Ben Shelton on thu 26 jul 07
I was reading about colonial times here in the North American Colonies and
read that German made Salt Glazed ceramic wares were imported with the
colonists. I am not very familiar with salt firing but a recent discussion
of proper kiln furniture for salt firing got me to thinking.
Most salt firing nowdays is done on silicon carbide kiln furniture. I'm
pretty sure that Silicon carbide wasn't around until the 1800's so
What did the 17th century salt glazer use for kiln furniture?
I assumed saggars at first thought but unless the saggars have some kind of
openings in them the salt couldn't get to the pots. Right????
So what did they use back then?
Ben
Cindy Boughner on thu 26 jul 07
They probably had alumina figured out. The salt actually reacts with =
the
silica to make a glaze, so silicon carbide shelves have to be washes =
with an
alumina wash to protect them. The alumina, by the way, is not good for =
your
brain. Really good question.
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of Ben Shelton
Sent: Thursday, July 26, 2007 7:57 AM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Historical technical question re: salt firing
I was reading about colonial times here in the North American Colonies =
and
read that German made Salt Glazed ceramic wares were imported with the
colonists. I am not very familiar with salt firing but a recent =
discussion
of proper kiln furniture for salt firing got me to thinking.
Most salt firing nowdays is done on silicon carbide kiln furniture. I'm
pretty sure that Silicon carbide wasn't around until the 1800's so
What did the 17th century salt glazer use for kiln furniture?
I assumed saggars at first thought but unless the saggars have some kind =
of
openings in them the salt couldn't get to the pots. Right????
So what did they use back then?
Ben
_________________________________________________________________________=
___
__
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 on thu 26 jul 07
Ben,
I think the pots in old salt kilns were tumble stacked and whacked
apart. They weren't precious.Also salt was not applied as heavily as
it is by contemporary potters. They were just going for a light
orange peel sealed surface. I have a cool old salt glazed pot that
has the stack markings on it. It also is beginning to clapse. It is a
3 gallon jug. beautiful.
Marcia Selsor
http://marciaselsor.com
On Jul 26, 2007, at 7:56 AM, Ben Shelton wrote:
> I was reading about colonial times here in the North American
> Colonies and
> read that German made Salt Glazed ceramic wares were imported with the
> colonists. I am not very familiar with salt firing but a recent
> discussion
> of proper kiln furniture for salt firing got me to thinking.
>
> Most salt firing nowdays is done on silicon carbide kiln furniture.
> I'm
> pretty sure that Silicon carbide wasn't around until the 1800's so
>
> What did the 17th century salt glazer use for kiln furniture?
>
> I assumed saggars at first thought but unless the saggars have some
> kind of
> openings in them the salt couldn't get to the pots. Right????
>
> So what did they use back then?
>
> Ben
>
> __
smdilley@sdcoe.k12.ca.us on thu 26 jul 07
Wads, possibly made of good ole georgie kaolin=3F=3F
Would be ny best guess
steve dilley
Original Message:
-----------------
From: Ben Shelton mud=5Fspinner@YAHOO=2ECOM
Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2007 07:56:53 -0500
To: CLAYART@LSV=2ECERAMICS=2EORG
Subject: Historical technical question re: salt firing
I was reading about colonial times here in the North American Colonies and=
read that German made Salt Glazed ceramic wares were imported with the
colonists=2E I am not very familiar with salt firing but a recent discussi=
on
of proper kiln furniture for salt firing got me to thinking=2E
Most salt firing nowdays is done on silicon carbide kiln furniture=2E I'm
pretty sure that Silicon carbide wasn't around until the 1800's so
What did the 17th century salt glazer use for kiln furniture=3F
I assumed saggars at first thought but unless the saggars have some kind o=
f
openings in them the salt couldn't get to the pots=2E Right=3F=3F=3F=3F
So what did they use back then=3F
Ben
=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=
=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=
=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=5F=
=5F
=5F=5F
Send postings to clayart@lsv=2Eceramics=2Eorg
You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
settings from http://www=2Eceramics=2Eorg/clayart/
Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink=2Ecom=2E
--------------------------------------------------------------------
mail2web LIVE =96 Free email based on Microsoft=AE Exchange technology -
http://link=2Email2web=2Ecom/LIVE
Ivor and Olive Lewis on fri 27 jul 07
Dear Ben Shelton,=20
Work was stacked, piecemeal using fireclay or some other refractory =
wadding to separate and prevent contact between pieces.
