Techniques are offered for ways to avoid winding up with air being trapped when firing projects in a kiln. Various situations are also covered that tend to lead to this problem including using side heat, working with defective shelves, creating projects that have extra weight near the edges, and firing projects with deep texture or loose pieces on the bottom. Article originally published on page 70 in the Spring 2021 issue of Glass Patterns Quarterly®. Design, Fabrication, and Text by Paul Tarlow