Once your plate is bone dry, it can be bisque fired. When loading the kiln, be careful not to allow the plate's bottom to overlap any joints between kiln shelves. The slight movement of the ware and the shelves during firing can put enough stress on the floor to cause it to crack.
After it has cooled and been unloaded, you can glaze your plate. Again, make certain to match the glaze maturation temperature and the clay body's maturation temperature. Also, only use food-safe gloss glazes.In our example plate, two different mid-range blue glazes have been used. The dark blue was not only used for the rim, but also trailed across the surface of the floor after the turquoise glaze had been applied.
Once the applied glazes have dried completely, your plate is ready for its glaze firing. After it has cooled and been unloaded from the kiln, it is ready for use.
Check out other plate ideas in the Plate Gallery.