How To Make Ceramic Beads In A Kiln

How to make ceramic beads and buttons.

How to make ceramic beads in a kiln.

The colors so bold and vibrant really catch the eye. But once the beads have been bisque fired and then glazed they must be suspended by stilt rods also called bead rods. Since the beads are glazed they cannot be placed on the kiln shelf. Where regular clay forms are placed into a cold kiln in raku the clay is often preheated and loaded into a hot kiln.

All my clay jewellery and keepsakes are fired using this method and painted with acrylic paints. Ceramic greenware beads can be piled onto the kiln shelf. You can find another instructable on diy clay jewellery where i have elaborated on making a pair of cute clay earrings. However the pieces turn strong and the clay molecules bond together similar to kiln firing making it insoluble in water.

As the process for making any ceramic bead includes kiln firing i recommend taking a class or finding a friend with a kiln to practice the technique before buying expensive equipment. Looks like my kitchen table right now i m glazing beads to load in the kiln tonight. Raku ceramic beads are fairly special they re made slightly differently from other ceramics because of the firing process involved. Raku is an ancient pottery technique that dates back to 16 th century japan.

This will be a bisque firing. I use toothpicks to hold up my beads when i m glazing but your work space looks much more festive. Your clay is fired without any glazes applied to the bead. String your beads on the rod or rods and place the rod in the holder.

After your piece has been glazed the light will bounce off the glass making it look quite a lot like a precious jewel. Stilt rods are made from the same type of wire as kiln heating elements though the rods are. This is an accessory onto which your beads are strung and which will stop the beads from touching each other. Piercing staining glazing and firing.

Open your kiln and place your bead holder in the kiln. I love your work and all your colors.