Nope! You can do a single firing. Just take the usual precautions, make sure the greenware is as dry as possible plus a long and slow candling. The speed at which you ramp up to the final cone should be on the slower side as well. We single fire our unglazed. Which is nice, since glazing stuff is such a pain lol.When firing unglazed containers, is there any need/advantage to doing a bisque fire before the final fire to cone 5? Or do you just do a single firing for unglazed?
The main thing is my friend, find out what works for you. Every defeat is a victory.
Don't trust any answer that claims to be the only "right" way.
There is a very well known raku artist that typically fires a single piece up to six times and he produces amazing ware. Would I do this? Probably not. But I must say that his work is far better than mine. Of course raku is at much lower temperatures that most of us would consider bisque. Still, just saying don't trust anyone with all the answers. And though you may find "textbook" advice, it is not the same as "hands on" advice.
One thing most (certainly not all) potters agree on is that slow is best in all firing stages but particularly bisque. But I know a certain well known raku artist from Hawaii who can throw a pot in the morning and fire it in the afternoon.
I bisque everything. While you can run 1 firing on unglazed pots, I put too much time in to have one explode and ruin everything on the shelf.
have one explode
It’s a commitment you need to take if you truly want to understand it
This is a guy I went to university with, Bill Campbell. His pottery was sold around the world and he had 30 employees. He too, only single fired. He used electric kilns and would soak for hours a max temperature to insure off-gasping.
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Single firing is something you need to read about, try and experiment with. It’s a commitment you need to take if you truly want to understand it. Personally I have been put into a position that it would be very convenient for me to single fire a pot along with some other bisqued pots and was seriously pondering it. I chose not to for the risk/reward ratio.
When I was in college with him, he was in his mid-40s (1972-76) and he was foolin’ with those same glazes. We all asked, “hey, who’s the old guy”. When I went back to school to reintroduce myself to ceramics I was 55. I can only speculate on what my fellow students were pondering. Bills glazes have all evolved with amazing results. His pottery is nearby, although now closed because of his recent retirement. Edinboro has an extraordinary ceramic dept. 5-star although it’s going through a drastic restructuring currently. Not sure it will end well. I can give you a first rate tour if you come for a workshop this spring.A very lucid pondering .
A have only one Bill Campbell pot in my collection. It is a crystalline glaze.
Thank you for that offer my friend. I hope it will happen.When I was in college with him, he was in his mid-40s (1972-76) and he was foolin’ with those same glazes. We all asked, “hey, who’s the old guy”. When I went back to school to reintroduce myself to ceramics I was 55. I can only speculate on what my fellow students were pondering. Bills glazes have all evolved with amazing results. His pottery is nearby, although now closed because of his recent retirement. Edinboro has an extraordinary ceramic dept. 5-star although it’s going through a drastic restructuring currently. Not sure it will end well. I can give you a first rate tour if you come for a workshop this spring.