One of my least favourite parts of the process, is cleaning the fibre glass prop out of the doll parts after the vitrification firing. I don’t want any prickly glass needles in there when I start pulling metal springs through it. It should not be allowed to become airborne.
A vitrification firing is a high temp kiln firing when the porcelain slip undergoes a chemical reaction that transforms it into a hard, glass-like structure, becoming non-porous and inert.
But right before it gets glass-hard, the porcelain first softens up and becomes vulnerable to sagging and warping. And since the ball-jointed doll parts need to fit into each other like a glove to be functional, the warping must be mitigated and minimized.
So, before each vitrification firing, I lightly stuff each part with fibre glass prop, to help support it during vitrification. I have to be careful to not over-stuff, as that may tear the parts, since they shrink during firing, while the prop does not.
Basically, many things can go wrong during the hot kiln firing, as many of you who’ve followed my work process know very well. That’s why before each firing, we always pray to the Old Fire Gods!! 🔥