Anthony Allison on wed 25 nov 98
Hi All,
Been working on an alternative to sagger firing. It is called satchel
firing. Roll out clay to a thickness of 1/8 inch to a size large enough to
surround your pot. Coat it on one side with a 50/50 mix of alumina hydrate
and fireclay or kaolin. When dry, place pot on it, put small piles of salt,
potassium carbonate, and shelled corn here and there, and fold up your slab
over the slipped (not glazed) pot. Place in kiln and bake on high.
Another alternative, and a good way to get rid of clay boxes is to do the
same as above, using the box as a reducing agent and support for the clay
slab. This technique allows you to experiment with glazed pieces without the
slab sticking. Claybox is perfect for a 12x24 shelf size.
A funny thing I've noticed is that in the satchel, corn turns into silver
nuggets ?? I'm thinking about cornflour and clay as a slip?? This potassium
carbonate is pretty agressive stuff-use in moderation! Very reactive!
Good luck.
Tony
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