Johnny come lately here......while browsing youtube a few months ago, I came across this video:
Capt. Mike - Microwave Kiln Bisque
I was truly impressed and shocked that with this kiln I could make ceramic jewelry and small ceramic pieces at home! There are several helpful videos on his channel and I learned from all of them, although he does put a lot of focus on glass fusing.
There's quite a learning curve to this particular craft, most of it is trial by error. You will find little information available across the internet specific to making ceramics with a microwave kiln.
Jumping right in......
I purchased my kiln through Amazon - Approx. $43
Next you will need a dedicated 1,000 watt microwave. (there is no way you can ever use this microwave for food) of course you will need clay!
You need to have an open air space, especially where there is a window you can open. I put my microwave outside in my screen room.
You must have heat resistant gloves!
My first microwave kiln! That arrived with absolutely no instructions whatsoever!
Same thing happened when I purchased a 2nd kiln. No instructions.
You're on your own.
Shelf Liner
You will need to get the shelf liners for your unit.
For the large unit you will need the 4.7" round.
While waiting for my fist kiln to arrive I started making a batch of clay pieces
to be ready for my first bisque firing.
Everything went great..........the first time!
Soon the problems will arise, without rhyme or reason.
Most especially when you don't let your pieces dry thoroughly. The pieces could be the same size, same thickness and boom, there's an explosion. During the first three minutes during bisque firing phase is when a potential problem could appear.
This is what I'd call a boom!
This occurred during the first 3 minutes of bisque firing. You will hear pop, pop, pop........as the pieces pop and explode. In the photo you can see that 2 of the pendants are fine, but 2 have exploded. I keep a bowl of water nearby and then gently remove the 2 good pendants off the shelf, and dump the rest in the bowl of water. Continue the firing process.
Typically, a 1/8" thick piece will take from 4-7 days to dry. I've dried larger pieces that take up to 2 weeks or longer.
Capt. Mike uses 3 minute increments to fire and I do the same. He mentioned that for bisque firing it may take anywhere from 15-18 minutes. Glaze firing takes less time. I focus more on the fire coming from the kiln to know when to remove from the microwave.
You can checkout my Artsy Whims Shop for samples of items I've made with the microwave kiln.
If you're anxious to get going you will need some clay to play with:
From Amazon you can purchase Laguna - Whiteware Clay (Low-Fire)
or my favorite place is www.clay-king.com - White Earthenware Clay (Low-Fire)
Note: The microwave kiln can only fire up to 6 cone, so therefore the clay, glazes, underglaze transfers, all need to be for low-fire.
