FIRING

The firing of wares in the kiln was one of the hardest, most complex and uncertain of all clay pottery production stages. This moment –when the unfired ware was locked away inside the kiln- was the only time the potter lost the absolute control which until then he had maintained over the product. The potters used all of his experience to make sure the firing process was successful, since a wasted batch could mean the irretrievable loss of many hard days of work.

Formerly, firing techniques varied depending on whether the pieces to be fired came with coating (slips and glazing) or did not (black pottery and red rustic pottery). These two types of production determined important aspects of the kiln stacking technique.

Nowadays, gas and electric-powered kilns have eliminated the guesswork in the firing process and guarantee proper firing whilst facilitating the placement of the wares inside the kiln.