Greg Lamont on tue 12 aug 97
Hello all,
I have a recipe that calls for a small amount of wood ash and I'm wondering
if regular charcoal briquets be used to make wood ashfor glazes?
Thanks,
Greg
Craig Martell on wed 13 aug 97
At 11:38 AM 8/12/97 EDT, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Hello all,
>
>I have a recipe that calls for a small amount of wood ash and I'm wondering
>if regular charcoal briquets be used to make wood ashfor glazes?
Hi Greg:
In a word, yes.
David James on wed 13 aug 97
Greg
yes, I have used charcoal briquets in wood ash glazes, even the 40:40:20
formula; it seems to give a light cream colour. But you probably won't find
a more variable and unpredictable source than briquettes. Suggest you wash
very well.
David James
In Durban South Africa
where winter is prohibited
Louis Katz on thu 14 aug 97
You can use the ashes from charcoal briquets, of course, but you may not
get the results you want. To the best of my knowlege, which in this case
is rumor, charcoal briquets are often made with ground coal and not wood.
Those containing some hard wood may also contain some ground coal.
Although one might expect a great similarity between wood ash and coal
ash they are different. Ground coal also can contain significant amounts
of heavy metals. It is suggested that ground coal ash not be used on
gardens. I gave up cooking over charcoal when I learned this.
Louis
Louis Katz
Texas A&M University Corpus Campus
lkatz@falcon.tamucc.edu
NEW WEBSITE:http://maclab.tamucc.edu/lkatz/lkatz/index.html
Liz Dodge on sat 16 aug 97
There was a thread on this several months ago and the consensus, as I recall,
is that charcoal briquettes make a perfectly suitable ash for ash glaze
composition. I haven't tried it myself, but would love to know how it turns
out.
Liz Dodge
Berkeley, CA
Saralyn Lindsey on wed 10 feb 99
Hi!
Was looking at a receipe that called for wood ash and since I don't
have any, called Bailey's for some more ingredients. They, however,
told me that you had to make your own. Now I do have friends with
wood stoves, but don't know how to prepare the ash for using in a
glaze. Could someone please tell me how to prepare it for use? Thanks
so much, Sandy Lindsey in Mystic,CT.
_________________________________________________________
DO YOU YAHOO!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
Martin Howard on thu 11 feb 99
Saralyn, this is how I do it. You may find another method. I am sure the
Clayarters Ash brigade will add many. At least I hope so. We are all
learning from each other.
1 Find the nearest Ash Analysis in Frank and Janet Hamer's "The Potters
Dictionary" or Ash Glazes by Phil Rogers or similar. Of course, if you
can get a thorough analysis done of your ash, then get it (and pass it
on if the material is fairly pure, from one kind of wood for example).
2 Compare your ash with that called for in the recipe. There is a
tremendous difference between the different ashes:- e.g. apple wood 1.31
SiO2. Rice husk 94.35 SiO2. Each tree, each plant is different,
depending on its type and variety, whether leave, twig, branch, trunk or
root, the soil, location and time of growth. All would cause variation.
That is why there are very few analyses in the literature. clayart could
help if we had someone close by who would do the analysis for next to
nothing :-)) The ash from each person would also be different if we
could use it for glazes, but that is another story. Add to that whether
you are sieving the whole of the ash, i.e. just making everything pass
through your 100, 120 or closer mesh, or washing once, twice or more
often and only keeping those particles which pass through.
3 I have no doubt that one could make a complete range of ash glazes
from just one mound of ash, blended to suit your clay, cone and other
substances available. There is just such a mound of cricket bat willow
ash two fields away from me, and it looks as if it will keep me going
for a long, long time (unless the farmer clears it away). Then there is
the mixed, rubbish and general wood ash from a boiler, the straw ash
from another farmer, a carefully burned and collected oak ash and a
future ash from yew trees in our quaker burial ground.
4 I use a 120 sieve and just wash once, but it leaves a lot of cruddy
stuff on the sieve, which no doubt could have a purpose if I chose to
use it. For now I let that lie, well marked as to its origin. I cause
the ash to pass through the sieve by applying water and gently revolving
the sieve under the tap. A bristly brush helps to coerce the ash
through.
5 Dry the ash to dry powder state and only use it in that form to batch
up your recipe. Don't distort the recipe by adding unwanted H2O.
6 Batch up as per the recipe; but then do line tests, with the recipe
one in the middle, depending on the particular substances that YOUR ash
is either weak or strong in. For example, if your ash is apple, willow,
beech or birch, all low in silica, test with varying amounts of the main
silica producing substance of your recipe. You may need to do many line
tests to get it right. Then do more to perfect the imperfections.
ALL THE TIME WEAR PROTECTIVE CLOTHING. The ash is harmful, but less so
than most of the other chemicals we muck about with.
As a beginner in this, although 59 and trying to retire INTO pottery, I
find it fascinating and begrudge time spent away from the pottery in my
office dealing with other matters. Also, it is fun to be using otherwise
waste materials. Nothing within a pottery should be called waste. You
can extend that philosophy outside the pottery as well.
If you fire between cones 02 and 1, PLEASE let me know the results and I
will reciprocate with my findings. There seem to be lots of recipes for
06 downwards and 5 upwards, but little in the middle.
Martin Howard
Webbs Cottage Pottery and Press
Woolpits Road, Great Saling
BRAINTREE
Essex CM7 5DZ
01371 850 423
araneajo@gn.apc.org
mathers, kevin R on thu 11 feb 99
You can get Synthetic Wood Ash .. check Seatle Pottery Supply . I have never
used it . Does anyone have any Cone 10 recipes ?
Kevin
-----Original Message-----
From: Saralyn Lindsey [mailto:j_slindsey@yahoo.com]
Sent: Wednesday, February 10, 1999 8:42 AM
To: CLAYART@LSV.UKY.EDU
Subject: wood ash
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
Hi!
Was looking at a receipe that called for wood ash and since I don't
have any, called Bailey's for some more ingredients. They, however,
told me that you had to make your own. Now I do have friends with
wood stoves, but don't know how to prepare the ash for using in a
glaze. Could someone please tell me how to prepare it for use? Thanks
so much, Sandy Lindsey in Mystic,CT.
_________________________________________________________
DO YOU YAHOO!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
Theodore Banton on thu 11 feb 99
Preparing wood ash is quite simple. Take the ashes and soak them in water for
a couple of days. Pour off the water and dry the ash at the bottom. Make
sure to wear a respirator and gloves when handling the wet ash. Once the
washed ash has dried, pulverize it. It will crumple very easily. After that
point you can either sieve the ash or leave little chunks but do not allow
unburnt wood into the glaze. I always run all my glazes through a 60 mesh
sieve and my cone 6 ash glazes come out beautifully.
Ted
St. Augustine
joe & lisa cecere on thu 11 feb 99
We use a wood ash glaze and get the ash from woodstoves. I guess some
people may do stuff to it, but I just screen out the chunks and weigh it
out...never had a problem...and only had slight variations in the
glaze...which could be because my students...some new to glaze making could
vary any part of the the glaze formula( have had some wonderful mistakes
that could not be duplicated) Some say hard woods are the best. LKC
-----Original Message-----
From: Saralyn Lindsey
To: CLAYART@LSV.UKY.EDU
Date: Wednesday, February 10, 1999 5:46 AM
Subject: wood ash
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
Hi!
Was looking at a receipe that called for wood ash and since I don't
have any, called Bailey's for some more ingredients. They, however,
told me that you had to make your own. Now I do have friends with
wood stoves, but don't know how to prepare the ash for using in a
glaze. Could someone please tell me how to prepare it for use? Thanks
so much, Sandy Lindsey in Mystic,CT.
