After returning home, Zhou Ziwen walked into the yard quietly. Seeing that Chen Qiaoyi and Yueyue were still sleeping, he did not disturb them. Instead, he went to the backyard to try to fire ceramics.
He had already built the kiln yesterday, and the clay for making ceramics was almost dried. All the preliminary preparations had been completed, and now the only thing left was the final firing step.
Zhou Ziwen first checked the kiln to make sure nothing was missing before he began preparing to fire the ceramics.
He first mixed the dried clay into mud, picked out the pebbles and impurities in the clay, then added water and stirred it until the clay reached the right softness.
Then he began to knead the clay to expel the bubbles in the clay and make it denser.
He placed the kneaded clay on a wooden board and began to make ceramics by hand.
Zhou Ziwen's pottery skills have reached level six, and he is very proficient in the techniques of making ceramics.
He first molds the general shape of the ceramic with his hands, and then uses a scraper to trim it to make the surface smooth.
He plans to start by making some simple tableware, such as bowls, plates, small jars, etc.
After a while, several ceramic embryos of different shapes were completed.
Zhou Ziwen carefully placed the embryos into the kiln and started to light the fire.
Firing ceramics requires controlling the temperature well. If the fire is too high, it will easily crack, and if the fire is too low, it will not burn through.
Zhou Ziwen observed the situation inside the kiln through the observation hole and added firewood from time to time to maintain the temperature inside the kiln.
Firing ceramics takes a certain amount of time and cannot be completed in a short time.
Generally speaking, kiln firing is divided into three steps.
The first step is heating, which requires gradually raising the temperature inside the kiln to the required firing temperature.
The heating rate should be controlled according to factors such as the type of kiln and the material of the fired object. Too fast a heating rate may cause the object to crack. Generally speaking, the heating stage may take from a few hours to more than ten hours.
Zhou Ziwen only made small items, which did not take long, only a few hours.
The second step is heat preservation. When the firing temperature is reached, it needs to be maintained for a period of time to ensure that the object is fully sintered.
This process also takes several hours.
The last step is cooling down. After firing is completed, the kiln door cannot be opened immediately. It needs to be cooled down slowly to prevent the objects from cracking due to sudden temperature changes.
The cooling time is relatively long, requiring seven or eight hours.
Zhou Ziwen looked at the time. It was three o'clock in the afternoon. Once the first two steps were completed, the day would almost be over.
As for the last step, you can only wait for it to cool down naturally.
When he wakes up tomorrow morning, if nothing goes wrong, his ceramics will have been fired.
Knowing that Zhou Ziwen was firing ceramics, Zhou Chaoyang, Shen Zhaodi and Tang Yaoyao were also very interested and ran over to watch.
They gathered around the kiln and looked at Zhou Ziwen's busy figure curiously.
"Brother Zhou, can you fire this ceramic successfully?" Zhou Chaoyang asked.
"It should be no problem. I've learned it." Zhou Ziwen answered confidently.
"You've learned this?" Shen Zhaodi was a little surprised.
She didn't know that Zhou Ziwen had this ability.
"I taught myself." Zhou Ziwen answered calmly and continued to fire ceramics.
"You can even learn this? Brother Ziwen, you are so amazing!" Tang Yaoyao said in amazement.
"Haha, no big deal." Zhou Ziwen was not modest at all.
With the auto-switch panel, he can learn anything quickly and succeed in everything.
Even some metaphysical inner alchemy and meditation can be learned.
At this time, the temperature inside the kiln gradually rose under Zhou Ziwen's careful control.
He stared at the observation hole intently, adding firewood in time according to the situation in the kiln to ensure a smooth heating process.
Zhou Chaoyang, Shen Zhaodi and Tang Yaoyao watched intently from the side, and they admired Zhou Ziwen's ability more and more.
As time passed and the sun slowly set, Zhou Ziwen was still concentrating on firing ceramics.
Although Zhou Chaoyang, Chen Zhaodi and Tang Yaoyao were very curious at first, they felt a little bored after a while.
"Brother Zhou, how long will it take you to finish firing these ceramics?" Zhou Chaoyang yawned.
"It will be almost done tonight, and we'll be able to see the finished product tomorrow morning," Zhou Ziwen replied.
"Then let's come back tomorrow. It's time for dinner and I have to go back to cook." Shen Zhaodi stretched.
"Okay, you guys go back first, I'll stay here for a while." Zhou Ziwen nodded.
"Then Brother Zhou, we'll come again tomorrow." Zhou Chaoyang said, and left with Shen Zhaodi and Tang Yaoyao.
After they left, Zhou Ziwen continued to guard the kiln until he was sure that the temperature had reached the level he wanted, and then he stopped adding firewood.
"Brother Ziwen, it's time to eat."
At this time, Chen Qiaoyi also came to the backyard holding Yueyue.
"I'm coming." Zhou Ziwen heard Chen Qiaoyi's voice and responded with a smile. Then he carefully checked the kiln and made sure everything was normal. Then he stood up, dusted off his body, and walked towards Chen Qiaoyi.
"Yiyi, you eat first. I'll come after washing my hands." Zhou Ziwen said to Chen Qiaoyi.
"It's okay, I'll wait for you." Chen Qiaoyi smiled gently.
Zhou Ziwen quickly washed his hands and then returned to the house with Chen Qiaoyi.
The food was already on the table. Although simple, it exuded an enticing aroma.
"Let's eat!" Chen Shiying walked over and said.
Zhou Ziwen nodded, sat down, and began to eat. While he ate, he chatted with Chen Qiaoyi and Chen Shiying about the progress of the ceramic firing, telling them that they would be able to see the finished product tomorrow morning.
Chen Qiaoyi and Chen Shiying were both looking forward to it. They imagined what the ceramic tableware made by Zhou Ziwen would look like.
After dinner, Zhou Ziwen went back to the backyard to check the temperature of the kiln. After confirming that there was no abnormal temperature change, he returned to the house with peace of mind.
At night, Zhou Ziwen went to bed very late and did not go back to his room to sleep until the insulation was finished. He even gave up his favorite night activities.
He lay in bed, still thinking about the ceramics in the kiln, wondering what the final product would look like. With such expectation, he slowly fell asleep.
The next morning, before dawn, Zhou Ziwen couldn't wait to wake up. He quickly put on his clothes and tiptoed to the backyard.
He took a deep breath and slowly opened the kiln door.
The heat from the kiln hit him in the face, but he didn't care about that, his eyes were fixed on the ceramics inside.
I saw that the ceramic embryos had been successfully fired into exquisite ceramic products.
The bowls are regular in shape and have a smooth surface; the plates are exquisite and beautiful with rounded edges; the small jars are small and cute with a uniform texture.
Zhou Ziwen excitedly picked up a bowl, looked at it carefully, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face.
“Success!”
Zhou Ziwen chuckled. Although firing ceramics was easy for him with his sixth-level pottery skills, he was still quite nervous about actually doing it for the first time. (End of this chapter)
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