Burning

The dried objects are then burnt in special muffle furnaces. A typical muffle furnace is shown in Fig. 4.3. A muffle furnace has the provision to heat the product without coming into contact with fuels. In order to regulate the drought a damper is provided at the side of the furnace.

Figure 4.3 Muffle furnace to burn terra-cotta

The dried products are arranged in the muffle furnace. The temperature of the kiln is raised to about 1,200ºC (Fig. 4.3). This temperature is maintained for 4 days. The burnt products are allowed then to cool for a period of about 5 days in the furnace itself. In order to get a glazed surface, the glazed material has to be applied by a brush on terra-cotta products before they are burnt.