Fire test tiles in oxidation
Before you can understand the difference between oxidation and reduction, you need a baseline. Electric kilns fire in oxidation (full oxygen atmosphere), which is your starting point.
The exercise
- Glaze six test tiles with different glazes from your studio
- Fire them in a standard electric (oxidation) kiln to your target cone
- After firing, document each tile:
- Color (photograph in natural light)
- Surface texture (glossy, matte, satin?)
- Any defects (pinholing, crawling, etc.)
Build your reference set
Label each tile with:
- Glaze name/recipe
- Cone fired to
- "Oxidation"
- Date
These become your permanent oxidation reference. When you later fire the same glazes in reduction, you'll have a direct comparison.