I’m building a large octopus. It’s 16” x 12” x 9”. Firstly, will it fit? Secondly if I hollow out parts of the head and underside how long should it dry for? Should I worry about supporting the legs? Any other tips for a newbie?
7 Likes
IDK anything about your technical answers … but it’s a really cool piece. I hope it works out!
3 Likes
That’s a really cool octopus! It should fit our kilns, the largest one has a 27x27in hexagonal opening.
I would say that if you’re are able to hollow the body some you should dry it for at least a month. I know other members have made similarly sized sculpted pieces and those have been air drying for 2-4 months; just to be sure that it is fully dry and it wont explode in the kiln.
It looks like you have some glass supporting the body, and the legs aren’t actually bearing any weight?
If that’s the case, I would make that same support with kiln washed bisque, or kiln brick/shelf, so there’s no stress on the legs that might cause them to warp when firing.
@coffeebean is our current kiln team lead and might be able to give some more feedback to get this piece fired safely.
6 Likes
All what Kevin says is good…please let it dry a few months to be on the safe side. And i would definitely make sure he is supported like you have now otherwise he will sag during firing and break. If possible…we would definitely ask for your help when we load your piece when it is time. That way you can protect it as much as possible.
6 Likes
Agree with what’s been said, also keep in mind clay becomes somewhat plastic during the firing and it’s quite likely the legs (thin tips) will sag somewhat during the firing so it will probably be a bit different after firing - really nice work though.
4 Likes
Thanks all, this is really helpful. I have a bit more work to do on completing the suction cups and adding detail to the eyes. I think I’ll create some sort of lava rock he’s hanging out on to replace the current glass support. My last sculpture broke in half in the kiln even though I let her dry for a month so I desperately want to avoid that again.
2 Likes
Is the head solid? Not hollowed out?
1 Like
Head is hollow.
That is good news. To be safe…if you love this piece…i would give it 3 months. I have a sculpture that i did in July, and i am still waiting to be sure he is dry. Don’t take chances with a piece you have worked so hard on.
1 Like
When you get the octopus finished, you should make a "cookie’ for it to sit on. I would make a large flat plate, and make the support pieces separately. That way you’ll still be able to use the flat cookie for other pieces. You’ll also be able to bisque fire those ahead of time. That will give you a stable item to move the octopus into the kiln.
4 Likes
Absolutely. I learned my lesson with this one. I am pretty bummed she broke. I put a lot of energy into her.
1 Like
Sculpting is done, around 700 suction cups. 
I have already hollowed out the head before I attached it, but I really feel like I need to hollow out the underside where the mouth/beak would be. Any suggestions for how to accomplish this without breaking it?
1 Like
Jules Verne would be impressed!
1 Like
All i can say is good luck. You will have to be very careful.
1 Like
Can you set it on top of a big plastic salad bowl with a hole cut in the bottom, and then somehow climb under it and hollow it through the hole in the salad bowl?
1 Like
Dang that would have been a great solution! I was mostly successful in hollowing out the base, I did snap a piece of tentacle off. It’s been “glued” back together with slip….we’ll see how it fares over the next few months.
2 Likes