"Orton" Opera Glasses

Orton Cone Box Entries

The Orton Cone Company, ,supplies us with pyrometric cones. These cones are made of clay bodies that are formulated to melt at certain temperatures Fahrenheit. Ceramic artists working in Porcelain, Stoneware and low fire clays, and various glazes depend on cones. The cones tell us when our kilns have gotten to the correct temperatures to mature the clay bodies or melt the glazes. We are always concerned that our clay pieces don't melt from over firing and that the glazes don't run off our creations ruining our pieces, causing damage to the shelf or the inside of the kiln. When the cone reaches its temperature, it will bend at a 90 degree angle. My pieces have gone through kiln firing temperatures of about 1800 degrees to 2300 degrees .

Every 4 years the Orton Ceramic Cone Company sponsors a call for entries among ceramic artists internationally. We are invited to enter two pieces that must fit inside the dimensions of one of their pyrometric cone boxes, to measure no larger than 3"x 3" x 6".

2006 entry: "A Perfect cone 6"
Stoneware with Georgie glazes, 3"x 3" x 6"