Eric/Jennifer Koehler on wed 6 dec 00
Hope this isn't a silly question...I guess if I had to classify myself with
a title it would be Fetal Potter lol. Anyway, I am lucky enough to live in
the same town as a certain clever Clayart poster with her very own groundhog
kiln, and my question is this...in the next wood-firing, could I take some
bisqued pieces, wrap them in sawdust/organic material, then aluminum foil,
and place on sand under a big bowl on one of the shelves to obtain those
pretty saggar-type smokey markings but still fire to high temps? Or would
all of that just burn off and leave me with ugly ashless pots? (Believe me,
my pots don't need any help in the ugly department, or heavy for that
matter...I have decided that I have invented a new classification:
decorative, functional, and DEADLY WEAPON lol.) Thanks gurus...
J.
-maker of the bowl that has withstood over a dozen falls to the floor thanks
to my cats. Let it never be said that beginner pottery has no good
qualities...
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dan mickey on wed 6 dec 00
j,
i am not the clayarter with the groundhog, don't know if you were posting
directly to her? but here is my take on the situation. i belive all the
effects would be burnt off, especially the smokey markings you refer to. Now
i say i believe cause you are putting an element into this saggar that may
make a potential mark or mess. I think the aluminum foil would melt and run
down the pot, although it may just burn completely away. some metals or
salts would still flash etc. try some seashells and salt water mixture (see
nov CM). My friend Gary Greenburg and i fired some pieces at watershed maine
two summers ago in his weber grill using aluminum foil as a surface
treatment. i took his idea and added some organics and colorants salts etc.
and fired them in a make shift kiln outside. interesting results. he has
written articles on it but i don't know when they were published. i do know
we used borax on the inside of the foil i guess to flux it out more. good
luck
shane mickey
> Hope this isn't a silly question...I guess if I had to classify myself
with
> a title it would be Fetal Potter lol. Anyway, I am lucky enough to live
in
> the same town as a certain clever Clayart poster with her very own
groundhog
> kiln, and my question is this...in the next wood-firing, could I take
some
> bisqued pieces, wrap them in sawdust/organic material, then aluminum
foil,
> and place on sand under a big bowl on one of the shelves to obtain those
> pretty saggar-type smokey markings but still fire to high temps? Or
would
> all of that just burn off and leave me with ugly ashless pots? (Believe
me,
> my pots don't need any help in the ugly department, or heavy for that
> matter...I have decided that I have invented a new classification:
> decorative, functional, and DEADLY WEAPON lol.) Thanks gurus...
>
> J.
>
> -maker of the bowl that has withstood over a dozen falls to the floor
thanks
> to my cats. Let it never be said that beginner pottery has no good
> qualities...
>
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vince pitelka on wed 6 dec 00
> Hope this isn't a silly question...I guess if I had to classify myself
with
> a title it would be Fetal Potter lol. Anyway, I am lucky enough to live
in
> the same town as a certain clever Clayart poster with her very own
groundhog
> kiln, and my question is this...in the next wood-firing, could I take some
> bisqued pieces, wrap them in sawdust/organic material, then aluminum foil,
> and place on sand under a big bowl on one of the shelves to obtain those
> pretty saggar-type smokey markings but still fire to high temps? Or would
> all of that just burn off and leave me with ugly ashless pots? (Believe
me,
> my pots don't need any help in the ugly department, or heavy for that
> matter...I have decided that I have invented a new classification:
> decorative, functional, and DEADLY WEAPON lol.) Thanks gurus...
Jennifer -
Sorry to discourage you, but this would be a complete waste of space in a
wood kiln. Put your pots in the wood kiln to take advantage of the
wonderful things that firing process will do. Sagger fire your pots in any
other kiln.
Best wishes -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Home - vpitelka@dekalb.net
615/597-5376
Work - wpitelka@tntech.edu
615/597-6801 ext. 111, fax 615/597-6803
Appalachian Center for Crafts
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
http://www.craftcenter.tntech.edu/
Doug Gray on thu 7 dec 00
Date: Wed, 6 Dec 2000 06:16:29 -0500
From: Eric/Jennifer Koehler
J.
I've done saggars at high temperature and yes, the basic idea you have
will work. A couple of suggestions: First, I don't know that you will
need the aluminum foil. I've seen it used at lower temperatures in
electric kilns, but the upside down bowl on a bed of sand should be an
adequate saggar form by itself. If you need a devise to keep the
organic material against your work, use a paper bag. Pack a "lunch" of
sorts, pots, sawdust, banana peels, what ever you like. It will be
easier to load into the kiln.
Second, remember that the temp inside the saggar is always cooler than
the rest of the kiln. The organic material will burn down but probably
won't melt. Any portion of your pot that is still below the level of
ash in the saggar will be mostly black. The portion above the level of
ash will be smoky gray. Sometimes you get a fine white line between the
black and gray, right at the level where the embers burn the hottest.
