MacIntire, Matt on sat 23 jun 07
Looking for opinions and methods... to what degree do people reduce
grit on pots emerging from a wood kiln?
=20
I've seen discussion of smoothing bottoms and feet for example. That
makes sense. But what about rims? or even larger surfaces? Sometimes
these seem to get an unpleasant gritty feel.
=20
I don't consider myself particularly fussy. However I do not think that
a rough rim enhances a tea bowl or a mug. I'm not talking about the
roughness of the clay, but bits of grit, kiln dirt, and other unexpected
blips. I rather think these detract from overall enjoyment of using the
pot. I've seen some discussion of wet/dry sandpaper to smooth gritty
surfaces. I've even heard of sandblasting in some instances. So far,
the things I have tried remove too much sheen and color.
=20
Do you smooth your wood fired pots in any way? If so, how? ...and to
what extent?
=20
Thanks in advance.
Les on sat 23 jun 07
Matt -
I think it depends a lot on the type of kiln you are firing, the wood you
are using and your method of firing. Each of these can affect your pot's
surface.
Les Crimp in Nanoose Bay, B.C.
lcrimp@shaw.ca
Subject: wood firing & grit abatement
Looking for opinions and methods... to what degree do people reduce
grit on pots emerging from a wood kiln?
Do you smooth your wood fired pots in any way? If so, how? ...and to
what extent?
Thanks in advance.
john elder on sat 23 jun 07
I enjoy hearing the term "woodfired pots" bandied about!! Allow me a LOW
"high horse" for a moment> Wood fired implies using wood to create heat>
with that in mind pots being fired with the use of wood as fuel can range
from low-fire earthenware to 10 day anagama firings with 10 hour Olsen fast
fired glaze loads in between! all wood fired.
Using wood as fuel creates ash which usually ends up in the kiln on the ware
in varying amounts most dependant on the firebox system used and the bag
wall configuration.
If you find any particular amounts of ash on your work disturbing then there
are ways to reduce or limit the ash. For no ash on your work protect it
inside a sagger. But today most potters are firing with you to get a certain
amount of ash on the work so that it may be termed and illustrated to be
"wood fired"! Less stirring of the ash pit and fire box during the last
hours of the firing helps to stop late ash from landing on the ware and not
getting a chance to melt. Some wood-fired potters I know stop using wood
towards the end of the firing and to limite the amount of ash use other
fuels ot achieve the temperature desired at the end of the firing......still
wood fired potters????
I purchased a "flap sander" with fine grade sand paper to sand the "grit"
off my wood fired pieces that "just don't feel right"! Off rims, feet, where
ever, But sometimes a coarse, textured surface is desirable on certain
pieces fired near the fire box. YOU need to decide the texture or feel that
you want YOUR work to have
and if you need to sand blast it, go for it!!
John Elder
>From: "MacIntire, Matt"
>Reply-To: Clayart
>To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
>Subject: wood firing & grit abatement
>Date: Sat, 23 Jun 2007 12:34:29 -0400
>
>Looking for opinions and methods... to what degree do people reduce
>grit on pots emerging from a wood kiln?
>
>I've seen discussion of smoothing bottoms and feet for example. That
>makes sense. But what about rims? or even larger surfaces? Sometimes
>these seem to get an unpleasant gritty feel.
>
>I don't consider myself particularly fussy. However I do not think that
>a rough rim enhances a tea bowl or a mug. I'm not talking about the
>roughness of the clay, but bits of grit, kiln dirt, and other unexpected
>blips. I rather think these detract from overall enjoyment of using the
>pot. I've seen some discussion of wet/dry sandpaper to smooth gritty
>surfaces. I've even heard of sandblasting in some instances. So far,
>the things I have tried remove too much sheen and color.
>
>Do you smooth your wood fired pots in any way? If so, how? ...and to
>what extent?
>
>Thanks in advance.