Good source of knowledge is Jack Troy, " Salt Glazed Ceramics". Has =
illustrations of ware stacked in bungs in commercial kilns. Volume 3 of =
"Traites de Ceramiques" by Alex Brongniart is also a good source of =
illustrations of early commercial salt glazed kilns.
Regards,
Ivor Lewis.
Redhill,
South Australia.
Hank Murrow on fri 27 jul 07
On Jul 26, 2007, at 2:56 PM, Ben Shelton wrote:
> I was reading about colonial times here in the North American
> Colonies and
> read that German made Salt Glazed ceramic wares were imported with the
> colonists. I am not very familiar with salt firing but a recent
> discussion
> of proper kiln furniture for salt firing got me to thinking.
>
> Most salt firing nowdays is done on silicon carbide kiln furniture.
> I'm
> pretty sure that Silicon carbide wasn't around until the 1800's so
>
> What did the 17th century salt glazer use for kiln furniture?
>
> I assumed saggars at first thought but unless the saggars have some
> kind of
> openings in them the salt couldn't get to the pots. Right????
>
> So what did they use back then?
Dear Ben;
I visited the museum/school at Westerwald near Koln in 1984 and saw
many pieces in the museum as well as in current production that were
stacked upon each other with wadding between to prevent sticking.
This is called tumble stacking. i have designed many pots to stack
upon each other this way for the woodfire, where shelves are usually
at a premium. One can guarantee space in the kiln if you stack this
way. it is fun to design for this, by the way.
Cheers, Hank
Hank Murrow
www.murrow.biz/hank
Ben Shelton on fri 27 jul 07
OOOH good book references Ivor.
Thanks
Ben
Rick Hamelin on fri 27 jul 07
Hi Ben.
Early Kilns firing both redware and stoneware utilized several types of studio made (from the same clay as the pots) furniture that look similar to what we use today, including single point and tri-point stilts, plate setters (triangular slabs with three points on the corner, placed with points down). Other less known separation rings (to support jug top to jug bottom), another thick triangular tile with a ogee like cut on two or three edges, shaped to a curve to take the rim of a bowl and stacked in a column, usually three around each bowl, each tile column tile supporting two or three bowls and Saggars with cut openings and clay pads placed between pots to stiffen and support the stack. Many old redware and stoneware pots show these markings; you just need to learn how to read the surface.
Alumina was certainly known in the Anglo-European industrial potteries as ceramic chemistry research emerged in the mid 18th century and Shaw wrote his famous treatise in 1821.. I doubt the smaller potteries knew of in depth clay chemistry and would be limited to the kaolin and ball clays. Geological explorations were completed by the crown and several kaolin pits were located in Massts, which do still exist. You need not go to Georgia for kaolin.
Stoneware (brought upcoast from NJ) was unsuccessfully introduced here in Massachusetts by Grace Parker (as an investor, her brother -in-law, Thomas Symmes was the potter) in 1742. Mastts and Connecticut had numerous stoneware potteries of industrial note in the last quarter of the 19th century well into the 19th century.
The salt glaze thickness varied greatly from thick to thin. White stoneware from the English factories being a very thin coating. Some American grey stoneware pots that I have seen had runs on them from being so thick.
Take Care
Rick Hamelin
www.americanredware.com
"Many a wiser men than I hath
gone to pot." 1649
Ivor and Olive Lewis on sat 28 jul 07
Dear Ben Shelton,=20
Remiss of me, forgot the ISBN. Jack Troy, 0-8230-4630-3.
Brongniart was published in the early 1800's. No ISBN ! He gave the =
original idea for the Salt glaze reaction in Volume 1.
If you wish to trace the history of the science of salt glaze via =
"Chemical Abstracts" from Vol 1 the trail peters out by the 1940's.
Best regards,
Ivor
| |
|