_________________________________________________________
DO YOU YAHOO!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
Susan Goldstein on thu 11 feb 99
In a message dated 2/10/99 8:47:12 AM Eastern Standard Time,
j_slindsey@yahoo.com writes:
<< Hi!
Was looking at a receipe that called for wood ash and since I don't
have any, called Bailey's for some more ingredients. They, however,
told me that you had to make your own. Now I do have friends with
wood stoves, but don't know how to prepare the ash for using in a
glaze. Could someone please tell me how to prepare it for use? Thanks >>
I don't do anything but run it through my kitchen sieve to remove large
chunks. Some people soak it in water first.
Jennifer Rhinesmith on thu 11 feb 99
Saralyn, I also use wood ash right out of a fire place. all I do is
sift it and put it in. Some will say to wash it first, but I never
have. I get beautiful wood ash glazes. Hope that helps, Jennifer in
Alpine, Tx
>Date: Wed, 10 Feb 1999 08:42:25 EST
>Reply-To: Ceramic Arts Discussion List
>From: Saralyn Lindsey
>Subject: wood ash
>To: CLAYART@LSV.UKY.EDU
>
>----------------------------Original
message----------------------------
>
>Hi!
>
>Was looking at a receipe that called for wood ash and since I don't
>have any, called Bailey's for some more ingredients. They, however,
>told me that you had to make your own. Now I do have friends with
>wood stoves, but don't know how to prepare the ash for using in a
>glaze. Could someone please tell me how to prepare it for use? Thanks
>so much, Sandy Lindsey in Mystic,CT.
>
>
>
>_________________________________________________________
>DO YOU YAHOO!?
>Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
______________________________________________________
Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
claypots on thu 11 feb 99
-------------------
Sandy, I use wood ash from the wood stove. I sieve it through house screen =
to
remove the large particles. You can sieve through progressively smaller =
screens
if you want to, but please do wear a mask since ash is so light and caustic.
Some people wash the ash to remove some of the caustic properties. I don't,=
and
I do wear gloves when glazing since the resulting glaze can be a bit =
caustic.
Hope this helps.
Debra
claypots=40lynchburg.net
Dale A. Neese on thu 11 feb 99
First make sure that the ash you gather is not contaminated with other burnt
materials.
Find out what type of wood pine, oak, etc. It is not necessary that just one
type of wood is burned but it makes the testing and results a little more
consistent. I have just burnt one wood, usually small branches, in a box
made of firebrick. This way I know what I am starting with. Sometimes I just
sieve out all of the unburned stuff, charcoal, and use it the amount the
recipe calls for. Other times I wash the ash in a large tub. Always wear
rubbergloves, dust mask and eye protection. Wood ash is very caustic. Let
the water run through the ash and the unburned material floats to the top
and can be scraped over the side of the tub. Keep adding fresh water and do
this several times until clear. Then I pour the ash through a fine sieve and
pour as much of the water and scum off. Then I lay it out to dry. Once the
ash is dry crumble it up into a powder and use as it is called for. If you
are going to be using wood ash, wash or prepare enough so that you won't run
out too soon. Once the work is done, the fun part begins, testing. Find a
starting point and record every event and result. Ash from different types
woods make the possibilities endless. Ash glazes can be very fluid,
especially if you use them with other glazes. Protect your shelves!
I fire to cone 10-11 reduction and use a locally dug clay 20% potash
feldspar 40% and wood ash 40%
Dale Tex
-----Original Message-----
From: Saralyn Lindsey
To: CLAYART@LSV.UKY.EDU
Date: Wednesday, February 10, 1999 7:46 AM
Subject: wood ash
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
Hi!
Was looking at a receipe that called for wood ash and since I don't
have any, called Bailey's for some more ingredients. They, however,
told me that you had to make your own. Now I do have friends with
wood stoves, but don't know how to prepare the ash for using in a
glaze. Could someone please tell me how to prepare it for use? Thanks
so much, Sandy Lindsey in Mystic,CT.
_________________________________________________________
DO YOU YAHOO!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
Gerlach Baas on thu 11 feb 99
Hi Saralyn,
Working with wood-ash-glazes is something I have been doing for 5 years
now. This is how
I prepare may ash:
1. Wear a professional dust mask! Dust that comes from ash is very bad
for your health.
2. Sieve the ash through a kitchen sieve
3. Mix the ash with water: 1/3 ash and 2/3 water
4. Let is rest for 24 hours
5. Remove the dirt that floats on the surface
6. Stir the ash
7. Repeat 4,5 and 6 until no dirt comes to the surface anymore
9. Remove the water without disturbing the ash at the bottom of the
container
10. Let is dry naturally
11. Sieve it through sieve 60 when the ash is bone dry
12. Stir the entire amout of ash so you will have an ash that has the
same composition on top and
bottom of the container.
Good luck. Let me know if you need more information.
Greetings from The Netherlands,
Gerlach Baas
Tom Buck on thu 11 feb 99
Saralyn L:
Wood ash can be from one plant (usually tree) species or from mixed
species, and the actual source will yield different results in a glaze.
Also, some recipes call for "raw" woodash; other use "washed" woodash. Raw
still has its alkalies (potash and soda) present and these are strong
fluxes but also soluble in the glaze water. This has to be factored into
the application, etc. Also the alkalies are tough on bare hands.
Washed ash is mixed CaO MgO P2O5 and SiO2, with very small amounts
of some other metallic oxides, all insoluble, so it is more like other raw
materials commonly used in glazes. Woodash should be screened (80-100
mesh) to remove lumps of char and unburned wood.
Glaze recipes calling for woodash often are designed as matts, dry
to satin, and should be applied to the outside of pots rather than say on
a plate or platter that may end up as a food server.
Tom Buck ) tel: 905-389-2339
& snailmail: 373 East 43rd St. Hamilton ON L8T 3E1 Canada
(westend Lake Ontario, province of Ontario, Canada).
On Wed, 10 Feb 1999, Saralyn Lindsey wrote:
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>
> Hi!
>
> Was looking at a receipe that called for wood ash and since I don't
> have any, called Bailey's for some more ingredients. They, however,
> told me that you had to make your own. Now I do have friends with
> wood stoves, but don't know how to prepare the ash for using in a
> glaze. Could someone please tell me how to prepare it for use? Thanks
> so much, Sandy Lindsey in Mystic,CT.
>
>
>
> _________________________________________________________
> DO YOU YAHOO!?
> Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com
>
Marvin S. Flowerman on fri 12 feb 99
Hi:The wood ash must be sifted in order to make it more compatible with the
other glaze ingredients.
If you do not have screens, you can construct simple wood frames (rectangular)
around which you can secure screening, starting with a 4 mesh size (i.e., four
holes to the inch) to screen out large particles.
Then, although it may be tedious, using smaller size screens until you get
down to at least 40 mesh keep screening the wood ash. If you havent't had
expeerience sifting this kind of material it simple involves shaking the
material on the screen in a sort of up and back motion so that the ash falls
down onto the screen and with each fall (stroke) some more ash filters
through.
Ultimately you will have a fine mesh wood ash which you can then use in your
glazes in the same way you would use any other ingredient.
I hope this helps you; good luck.
