Can I finish clay in my toaster oven?
Hi....I don't have a kiln and I want to dry a few pieces of green ware....can I do this in my toaster oven or regular oven?
thanks!
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Since excess moisture can cause a piece to explode in the high temperatures of a kiln, it's a good idea to pre-bake it in your kitchen oven. This will assist in the drying process in a gentle way, so that you can be confident of your greenware being absolutely bone dry when you put it into your kiln.
Just start it off at your oven's lowest temperature, and then add another fifty degrees every twenty minutes up to 350 degrees. Hold it at 350 for half an hour, then turn the oven off and let everything cool. Once it's cool enough not to burn you, you can transfer it directly into the kiln.
Never microwave! The driest parts of the clay get too hot, and the work will explode with the steam pressure from within. Also that heating dry things in microwave ovens is bad for the oven and have the potential to void the guarantee that came with your shiny new microwave oven.
No you can not bake greenware in your oven. Maybe like suggested above to dry it out, but a household oven will not get hot enough to turn your clay into a ceramic. From green ware to bisque needs to be in the 1950 degree range. Look in your neighborhood for one of those paint your own pottery places and see if they can fire it for you. The only name place I can think of is one that is local to me called Color me mine. They will probably charge you a fee of some kind.
thanks Nadine, I'll look closer to Niagara Falls.....