Abstract
A Simple Experiment on the Lowest Firing Degree of Shaped Pottery Clay
In an easily accessible publication, which includes the subject of restoration and conservation of ceramic and cini Traditional Turkish culture’s ceramics low-fired ceramics were incorrectly stated as "0-600OC degrees" and this statement was cited in a master’s thesis. Although it is obvious that the expression is wrong because ceramic cannot be fired at zero degree, in point of fine arts view, as a producer, it is aimed to clarify and to understand what is happening to the clay by sense of sight and touch. For an item to be qualified as terracotta or ceramic, pot, it should be used primarily. Most of the pottery products are used in contact with water. In order to achieve the stated purpose, besides the literature search on clay, general firing and low firing limited to 573OC, an experiment that can be described as simple was conducted. The simple experiment covers the applications of shaping two different potter's clays, heating them starting from 573OC, decreasing the temperature by 50 degrees according to the kiln gauge, then soaking in water and reshaping them. In addition to the other information observed in the simple experiment as the forms fired at 50 degrees lower temperature than 573OC are not resistant to water and can be recycled and reused. It was observed that, as the experts stated, 573OC should be shown as the lowest temperature while classifying the terracotta, pottery products according to their firing degree.
Keywords
Fired Clay, Cini, Low Firing, Bonfire, Tile Restoration