Marvin Flowerman (marvpots@aol.com)
Donn Buchfinck on fri 12 feb 99
just weight the ash out and put it into your glaze
you can screen the ash with a window screen to get the larger particles out
do not wash the ash
it takes away the part that is the flux and will only leave you the silica
just remember that different ashes do different things
softwood ash fluxes more
while as a hardwood has more silica and is a little more refractory
if you burned bamboo and tried to use the ash as a glaze it would be real
refractory
silica is what makes the plants stand up.
also ash from a traditional fireplace is better because the heat does not
break everything down and the good bits are still in the ash
the glaze gurus have a technical way of saying it but I like the term good
bits
Donn Buchfinck
Susan Goldstein on fri 12 feb 99
In a message dated 2/11/99 8:57:08 PM Eastern Standard Time, Tom.Buck@hwcn.org
writes:
<< Also, some recipes call for "raw" woodash; other use "washed" woodash. Raw
still has its alkalies (potash and soda) present and these are strong
fluxes but also soluble in the glaze water. This has to be factored into
the application, etc. >>
Does this imply that washed wood ash is less runny?
Susan
david p george on fri 12 feb 99
Ted,
I'm sure there are several of us who would enjoy trying your cone 6 ash
recipes if you would be willing to share. I know the usual caveats
apply....variability of ash, clay body, firing technique, etc, etc. I
usually don't wash my ash.....maybe I should?
dave
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NakedClay@aol.com on fri 12 feb 99
Tom,
I wonder if you might share one or two of your glaze recipies with us, using
wood ash as a flux.
----------------------- Your Message
------------------------------------------------------------
Glaze recipes calling for woodash often are designed as matts, dry
to satin, and should be applied to the outside of pots rather than say on
a plate or platter that may end up as a food server.
-----------------------------------------------------
Milton NakedClay@AOL.COM
Susan Goldstein on sat 13 feb 99
I'd love to try some cone 6 wood ash recipes that others have had some success
with. Please do post.
Thanks,
Susan
Tom Buck on sat 13 feb 99
Yes, Susan, one can say that washed woodash usually has little Na2O and
K2O in it, the main flux oxdes being chiefly CaO and MgO, then one will
need a higher cone/temperature to mature the glaze on the pot. Of course,
other ingredients in the recipe, and the amount of washed woodash, will
determine the actual cone at which the glaze will be mature. At a lower
cone, the mix will likely show an immature dry matt surface, and thus will
not be suitable for foodware. BTW, the best woodash glazed pots I have
seen all were fired at C10 in moderate reduction.
Tom Buck ) tel: 905-389-2339
& snailmail: 373 East 43rd St. Hamilton ON L8T 3E1 Canada
(westend Lake Ontario, province of Ontario, Canada).
On Fri, 12 Feb 1999, Susan Goldstein wrote:
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> In a message dated 2/11/99 8:57:08 PM Eastern Standard Time, Tom.Buck@hwcn.org
> writes:
>
> << Also, some recipes call for "raw" woodash; other use "washed" woodash. Raw
> still has its alkalies (potash and soda) present and these are strong
> fluxes but also soluble in the glaze water. This has to be factored into
> the application, etc. >>
>
> Does this imply that washed wood ash is less runny?
>
> Susan
>
Michelle Lowe on sun 14 feb 99
At 03:05 PM 2/13/99 EST, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>I'd love to try some cone 6 wood ash recipes that others have had some
success
>with. Please do post.
>
This was a wonderful pale translucent blue sort of reminiscent of celadon,
using unwashed hardwood ash. Almost transparent over red clay-
Pale Rutile Blue cone 6 ox
Gerstley Borate 8.45
Mag Carb 1.86
Whiting 15.30
Wood Ash 14.54
Neph Sy 15.55
Kaolin 10.91
Flint 33.39
Total 100.00
Add:
Rutile 1.69
Michelle Lowe, potter in the Phoenix desert \|/ |
mishlowe@indirect.com -O- | |
mishlowe@aztec.asu.edu /|\ | | |
|_|_|
____ |
http://www.amug.org/~mishlowe -\ /-----|-----
( )
<__>
Tom Buck on sun 14 feb 99
Milton asks for glazes using woodash. My own pots are mostly for food-use
so I avoid matt glazes on the dry side, hence I have not used glazes
containing woodash in the past. However, I do plan on trying some soon so
I have been reading up on this topic.
The best book on woodash glazes is probably one issued in 1975 by
Watson-Guptill, NYC: Joseph Grebanier's "Chinese Stoneware Glazes" Luckily
our public library shelves a copy. Another book, also on the shelf, is one
that covers some aspects of ash glazes. It is another W-G issue, namely
Herbert H. Sanders "Glazes for Special Effects" pub 1974.
After giving specific detail on how to prepared woodash from pine
and spruce woods, Grebanier cites this recipe for "Light Blue Chun"
56 Buckingham fs (now G-200 or Custer, and adjusted, slightly).
22 Flint
13 Whiting
9 Softwood ash
add 2.5% yellow ochre (hydrated iron oxide + a small amount of ballclay)
Grebanier's write-up then goes into a extremely elaborate
description of how to achieve this Blue Chun on a pot fired to C10 in
reduction. It is a glazing approach that will put a strain on all but the
most patient potter.
Since woodashes and their preparation are so highly variable,
Milton should be ready to do a lot of work and much testing to find one
ash-containing glaze that does something nice on his claybody. Perhaps the
simplest approach to using wood ash (washed and screened) is to take any
C10R glaze (or possibly a C6 ox one) and use woodash in place of whiting
and/or talc and/or wollastonite, on a gram for gram substitution first,
then say 50% more ash, and twice as much ash. Initial tests will indicate
whether line blends are needed to get the glaze surface you want.
Perhaps, though, before using woodash in a glaze
batch, you
should do what I am doing, consult the books by Grebanier and Sanders.
Tom Buck <
Tom.Buck@hwcn.org>) tel: 905-389-2339
& snailmail: 373 East 43rd St. Hamilton ON L8T 3E1 Canada
(westend Lake Ontario, province of Ontario, Canada).
On Fri, 12 Feb 1999 NakedClay@aol.com wrote:
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Tom,
>
> I wonder if you might share one or two of your glaze recipies with us, using
> wood ash as a flux.
> ----------------------- Your Message
> ------------------------------------------------------------
> Glaze recipes calling for woodash often are designed as matts, dry
> to satin, and should be applied to the outside of pots rather than say on
> a plate or platter that may end up as a food server.
> -----------------------------------------------------
> Milton NakedClay@AOL.COM
>
Barbara Lewis on tue 16 feb 99
The most beautiful Blue Chun glaze I've ever seen is one that we got during
a Phil Rogers Glaze Workshop using cherry ash. Barbara
At 01:14 PM 2/14/99 EST, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Milton asks for glazes using woodash. My own pots are mostly for food-use
>so I avoid matt glazes on the dry side, hence I have not used glazes
>containing woodash in the past. However, I do plan on trying some soon so
>I have been reading up on this topic.
> The best book on woodash glazes is probably one issued in 1975 by
>Watson-Guptill, NYC: Joseph Grebanier's "Chinese Stoneware Glazes" Luckily
>our public library shelves a copy. Another book, also on the shelf, is one
>that covers some aspects of ash glazes. It is another W-G issue, namely
>Herbert H. Sanders "Glazes for Special Effects" pub 1974.
> After giving specific detail on how to prepared woodash from pine
>and spruce woods, Grebanier cites this recipe for "Light Blue Chun"
> 56 Buckingham fs (now G-200 or Custer, and adjusted, slightly).
> 22 Flint
> 13 Whiting
> 9 Softwood ash
>add 2.5% yellow ochre (hydrated iron oxide + a small amount of ballclay)
> Grebanier's write-up then goes into a extremely elaborate
>description of how to achieve this Blue Chun on a pot fired to C10 in
>reduction. It is a glazing approach that will put a strain on all but the
>most patient potter.