>
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Lee Love on sat 23 jun 07
On 6/23/07, MacIntire, Matt wrote:
> Looking for opinions and methods... to what degree do people reduce
> grit on pots emerging from a wood kiln?
First off, don't stir ashes when you stop stoking. Look
here for unglazed woodfired that is polished. The process is under
the first photo:
http://mashikopots.blogspot.com/
First six images were pots re-fired in my firebox, so they needed a
lot of polishing. I am going to make a pizza oven with a large
firebox in my back yard. I will put refires in the firebox, fire to
temp with weedburner and fill firebox with charcoal at the end and
close it up. Shouldn't make too much smoke.
--
Lee in Mashiko, Japan
Minneapolis, Minnesota USA
http://mashikopots.blogspot.com/
"To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts." -
Henry David Thoreau
"Let the beauty we love be what we do." - Rumi
Fredrick Paget on mon 25 jun 07
At the NAU woodfire conference in 2006 I arrived a little to late
to get my pots in the Tozan noborigama and had to settle for a train
kiln for most of them.
They came out all covered with ash and I did not like the rough
texture at all, so when I got home I reglazed them with a good thick
coat of cone 5 clear glossy and electric kiln fired them. The result
would probably turn the stomach of the more ash is better clan but
they fit my ascetic and I now like them. Bear in mind that they were
designed and glazed to be fired in a noborigama which is really a
glaze kiln.
Fred Paget
--
Twin Dragon Studio
Mill Valley, CA, USA
Lee Love on mon 25 jun 07
On 6/25/07, Fredrick Paget wrote:
> they fit my ascetic and I now like them. Bear in mind that they were
> designed and glazed to be fired in a noborigama which is really a
> glaze kiln.
Modern Noborigama vary to a high degree. You are correct about
traditional noborigama. But Shimaoka's, for example, has five
different chambers with varying atmospheres and ash effect. The fire
chamber is similar to anagama, the yohen chamber has charcoal
introduced at the end of the firing, so they are heavily reduced but
have a matt surface. The next chamber is the reduction chamber.
Work is protected in saggers and with shields, to keep all ash away
from the pots. Next chamber is the oxidation chamber. Traditional
Mashiko/Shigaraki climbing kiln glazes are used there. The last
chamber is a salt chamber. A high alumina slip and cobalt slip is
often used there.
--
Lee in Minneapolis, Minnesota USA
http://mashikopots.blogspot.com/
"To affect the quality of the day, that is the highest of arts." -
Henry David Thoreau
"Let the beauty we love be what we do." - Rumi
Matt Hoogland on mon 25 jun 07
>
> Matt,
In the past I have used a few methods to alter the final finish of some of
my wood-fired ware.
One thing to try which I learned from Nolan Babin is to do an oxidation type
shutdown of the woodkiln, instead of the "load the box full of wood" and
crash cool. You slowly burn out the wood in the grate until not much is
left, firing the final hour or so in oxidation. In a long multi-day firing,
it will help keep the kiln hot long enough to make for an atmosphere with
less fly-ash and debris, which in turn means cleaner pots. This gives more
"Melt time" during the final stage of firng vs. a crash coolied reduction
closing which some potters prefer, but can make crusty little bits..
I also tend to keep my functional pieces where a lip might drink out
of it up higher in the kiln, away from the possible pile-ups of ash, and
towards the back, again more away from ash piles.
Post firing, I have also taken overly-crusty pots which end up too crusty
for their intended use, and do a cone 10 gas or electric firing. This is
MUCH better than the cone 5/6 chaser firings I have tried or seen. This will
melt sometime extremelt crusty work into a glossy heavy ash dripped pot.
Juicy!! I call these firings my "electric chasers"
They can vary the look of the pot in some really interesting ways.
Regards,
Matt Hoogland
Clay Planet
matt@pitfire.com
theclayguy@gmail.com
matt@clay-planet.com
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