I've never gotten the variation of color that you can get from low fire
salt. But intentional positioning of the pieces in the saggar can
produce some dramatic markings even with the limited color palette.
I've always used this technique in a regular gas kiln. I suspect the
results will be very similar in wood fire, but you never know for sure
until you experiment. If you haven't tried it, you may also want to
put a piece or two in without saggars so as to take full advantage of
the wonderful effects produced by firing with wood.
Doug Gray
Florence, SC
Subject: saggar/woodfire question
Hope this isn't a silly question...I guess if I had to classify myself
with
a title it would be Fetal Potter lol. Anyway, I am lucky enough to live
in
the same town as a certain clever Clayart poster with her very own
groundhog
kiln, and my question is this...in the next wood-firing, could I take
some
bisqued pieces, wrap them in sawdust/organic material, then aluminum
foil,
and place on sand under a big bowl on one of the shelves to obtain those
pretty saggar-type smokey markings but still fire to high temps? Or
would
all of that just burn off and leave me with ugly ashless pots? (Believe
me,
my pots don't need any help in the ugly department, or heavy for that
matter...I have decided that I have invented a new classification:
decorative, functional, and DEADLY WEAPON lol.) Thanks gurus...
J.
-maker of the bowl that has withstood over a dozen falls to the floor
thanks
to my cats. Let it never be said that beginner pottery has no good
qualities...
____________
Paul Taylor on thu 7 dec 00
Dear Jenifer
This Technic is bing used very successfully By David Leach in his wood
kiln. He piles a lot of sawdust in a flower pot saggar and judges the place
where charcoal settles to get a white shadow across the pot -it is a lovely
looking effect on a warm and round shape.
It also works in any kiln . I think the saggar has to be air tight David
uses two flower pots on top of each other you can use a fiber gasket and
fiber in the holes if you want to use the saggar to hold plants later.
Aluminum foil will melt but low fired ware dragged from the kiln hot
(raku plus) and wrapped in paper or somthing and then foil - let cool- gives
a smoky pot. With a bit of treasigallattattalligea ( what ever) and a bit of
imagination its a great bit of fun for an after noon. The pots you do not
like can be re biscuited for a repeat performance or glazed.
Thanks for the reminder I will try a bit of that with the students.
Do not worry that some one thought of the idea before you I am sure if you
are thinking in this creative way you will come up with very different pots
and even better.
Regards from Paul Taylor
http://www.anu.ie/westportpottery
Janet imformes me that gurues are not fat as I thought but thin.
>> Hope this isn't a silly question...I guess if I had to classify myself
> with
>> a title it would be Fetal Potter lol. Anyway, I am lucky enough to live
> in
>> the same town as a certain clever Clayart poster with her very own
> groundhog
>> kiln, and my question is this...in the next wood-firing, could I take some
>> bisqued pieces, wrap them in sawdust/organic material, then aluminum foil,
>> and place on sand under a big bowl on one of the shelves to obtain those
>> pretty saggar-type smokey markings but still fire to high temps? Or would
>> all of that just burn off and leave me with ugly ashless pots? (Believe
> me,
>> my pots don't need any help in the ugly department, or heavy for that
>> matter...I have decided that I have invented a new classification:
>> decorative, functional, and DEADLY WEAPON lol.) Thanks gurus...
>
> Jennifer -
Gavin Stairs on thu 7 dec 00
At 08:13 AM 12/7/00, Paul Taylor wrote:
>Dear Jenifer
>
> This Technic is bing used very successfully By David Leach in his wood
>kiln. He piles a lot of sawdust in a flower pot saggar and judges the place
>where charcoal settles to get a white shadow across the pot -it is a lovely
>looking effect on a warm and round shape.
>
> It also works in any kiln . I think the saggar has to be air tight David
>uses two flower pots on top of each other you can use a fiber gasket and
>fiber in the holes if you want to use the saggar to hold plants later.
Hello Paul,
I understood from David that he fired quite hot, so I wonder about the
flower pots, if by that you mean standard, red earthenware, terra cotta
pots. I suspect they are more like stoneware saggers.
Gavin
Paul Taylor on sat 9 dec 00
Dear Gavin
Yes they are stone ware pots ( Like saggars) fired in a high fired wood
kiln because that is the way he fires his domestic ware. But if you put hole
in the bottom you can sell them as flower pots.
Regards from Paul Taylor
http://www.anu.ie/westportpottery
> From: Gavin Stairs
> Reply-To: Ceramic Arts Discussion List
> Date: Thu, 7 Dec 2000 19:10:57 -0500
> To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
> Subject: Re: saggar/woodfire question
> I understood from David that he fired quite hot, so I wonder about the
> flower pots, if by that you mean standard, red earthenware, terra cotta
> pots. I suspect they are more like stoneware saggers.
>
> Gavin
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