> Since woodashes and their preparation are so highly variable,
>Milton should be ready to do a lot of work and much testing to find one
>ash-containing glaze that does something nice on his claybody. Perhaps the
>simplest approach to using wood ash (washed and screened) is to take any
>C10R glaze (or possibly a C6 ox one) and use woodash in place of whiting
>and/or talc and/or wollastonite, on a gram for gram substitution first,
>then say 50% more ash, and twice as much ash. Initial tests will indicate
>whether line blends are needed to get the glaze surface you want.
> Perhaps, though, before using woodash in a glaze
>batch, you
>should do what I am doing, consult the books by Grebanier and Sanders.
>
>Tom Buck <
>Tom.Buck@hwcn.org>) tel: 905-389-2339
>& snailmail: 373 East 43rd St. Hamilton ON L8T 3E1 Canada
>(westend Lake Ontario, province of Ontario, Canada).
>
>On Fri, 12 Feb 1999 NakedClay@aol.com wrote:
>
>> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>> Tom,
>>
>> I wonder if you might share one or two of your glaze recipies with us, using
>> wood ash as a flux.
>> ----------------------- Your Message
>> ------------------------------------------------------------
>> Glaze recipes calling for woodash often are designed as matts, dry
>> to satin, and should be applied to the outside of pots rather than say on
>> a plate or platter that may end up as a food server.
>> -----------------------------------------------------
>> Milton NakedClay@AOL.COM
>>
>
Wellspring Clayworks
5412 Well Spring Road
La Plata, MD 20646
blewis@crosslink.net
gretchm@BANET.NET on fri 16 feb 01
gretchm@banet.net wrote:
> Hi Clay buds, ---- Not too long ago (maybe it is loooog ago, its the memory thing you know) information from a source that I am not sure of, maybe a magazine or a workshop, stated that wood ash from an airtight wood stove was not as good to use for glazes as ash from a bonfire or a fireplace. My question ------- is the chemistry of the ash changed because of the lack of air? Does it have any thing to do with the method of fireing - wood - gas reduction - electric oxidation? AND does it make ----no, some, or a lot of difference in the quality of the glaze???? tia for all opinions on this subject.
> Just think its wonderful that there are so many people potting in this world. I have been dabbling in clay for at least 25 years and in that time I have met only 2 people who sculpt, one in stone and one in clay. I admit I have taken a few classes but did not get to know anyone in them to be friends as I am very shy. Thank you for all the wonderful information you so gererously give. I am coming to Charlotte for my first time NCECA. Looking forward to meeting everyone.
> The best to you all!
> Gretchen M. in Valhalla N.Y.-20 miles from NYC and searching for Spring!!!!!!
Dave Finkelnburg on fri 16 feb 01
>gretchm@banet.net wrote:
>
>> information ...stated that wood ash from an airtight wood stove was not
as good to use for >glazes as ash from a bonfire or a fireplace. My
question ------- is the chemistry of the ash changed >because of the lack of
air....
Gretchen,
The glaze-forming chemicals (calcium, silica, manganese, phosphorous,
iron, etc) are still in the ash, regardless of the source. The material
changed is carbon. Carbon tends to burn out fairly completely in a good
oxidizing flame. An airtight stove can really be a good charcoal kiln -- a
kiln designed to make charcoal by burning wood and leaving the carbon
behind.
IF the airtight stove is operated correctly (allowed to burn with enough
air to completely burn the fuel in the stove and not just pollute the air by
distilling off the volatiles) the ash will be fine for glaze. If you find
an excessive amount of pieces of black charcoal in it, though, you may want
to find another ash source.
Good glazing!
Dave Finkelnburg in sunny (today) southern Idaho
Louis Katz on fri 16 feb 01
If however you get your wood ash from a potters kiln, much of the alkalis will
already have evaporated during the firing. The ash will be less caustic and more
refractory. It may be that open burning allows even less to volatalize.
Louis
Trying to keep my posts short.
Louis.Katz@mail.tamucc.edu
Marcia Selsor on fri 16 feb 01
Dear Dave,
Has anyone tried the ash from Pellet stoves? I am collecting it and
planning on testing soon as I am able. It seems to be very fine and well
burned ash. I just don't know what by-products are used to make the pellets.
Marcia
Dave Finkelnburg wrote:
>
> >gretchm@banet.net wrote:
> >
> >> information ...stated that wood ash from an airtight wood stove was not
> as good to use for >glazes as ash from a bonfire or a fireplace. My
> question ------- is the chemistry of the ash changed >because of the lack of
> air....
>
> Gretchen,
> The glaze-forming chemicals (calcium, silica, manganese, phosphorous,
> iron, etc) are still in the ash, regardless of the source. The material
> changed is carbon. Carbon tends to burn out fairly completely in a good
> oxidizing flame. An airtight stove can really be a good charcoal kiln -- a
> kiln designed to make charcoal by burning wood and leaving the carbon
> behind.
> IF the airtight stove is operated correctly (allowed to burn with enough
> air to completely burn the fuel in the stove and not just pollute the air by
> distilling off the volatiles) the ash will be fine for glaze. If you find
> an excessive amount of pieces of black charcoal in it, though, you may want
> to find another ash source.
> Good glazing!
> Dave Finkelnburg in sunny (today) southern Idaho
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
--
Marcia Selsor
selsor@imt.net
http://www.imt.net/~mjbmls
http://www.imt.net/~mjbmls/Tuscany2001.html
kevin boyle on mon 9 apr 01
I'm running low on my favorite wood ash glaze and my "sources" for more ash
have dried up! I was wondering what suggestions for making more ash
(quickly and cleanly, that is the ash) fellow clayarters might have. I was
thinking about cutting some holes in the bottom/side of a metal trash can
(ala sawdust firing) and cramming it full of wood and torching it. I'm a
renter and don't have a fireplace or woodstove.....
Any other suggestions???
Muchas gracias,
Kevin Boyle
Nightbird Pottery
Elkins, WV USA
in wet WV where they're calling for 80 degrees F
and the apple trees are budding out (last week it was snowing and 15 F....)
Dale Neese on mon 9 apr 01
Do you have a Barbecue place near by? I have used ashes from a huge pile
outback of a shop.
Usually sieve some and wash some. Since the hardwood is mostly used for
smoking the meat instead of cooking over it there is not any grease
drippings to contend with. And it's free.
Dale Tex
Hank Murrow on mon 9 apr 01
Kevin Boyle wrote;
>I'm running low on my favorite wood ash glaze and my "sources" for more ash
>have dried up! I was wondering what suggestions for making more ash
>(quickly and cleanly, that is the ash) fellow clayarters might have. I was
>thinking about cutting some holes in the bottom/side of a metal trash can
>(ala sawdust firing) and cramming it full of wood and torching it. I'm a
>renter and don't have a fireplace or woodstove.....
> Any other suggestions???
Well, you mention that the orchards around you are in bloom, so why don't
you see if you can obtain a huge pile of their prunings. Then you can find
a concrete slab where you can burn the pile down to ash without suffering
the contamination which would accompany burning on dirt or in a can. The
dirt picked up by limbs scraped across the ground WILL contaminate (or
bless) your ash, as most of the wood burns away, leaving such dirt a large
and unknown component of what remains as ash.
Now Jeff Lawrence in New Mexico could just burn his ash on one of those
rhyolitic pods he mines for porcelain and get a real blessing!
Good prospecting, Hank in Eugene
Bret Hinsch on sat 28 apr 01
You can also mix up synthetic ash using ordinary raw materials. Tichane'=
s
book on ash glazes and several other books carry good recipes. I've gott=
en
good results with the recipes for "typical Chinese wood ash" in Nigel Woo=
d's
book "Chinese Glazes". These recipes reproduce the sorts of wood ash use=
d
in ancient Chinese glazes. Although synthetic ash lacks the complexity o=
f
real wood ash, it's more reliable if you long term consistency and it's a=
lso
a lot cheaper than buying the real thing. The chemical composition of
different kinds of wood ash varies enormously, so a synthetic ash is boun=
d
to be very close to wood ash of some kind.
