Expert: Leisha Hiester - 2/7/2010

Question
I am a teacher who did a class project with my first graders and we painted some bisque plates with underglazes and then a clear brillance glaze.  This was our first ceramic project and because we didn't know any better, we painted the bottom of the plates too.  Can we even fire these pieces or will they stick to the kiln and ruin the kiln???  Is there anyway to save these pieces and fire them  safely????   I was told to paint the bottom by another teacher and I should have read on the internet more?? Thanks for your help.

Answer
Linda,
You can fire them two ways; You can 'stilt' them when putting them into the kiln or you can wipe off the glaze on the bottom of each piece with a damp sponge prior to firing. If your school has a kiln, you probably have stilts. Here's a link to help you understand stilts:

http://www.baileypottery.com/kilnfurniture/stilts.htm

Hope this helps. leisha