Clay: Firing Defects

Our firings are carried out either with wood or with charcoal, which can cause several problems during the process. Here are a few of them.

Explosions

There are several types of explosions that can be dangerous, as pieces of clay may be projected in all directions, sometimes still hot.

But why does clay explode during firing?

There are several reasons for this:

• One of the main causes is insufficient drying of the clay.

When it still contains too much water, the latter turns into steam during firing.

The formation of steam creates internal pressure that can lead to explosions.

In some specific cases, it is possible to fire damp clay, but this requires very careful control to avoid thermal shock.

A thermal shock occurs when there is a sudden change in temperature, such as pouring boiling water into an ordinary glass (not borosilicate), which causes it to shatter.

• Weather conditions also play a role. For example, if the air humidity is high after heavy rain, the risk of explosions increases.