Bret in Taipei
_________________________________________________________________
Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com
Linda Fletcher on sat 28 apr 01
If there are any pizza places in your area that=3D20
cook with wood, they are more than happy to=3D20
have you take the ash away.
Linda
mudsinger in NH...hoping the mud season=3D20
passes us by !
Joyce Lee on mon 6 aug 01
That last post triggered a reminder that I have a bushel or so of wood =
ash that somebody gave me a couple of years ago. I had no idea how to =
use it then and more or less forgot about it. Now,
I'm a little more cognizant of possible methods of using it in/on =
glazes. I, of course, plan to experiment myself, but would appreciate =
any tidbits of DOs and DON'Ts that you might be willing to share for an =
ancient-lady potter who has a small amount of knowledge...... about =
which she isn't totally confident..... and a greater supply of =
ignorance. I know we've spoken of woodfiring and woodash many times and =
I have resource materials available which I will pursue..... but would =
appreciate the above if you have time and inclination.
I'm thinking that the petroglyph work I'm doing might benefit from the =
addition of wood in some form or another ..... so far, they're all dark =
clay.. and I have no idea how to glaze them and not lose the detail....
Somewhere in here there is a question or two.
Thank you.
Joyce
In the Mojave
Hank Murrow on mon 6 aug 01
Joyce wrote:
>That last post triggered a reminder that I have a bushel or so of wood ash
>that somebody gave me a couple of years ago. I had no idea how to use it
>then and more or less forgot about it. Now,
>I'm a little more cognizant of possible methods of using it in/on glazes.
>I, of course, plan to experiment myself, but would appreciate any tidbits
>of DOs and DON'Ts that you might be willing to share for an ancient-lady
>potter who has a small amount of knowledge...... about which she isn't
>totally confident..... and a greater supply of ignorance. I know we've
>spoken of woodfiring and woodash many times and I have resource materials
>available which I will pursue..... but would appreciate the above if you
>have time and inclination.
>
>I'm thinking that the petroglyph work I'm doing might benefit from the
>addition of wood in some form or another ..... so far, they're all dark
>clay.. and I have no idea how to glaze them and not lose the detail....
>
>Somewhere in here there is a question or two.
>Thank you.
Dear Joyce;
First, you want to decide whether or not to wash the ash. This
decision is based on whether or not you want the benefits (irridescence,
higher fluxing) enough to put up with the downside (chemistry of glazes
containing solubles is always changing as you use the glaze___witness shino
addicts mixing fresh each time!
Then, I would make a Currie grid tile with 40% ash/60% spar in the
"C" corner. This will get you in the ballpark quickly___refine the glazes
from there.
The other question is about adding either charcoal or ash to the
firing. I have only experience adding several hundred # of charcoal at the
end of an anagama firing. This was big chunks of charcoal used for forging
metal.The wares came out quite reduced, cool in color, and crusty. Not my
cup of anagama tea!
Good hunting, Hank
Lee Love on tue 7 aug 01
----- Original Message -----
From: "Hank Murrow"
> The other question is about adding either charcoal or ash to the
> firing. I have only experience adding several hundred # of charcoal at the
> end of an anagama firing. This was big chunks of charcoal used for forging
> metal.The wares came out quite reduced, cool in color, and crusty. Not my
> cup of anagama tea!
Shimaoka's Yohen (changing chamber) fired work is much different.
Charcoal is added into the Yohen chamber when the second chamber reaches
temperature, after the main fire chamber is closed off. Unlike the main fire
chamber work, which is shiny, the Yohen work is satiny and smooth with a
complexity of color. It is my favorite work out of the Noborigama. The work
is sanded, rubbed with a 3M pad and then polished with a soft cloth. The
surfaces have the quality of translucent skin. We rub them for about two days.
--
Lee Love
Mashiko JAPAN Ikiru@kami.com
Interested in Folkcraft? Signup:
Subscribe: mingei-subscribe@egroups.com
Or: http://www.egroups.com/group/mingei
Help ET phone Earth: http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/
Charles Moore on fri 7 sep 01
Friends,
Someone on Clayart mentioned that some ceramics company carries reliable =
hardwood ash. Which company is that?
Thank you,
Charles Moore
Sacramento, CA
Gary H. Holt on mon 11 mar 02
Thanks to Craig Martell, and everyone else who posted answers to clayart
about my request for info on ashes. I got offers from Lisa Skeen and Mark
Dyer to send me some, and I'm taking them up on it, so I'm ok for the time
being. The suggestion from Dave Gayman about charcoal siftings interested
me, and I may try using some sometime, but what I was hoping to find was a
supplier like Axner who I could just call and place an order with. I don't
mind paying for the ash at all, particularly when it saves me the time spent
picking it up and sifting it. I'm pretty good friends with the owner of
Leslie Ceramics Supply here in Berkeley, and I may try to convince him that
the market for ash is bound to grow, as more and more city potters discover
the joys of firing a Lowell Baker pollution free sawdust kiln... Thanks
again... Gary
Gary Holt
Berkeley, CA.
garyholt@dnai.com
www.garyholt.com
Craig Martell on wed 13 mar 02
Hi:
Sure, you can fire ash glazes in the electric kiln. I did it for a long
time. When I was studying glaze chem with my Canuck teacher, he once told
me that the nicest ash glazes he'd seen were done in oxidation and that
gave me the push to try them in the electric. Now, all you folks who
prefer reduction ash glazes remember that this last statement was merely a
comment of preference, and not an absolute.
Since the large commercial supply from Axner is coming to an end I guess
it's time for folks to become creative scroungers once again. When the
guys in Tenn contacted me a year or so ago, I thought it was too good to be
true anyway. A lot of possible sources have been mentioned but I'll
venture another. If you live in a region where there are Commercial
Orchards, keep an eye on them. From time to time they remove trees and do
a lot of pruning too and sometimes this stuff gets burned and they usually
don't mind if someone collects the ash. The thing you have to watch here
is soil contamination which can add things to the ash that you don't
want. But it might be worth a shot. Some years ago I got a real nice
supply of apple ash from an orchard in Wenatchee, Washington which is one
of the best apple producing areas around here or anywhere for that
matter. A guy down the road from me took out an entire cherry orchard last
year and I got some of that and a local farmer pruned some giant black
walnut trees and sold me the wood, about 3 chords, and I obtained some
wonderful ash from that.
Synthetic ash has been mentioned too with reference to Seattle Pottery. I
guess they've had a synthesized ash for sale. But you can make your own if
you want and save having to buy a blended material at extra cost. There
are bits on synthetic ash in Tichane's book, Ash Glazes and also in Phil
Roger's book by the same name. You can also do your own by getting ash
analyses, or using "ideal" analyses for any ash species and blend from
there. It's not all that tough. I've tried a few for the sake of
comparison and they work very well. Tichane has photos in his book of true
ash glazes alongside glazes with synthesized ash and the results are very
similar.
I have an analysis of the Tennessee ash from Axner and I can post it if
there's an interest. I should probably wait until all the partyhounds are
back from KC so they won't have to struggle with figuring out how to access
the archives if they want to know what this stuff is.
later, Craig Martell in Oregn
Les Crimp on wed 13 mar 02
Craig -
Tony Clennell practically lives in the middle of an orchard down there in
the "Mysterious East" on the Niagara Peninsula.
Hence, "Sour Cherry Pottery".
Tony gets wood of every description and his great pots are ample evidence.
Just my "two bits".
