[@meritaholmes5085]

I'm new to this I don't know what a soak is can you make a video to explain this?

[@KaraLeighFordCeramics]

A soak the the length of time you hold your kiln a a specific temperature. E.g 1222 degrees for 10 mins

[@Grace-rn9tb]

Hi! Your video is super helpful! I teach basic ceramics to high school students, but I am still learning a lot myself. So I have a couple of questions about cones: 1) Do you use cones for bisque firing? Just that I noticed you mention using cones for glaze firing only in this video, so wondering if it's necessary to use cones in bisque firing. 2) Are cones basically used for hindsight adjustments? What I mean is, obviously, I can't see what's happening inside the kiln while it's firing. And cones sort of help the potter know what's happening, but only after it fires. So whatever work I fire in that batch is done for, and cannot be fixed, right? So if there was an error with heatwork that might have messed up the glaze work in that batch, I'd just have to make the work again?

[@KaraLeighFordCeramics]

Thanks for watching. I’m so glad it was helpful. Here’s the answers to your questions: 1) you don’t need to use cones in the bisque firing because the heat work doesn’t have to be as accurate as it does for a glaze firing. The aim of the bisque is only to make the pieces easier to glaze. 2) yes, so cone only allow you to see what happened in hindsight. I always recommend doing a test firing (without any work) to help calibrate your kiln and make your scheduling more accurate from the offset. Obviously heat work will be effected by the presence of work and shelves but you can stack your kiln with furniture to replicate that.

[@KatieDivoky-gr3rx]

Hello. I am new and was wondering which cone do I put into my kiln sitter? I want to bisque fire to cone 4. So do I use the same number 4 cone on my shelf and in the kiln sitter or are they 2 different cones? Thank you

[@KaraLeighFordCeramics]

Hey Katie, you might be sorted now but no, you need to use 'small cones' in your kiln sitter. Not the standard or self supporting.

[@ZinniaRAWR]

Hi Kara, I’m not far from you in North Devon, just wondering about the process of installing your first kiln? I’ve bought a small 13amp hobby craft 40 for the garage. Just wondering how you went about ensuring your electric supply would cope with the load. Great video and keep it up :) ❤

[@KaraLeighFordCeramics]

I asked a qualified electrician to come and inspect the supply. Thank you for watching.

[@bryant4003]

Can cones be reused? Help…! I was using cone 6 and my kiln turned off after the 3rd hour during the firing process. The kiln has cool down now, and I would like to know if I need to replace the cones before I restart the kiln again or should I use the same cones that are in my kiln right now?

[@KaraLeighFordCeramics]

Hey there, you should be ok to just use the same cones. Do you know how hot the kiln got?

[@bryant4003]

Thank you Kara for your quick response. I was not able to know how hot it got since I am only relying on the cones. Unfortunately I don’t have the tool that helps to check the kiln temperature. Can I use the sitter cone as well?

[@KaraLeighFordCeramics]

As this controls when the kiln turns off I'd be tempted to pop a new one in there, even though it should be ok to use the original, it's wise to er of the safe side. @@bryant4003

[@bryant4003]

@@KaraLeighFordCeramics Thank you so much. I will give it another try using the same cones, except the one in the kiln’s Sitter🤞

[@meritaholmes5085]

Where can I get a cone chart? And what is a soak?

[@KaraLeighFordCeramics]

You can get cone charts from the internet, just type Orton Cone chart into google. They come in C and F.

[@meritaholmes5085]

Thank you so much sweetie 🙏

[@fairy01]

Is there a way I can touch up the gold luster on some antique tea sets without having to use a kiln but still have the same finishing effect? I was hand washing some of my tea sets and I must have scrubbed too hard because I noticed some of the gold luster started fading in some areas. I've looked everywhere online and haven't found a solution T.T please help!

[@alvaro31415]

Nao