A common problem in firing
bottles is that they may roll into one another and stick, making both bottles
useless.
One way to overcome this is to
let the bottle find its heavy point by
setting on smooth and level surface. It will gently roll to one direction
before slowly coming back in the other. When it stops this oscillation, the
heaviest part of the bottle will be on the bottom. Mark the bottle in some way so you can move
to the kiln in that position. If after this, it rolls in the kiln, then your
shelf is not level.
Additional assurance against rolling
is putting a small piece of thin fibre paper (1 or 2 mm)at each side of the point the
bottle touches the shelf. Thinfire and
Papyros are not enough to ensure there will be no movement. But the small bumps
of fibre paper are enough to stop the bottle from rolling.
Sometimes you want a particular part
of the bottle up or down, but it won’t stay in place. Then you need to put a slightly thicker piece
of fiber paper against the bottle on each side.
It is better if it is not Thinfire or Papyros as they tend to
disintegrate above 400C, long before the bottle begins to distort enough to
keep it in place.
Other materials you can use to prevent the bottle from
rolling are crumbled chalk, whiting, kiln wash, or even a few grains of sand.
Preventing bottles from rolling in the kiln is about
finding the natural heavy spot, or propping the bottle in place with a variety
of heat resistant materials.
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