Les Crimp on that Island in the Pacific ( on my way out the door to our
Guild meeting in Parksville)
lcrimp@shaw.ca
www.arrowsmithpottersguild.bc.ca
Alan D. Scott on wed 13 mar 02
Don't wait! Post it now. Then tell the party hounds "check the archives"
:-)
Alan
-----Original Message-----
From: Ceramic Arts Discussion List [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG]On
Behalf Of Craig Martell
Sent: Wednesday, March 13, 2002 10:20
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Re: wood ash
Hi:
Sure, you can fire ash glazes in the electric kiln. I did it for a long
time. When I was studying glaze chem with my Canuck teacher, he once told
me that the nicest ash glazes he'd seen were done in oxidation and that
gave me the push to try them in the electric. Now, all you folks who
prefer reduction ash glazes remember that this last statement was merely a
comment of preference, and not an absolute.
Since the large commercial supply from Axner is coming to an end I guess
it's time for folks to become creative scroungers once again. When the
guys in Tenn contacted me a year or so ago, I thought it was too good to be
true anyway. A lot of possible sources have been mentioned but I'll
venture another. If you live in a region where there are Commercial
Orchards, keep an eye on them. From time to time they remove trees and do
a lot of pruning too and sometimes this stuff gets burned and they usually
don't mind if someone collects the ash. The thing you have to watch here
is soil contamination which can add things to the ash that you don't
want. But it might be worth a shot. Some years ago I got a real nice
supply of apple ash from an orchard in Wenatchee, Washington which is one
of the best apple producing areas around here or anywhere for that
matter. A guy down the road from me took out an entire cherry orchard last
year and I got some of that and a local farmer pruned some giant black
walnut trees and sold me the wood, about 3 chords, and I obtained some
wonderful ash from that.
Synthetic ash has been mentioned too with reference to Seattle Pottery. I
guess they've had a synthesized ash for sale. But you can make your own if
you want and save having to buy a blended material at extra cost. There
are bits on synthetic ash in Tichane's book, Ash Glazes and also in Phil
Roger's book by the same name. You can also do your own by getting ash
analyses, or using "ideal" analyses for any ash species and blend from
there. It's not all that tough. I've tried a few for the sake of
comparison and they work very well. Tichane has photos in his book of true
ash glazes alongside glazes with synthesized ash and the results are very
similar.
I have an analysis of the Tennessee ash from Axner and I can post it if
there's an interest. I should probably wait until all the partyhounds are
back from KC so they won't have to struggle with figuring out how to access
the archives if they want to know what this stuff is.
later, Craig Martell in Oregn
____________________________________________________________________________
__
Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
Anji Henderson on thu 14 mar 02
Craig I would bet good money on the fact that at least
80% of the party hounds have no trouble with the
archives... :)
And not to scare those lurkers that I was trying to
rally up to post, but there are a decent amount of lap
tops brought to NCECA... So, stop all the juicy gossip
I'll tell you when you havn't gone to NCECA the week
dosn't phase you much but to wonder where all the
posts are... But once you have gone the anticipation
of all the stories coming up is just as wild as the
anticipation of actually going!!
Anji
Who is hoping beyond hoping that 2004 is on the east
coast ...
--- "Alan D. Scott" wrote:
> Don't wait! Post it now. Then tell the party
> hounds "check the archives"
> :-)
>
> Alan
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Ceramic Arts Discussion List
> [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG]On
> Behalf Of Craig Martell
> Sent: Wednesday, March 13, 2002 10:20
> To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
> Subject: Re: wood ash
>
>
> -------Clippered-------->
> I have an analysis of the Tennessee ash from Axner
> and I can post it if
> there's an interest. I should probably wait until
> all the partyhounds are
> back from KC so they won't have to struggle with
> figuring out how to access
> the archives if they want to know what this stuff
> is.
>
> later, Craig Martell in Oregn
>
>
=====
Good art does not have to match your sofa!!
-Fred Babb
__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Sports - live college hoops coverage
http://sports.yahoo.com/
clennell on fri 15 mar 02
Sour Cherry Pottery
> Les Crimp on that Island in the Pacific ( on my way out the door to our
> Guild meeting in Parksville)
> lcrimp@shaw.ca
> www.arrowsmithpottersguild.bc.ca
Dear Les:
good to see your name up on the screen. Hope you're doing well!!!! I haven't
been on clayart much due to teaching responsibilities robbing me of my few
remaining brain cells.
If this hasn't been mentioned about ash here are a couple of important tips
for ash. If you see a fruit farmer piling the brush for a burn, ask him/her
to phone you the day of the burn. they usually burn during the day and then
push soil up around the fire to prevent spreading of the fire during the
evening. the soil will contaminate your ash.
If you have a friend with a woodstove that will save ash for you, ask them
please not to throw bones from supper in the fire. I had a devil of a time
with this many years ago. I was effectively adding bone ash to my glaze.
Cheers,
Tony
P.S. Your buddy- Cathy Jefferson is giving a workshop in April for the
students at Sheridan. I am invited for supper at Carol Anne Michealsons to
meet with Cathy one on one. I'll get the real gossip on my West coast buddy.
Tony and Sheila Clennell
Sour Cherry Pottery
4545 King Street
Beamsville, Ontario
CANADA L0R 1B1
http://www.sourcherrypottery.com
clennell@vaxxine.com
David Hendley on wed 15 jan 03
I will mail you wood ash for the postage cost.
Between my 2 wood stoves (house and studio) and wood kiln,
I am abundantly blessed.
It will be "reasonably pure", very little charcoal and no trash,
but will still need to be sieved through a screen.
It will be about 2/3 oak, the remainder being sweetgum, pine, and elm.
You need to be aware that all ash is variable and you will need to
do tests before using it.
David Hendley
Maydelle, Texas
hendley@tyler.net
http://www.farmpots.com
----- Original Message -----
> We are desperately looking for wood ash. Does anyone know of a company
or
> individual that we could purchase some from ? Since we are making some
> reasonably high priced items we have to be sure that the ash is reasonably
> pure. We would like something in the oak, apple type of ash. Pine would be
a
> little runny for our purpose. Being in South Florida makes it difficult to
> find oak let alone a fireplace...
>
> Bruce
>
James Bledsoe on wed 15 jan 03
shipping pallets are many times oak cut some up and have a cook out
jim
> We are desperately looking for wood ash. Does anyone know of a company
or
> individual that we could purchase some from ? Since we are making some
> reasonably high priced items we have to be sure that the ash is reasonably
> pure. We would like something in the oak, apple type of ash. Pine would be
a
> little runny for our purpose. Being in South Florida makes it difficult to
> find oak let alone a fireplace...
Bruce Freund on wed 15 jan 03
We are desperately looking for wood ash. Does anyone know of a company or
individual that we could purchase some from ? Since we are making some
reasonably high priced items we have to be sure that the ash is reasonably
pure. We would like something in the oak, apple type of ash. Pine would be a
little runny for our purpose. Being in South Florida makes it difficult to
find oak let alone a fireplace...
Bruce
Barbara Reeley on thu 16 jan 03
Living in South Florida is a problem (though having grown up in Central
Florida and now living in upstate NY I miss the warm weather in January) when
it comes to wood ash. Here I can get as much as I want from a maple sugaring
family - they use hardwood and the ash is fantastic. Don't know if you want
to bother with connecting with me on shipping you a batch next time I get
some in May - or look around for some people with fireplaces down there. In
the past I've collected ash from anyone I know with a fireplace.
Barbara
In upstate NY, zero degree weather and lots of snow.
John Weber on thu 16 jan 03
Try Axner, the latest catalogue at page b-55 lists it.
Linda Knapp on tue 21 jan 03
One of my fellow potters who is into wood ash looked around and found a
barbeque restaurant nearby . They were willing to give him all the ash
he could take off their hands.... It is reasonably consistent wood. You
might look around and see if you have a similar restaurant nearby.
