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salt firing/functional ware/wads/lids

updated thu 4 sep 08

 

Ben Shelton on wed 3 sep 08


I'm new to salt firing but the school is doing a cone 10 salt load soon and I'd like to put a few pieces in. I make glazed, cone 10 reduction fired work and would like to adapt some of it for the salt firing. I plan to use some slips on the exterior of pots over stamped textures but the insides of pots and lids and flat pieces leave me with questions.

How do you keep the lids from sticking? What are your resist/wadding recipes?
If I use my standard glazes on the inside of lidded pots will the lid keep out the salt?
What about flat pieces? How do I keep them from sticking and keep them flat too?
Do you have any favorite colored slip recipes I should try?

Thank you in advance

Ben

Lee Love on wed 3 sep 08


Ben,

It'd be best to ask the folks in charge of the firing. We all
use different amounts of salts/soda in a vapor firing and based on
that, you take different precautions. You can also find out what
those folks use as a liner glaze.


If you do light salting, alumina is enough. For heavier salt
or ash in woodfire, I wad the lid on or off the pot. In addition to
wads, I use wad filled shells. These can be used decoratively. I
have order shells from seashell horizons online.

Good Luck!
--
Lee Love in Minneapolis
http://heartclay.blogspot.com/
http://mashikopots.blogspot.com/
http://claycraft.blogspot.com/

"Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground." --Rumi

Paul Herman on wed 3 sep 08


Ben,

I'll try to answer a few, below:

Paul Herman

Great Basin Pottery
Doyle, California US
www.greatbasinpottery.com/




On Sep 3, 2008, at 6:18 AM, Ben Shelton wrote:

>
> How do you keep the lids from sticking?

I use wads on the lids and feet in salt firing.

> What are your resist/wadding recipes?

Equal parts by weight of kaolin, fireclay and silica sand. Add sawdust
to taste.

>
> If I use my standard glazes on the inside of lidded pots will the
> lid keep out the salt?

Most of it. Since the lids are wadded, a small bit of salt vapor gets
inside. Not much.

>
> What about flat pieces? How do I keep them from sticking and keep
> them flat too?

By designing the foot carefully, and wadding carefully, allowing for
the final shrinkage.

>
> Do you have any favorite colored slip recipes I should try?

Try 100g of your normal white slip with 100g alumina added. It will
resist the salt, and sometimes makes great colors.

Good luck.

>
>
> Thank you in advance
>
> Ben