Linda
Bruce Freund wrote:
>We are desperately looking for wood ash. Does anyone know of a company or
>individual that we could purchase some from ? Since we are making some
>reasonably high priced items we have to be sure that the ash is reasonably
>pure. We would like something in the oak, apple type of ash. Pine would be a
>little runny for our purpose. Being in South Florida makes it difficult to
>find oak let alone a fireplace...
>
>Bruce
>
>______________________________________________________________________________
>Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
>You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
>settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
>Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
>
>
Jennifer Buckner on tue 1 jul 03
At 11:34 PM 6/30/2003, Dale Tex wrote:
>Jenn, if you want to know what is in your wood ash then make some yourself
>........ find the same kind of wood.......Burn until nothing is left but
>ash. Sieve out the un-burnt particles,
Dale,
Thanks for the information. I guess I was afraid this was the only way,
but was hoping there was a commercial supplier somewhere. I live on 25
acres in a rural area where I certainly have access to a large variety of
woods, particularly Red Cedar, a lot of which was brought down by the
infamous ice storm of 1998 and is still lying in the woods. Would this be
an acceptable source?
I was about to ask about washing the ash when I checked the archives and
found a wealth of information, including a message from you in 1999.
Jennifer
ps. I also found a reference in the archives to suppliers. Seattle Pottery
apparently still carries synthetic wood ash, but has no detailed
description of the contents.
Jennifer G. Buckner jenniverre@earthlink.net
Ababi on wed 2 jul 03
I try to create ash glazes
The wood ash is generic.
I have made some tests now and got intersting coloring.
Can you please tell me how high the alumina should be in order to have a nice runny
ash glaze in ^6 ox?
Ababi Sharon
Glaze addict
Kibbutz Shoval Israel
ababisha@shoval.org.il
http://members4.clubphoto.com/ababi306910/
http://www.matrix2000.co.nz/Matrix%20Demo/Ababi.htm
John Baymore on wed 2 jul 03
Thanks for the information. I guess I was afraid this was the only way,
but was hoping there was a commercial supplier somewhere. I live on 25
acres in a rural area where I certainly have access to a large variety of=
woods, particularly Red Cedar, a lot of which was brought down by the
infamous ice storm of 1998 and is still lying in the woods. Would this b=
e
an acceptable source?
Jennifer,
Look around your local area for a "wood fired pizza" place. Typically th=
at
user mixed hardwood to do that. if you don;t mind some variation in the
ash content (adjust the recipe when you test a new batch of ash) .... the=
n
that can be a good large volume source. Trade some pots for ash. They
generate a lot.
best,
.......................john
John Baymore
River Bend Pottery
22 Riverbend Way
Wilton, NH 03086-5812 USA
JBaymore@compuserve.com
http:\\www.JohnBaymore.com
603-654-2752 (studio)
800-900-1110 (studio)
"Earth, Water, and Fire Noborigama Woodfiring Workshop: August 15-24,
2003"
Hank Murrow on wed 2 jul 03
> I live on 25 acres in a rural area where I certainly have access to
> a large variety of
> woods, particularly Red Cedar, a lot of which was brought down by the
> infamous ice storm of 1998 and is still lying in the woods. Would
> this be an acceptable source?
> Jennifer
>
Dear Jennifer;
The short answer is yes. However, you should realize that if there is
much dirt lodged in the bark, the resulting ash will likely be half
wood ash and half dirt glaze. When wood is burned, only a few percent
is remaining as ash, so any dirt becomes a large part of the resulting
ash.
keep it clean, and you'[ll be OK.
Cheers, Hank
Jennifer Buckner on wed 2 jul 03
At 01:20 AM 7/2/2003, John Baymore wrote:
>Look around your local area for a "wood fired pizza" place. Typically that
>user mixed hardwood to do that. if you don;t mind some variation in the
>ash content (adjust the recipe when you test a new batch of ash) .... then
>that can be a good large volume source. Trade some pots for ash. They
>generate a lot.
John,
That's a useful suggestion. Thank you. My husband reminded me that we
have an almost full bucket of mixed wood ashes from our wood stove sitting
in the garage (we used to heat exclusively with wood and solar power before
we installed a small propane furnace), so I'll "mess around" with that to
start with. If I'm successful with that, I start eating more pizza!
Jennifer
Jennifer G. Buckner jenniverre@earthlink.net
Bobbruch1@AOL.COM on thu 3 jul 03
From: Ababi
Subject: Wood ash
I try to create ash glazes The wood ash is generic. I have made some tests
now and got intersting coloring. Can you please tell me how high the alumina
should be in order to have a nice runny ash glaze in ^6 ox?
A: I am not a good one for glaze calc .... but ... there is a glaze in the
archives, I may not have it here at home, so if you cannot find it, email me
back and I'll look in my studio .....
there is a wood ash glaze with albany slip, use one of the subs for albany
and you get a great ash glaze at cone 6 electric. If you don't find the albany
subs in the archives, I can look that up as well. It might give you an idea
if you want to try to make up your own glaze. I think I've tried every ash
glaze in the archives and found that the most interesting - at least for my clay
body. It does run quite a bit and you need to protect your kiln shelves - I
put softbrick under the pots - and I put flint as a coating on the softbrick.
Bob Bruch
Burness Speakman on thu 3 jul 03
We once used left overs from a local pallet mill. No bark. I burned all
winter and filled only one small bucket of ash. I was then told by an old
Timber jack that the ash is in the bark, not the core. So if you want wood
ash, you have to use wood with bark. Cedar contains a lot of creosote,
really not good for the fire place as it accumulates, and makes more
cleaning. I don't think the person who answered about dirt being in the
wood lives in timber land. I would personally go looking for a downed tree
and stripping the bark off. It's a lot easier to carry than the log. You
are not going to get much dirt in the bark in a leaf littered forest.
Bunny
Tony Olsen on fri 4 jul 03
Jennifer,
Another good source of ash is the local bar-b-Q place. In the southern =
US, you can just follow your nose. The ones near me in Galveston use =
Mesquite. Usually use the same wood throughout the process as they want =
to be consistent in their product as we are. In Iowa, (where I am right =
now) they use Hickory. I'm sure they would welcome you taking all the =
ash you could ever care to use.
Tony (Galveston but on vacation in Iowa)
sacredclay on wed 10 jan 07
I've picked up some wood ash from someone's back yard over the weekend.
Today, I got a chance to start washing it. Mind you, I've never done
this before. I've learned a few things. There's alot of crap in there.
Second, there's also alot of rusty nail. I'm washing it through a 60
mesh sieve. It's taking quite awhile and I'm suddenly wondering if I'm
washing dirt mixed in with ash, except that it's not dissolving as
much. I looked in the bucket and realized that I'd have to wash ALOT of
ashes to get the amount that I need. I've alreaady washed about 3
gallons to get about less than a half an inch of ash.Additionally, I'm
warned that ash is CAUSTIC. So I wear a latex glove that keeps
springing a leak. Eventually, I forego the whole thing and It hasn't
bothered me at all. Which lead me to even further to believe that I
have more dirt than ashes. yes,m It's dark grey. I'm picking up ashes
from several places, after posting it on the Craig's list.Kathryn in NC
Richard Aerni on wed 10 jan 07
Kathryn,
Unless you know for a fact that the person who burned the wood that produced
your ash only burnt wood in their stove, you should assume you will also
have all kinds of other things in there. I don't accept wood ash from
someone unless I know what they burned and where it was burned. I also like
to know how they start their fires.
To eliminate nails and other things from a batch you are sieving, I always
dry sieve the ash through a window screen before using any kind of higher
priced sieve.
And Kathryn, from your description, it sounds as though you are running wet
ashes through a sieve. To do the washing, simply put the ash in a large
container, fill it with water, stir, then let settle and pour off the
alkaline water on the top. Repeat this several times, and you will find
that the ash has lost it's caustic properties.
Good luck,
Richard Aerni
Rochester, NY
On Wed, 10 Jan 2007 04:04:07 -0000, sacredclay wrote:
>I've picked up some wood ash from someone's back yard over the weekend.
>Today, I got a chance to start washing it. Mind you, I've never done
>this before. I've learned a few things. There's alot of crap in there.
>Second, there's also alot of rusty nail. I'm washing it through a 60
>mesh sieve. It's taking quite awhile and I'm suddenly wondering if I'm
>washing dirt mixed in with ash, except that it's not dissolving as
>much. I looked in the bucket and realized that I'd have to wash ALOT of
>ashes to get the amount that I need. I've alreaady washed about 3
>gallons to get about less than a half an inch of ash.Additionally, I'm
>warned that ash is CAUSTIC. So I wear a latex glove that keeps
>springing a leak. Eventually, I forego the whole thing and It hasn't
>bothered me at all. Which lead me to even further to believe that I
>have more dirt than ashes. yes,m It's dark grey. I'm picking up ashes
>from several places, after posting it on the Craig's list.Kathryn in NC
>
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Nancy on thu 11 jan 07
Kathryn
I washed my first ash a few months ago. I did not sieve it until I knew
I only had ash left and then whipped it through an 80 mesh.
I sieved my ash through one of those metal kitchen strainers from the
dollar store to remove any large particles and filled a 5 gallon bucket
1/2 way with the sieved ash. I then filled it with water, stirred it
up and let it settle. I poured the water off and filled it again with
water. I did this about 3 times. I then put it through an 80 mesh and
let it settle, poured the water off and let it dry in the bucket for
over a month. I just recently took it out, broke it up and it's not a
nice fine clean powder. Out of 1/2 5 gallon bucket I got a coffee
container full of clean ash.
I didn't have a mud like consistency. It was actually very pretty, even
my students thought it was. I'll be more than happy to pre sieve some
ash and send it on out to you, just let me know.
Nancy
www.hilltoppottery.com
sacredclay on thu 11 jan 07
Richard, Yes, I am running the ashes wet through the sieve,these ashes
were dumped outside where a couple is doing renovation on a building
behind their house. Given the recent rains, that's probably why it
isn't caustic. That's where the nails are coming from.Since the ashes
are already wet, I'm just adding more water to clear out the craps that
are in there. Still, it's an interesting learning experience. Will go
off to search for more ash. I am on a mission! Thanks for the answer!
Warmest regards, Kathryn in
.
> And Kathryn, from your description, it sounds as though you are
running wet
> ashes through a sieve. To do the washing, simply put the ash in a
large
Lee Love on thu 11 jan 07
I screen dry through window sized screen and then through 30 mesh wet.
Water is added and first time, allowed to settle for several hours
or overnight. Then water is siphoned off and new water added, slurry
well mixed and siphoned one more time. At teacher's, we would wash
many times (morning and evening for a month or longer.) wet sieving
done many times with last sieving through 200 mesh. His ash is so
fine, it is like terra sig.
--
Lee in Mashiko, Japan
Minneapolis, Minnesota USA
http://potters.blogspot.com/
"Let the beauty we love be what we do." - Rumi
"When we all do better. We ALL do better." -Paul Wellstone
sacredclay on fri 12 jan 07
-Nancy, You are so sweet to offer me that, but your information waa
even more valuable to me. I went right out to look for a collander at
the dollar store. They didn't have any, so I got a wire basket. Cut my
time down in half . Used a tea strainer to sieve it even more in
water, and then dumped the whole thing in the mesh sieve. Really cut my
time down. Now know what I am doing. Thanks to all who gave me info. I
can't wait to try it out! Kathryn in NC
Bill Merrill on wed 25 jul 07
I use a finely burned apple wood ash in my glaze. The ash comes from a
large wood fired oven in my son's restaurant. The ash is pure white and
only requires a sifting. I do not wash the ash. As the ash glazes seem
more consistent to me without washing. I don't handle the wet glaze
with my hands, so the alkalis in the glaze don't burn my hands. I use
50% ash in these glazes. The ash is very nice when sifted dry on Shino
and other glazes. The ash generally goes bluish when sifted over a
traditional Shino glaze.
=20
Bill
=20
=20
Marcia Selsor on wed 25 jul 07
Bill.
I had a great cherry wood ash glaze that was 50 cherry wood ash/50
Albany slip
At ^10 is was a gold iron crystalline matt. Beautiful depth.
What are you using with the ash?
Marcia
Marcia Selsor
http://marciaselsor.com
Bill Merrill on tue 16 mar 10
There has been talk about wood ash in the last several weeks. If you
want a good ash, find a friendly restaurant that has wood fired ovens
for their cooking or making of pizza. They will have a clean ash
usually every morning. My son uses apple wood in his oven and the oven
is filled with some wood every night to keep the oven warm overnight.
When he takes the ash from the oven it is totally burned and is a
grey-white in color. There is little or no charcoal I the ash. If you
have access to an oven that there is still pieces of charcoal left, put
them ash about an inch thick on a top shelf of an electric kiln and
bring up the heat to about 1100 hundred degrees or a dull red heat.
Leave the lid open about an inch or less to let out gases. There will
be a glow and a field of flame bursts (1") out of the mass of ashes.
When the mass has lost color of the flame close the lid and wait until
it has cooled. You will find a pure ash when the kiln is opened. Do
not fire hotter as the mass of ash will sinter and not be a fluffy ash.
I do not wash any of the apple wood ash I use. If you have seen Val
Cushing's ash glazes, the ash is apple wood from here. All I do to the
ash is to give it a screening through a kitchen mesh screen. Other hard
woods are used in wood fired ovens, you can't go wrong with their ash as
there is no paper etc in the final ash.
=3D20
Richard Aerni has a great wood ash glaze at cone 9-10. =3D20
=3D20
50 wood ash
12.5 Custer spar
12.5 Whiting
12.5 OM4
12.5 Flint
=3D20
There is an article in a past issue of Ceramics that has colorants etc
that he uses. Most traditional coloring oxides work well in this glaze.
I have used this glaze with great results and strong color. Try subbing
other spars, other ball type clays etc.
=3D20
I'm not trying to convince anyone, just my personal observations of
apple wood ash and the way I use it in wood ash glazes .
Lee Love on tue 16 mar 10
On Tue, Mar 16, 2010 at 1:25 PM, Bill Merrill wrote:
Bill, you you have any photos of this glaze? I am looking for a
frosty celadon.
>
> Richard Aerni has a great wood ash glaze at cone 9-10.
>
> 50 =3DA0 wood ash
>
> 12.5 =3DA0 Custer spar
>
> 12.5 =3DA0Whiting
>
> 12.5 =3DA0OM4
>
> 12.5 =3DA0Flint
>
>
>
> There is an article in a past issue of Ceramics that has colorants etc
> that he uses. Most traditional coloring oxides work well in this glaze.
> I have used this glaze with great results and strong color. =3DA0Try subb=
in=3D
g
> other spars, other ball type clays etc.
>
>
>
> I'm not trying to convince anyone, just my personal observations of
> apple wood ash and the way I use it in wood ash glazes .
>
--=3D20
--
Lee, a Mashiko potter in Minneapolis
http://mashikopots.blogspot.com/
=3D93Observe the wonders as they occur around you. Don't claim them. Feel
the artistry moving through and be silent.=3D94 --Rumi
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