Dave Smith on mon 2 apr 01
My group of Friends and I (most of us professional Computer Geeks) have
been using pottery as a way to do something 'after hours' that ISNT
sitting in front of the computer screen.
I've 'lurking' on this listserv for about two years now, and never
posted.
The house I live in right now is on an acre of land on the outskirts of
the city in a quiet neighborhood. I've got a 'barn' in the backyard that
I use as my shop, I've got my wheel out there with a wedging table, a
table for had building and still plenty of space for other projects ..
Last year we poured a concrete pad about 3'x 5' outside the shed for the
purpose of having a place for doing Raku and stop to use my pile of
brick to do sawdust firing. Now take in mind none of us have EVER done
anything like this.
So, last weekend after working in my two 4' x 8' garden beds (turned
them completely, planted tomatoes and basil in one, not sure what I'm
gonna plant in the other). I cleared off the pile of bricks and stacked
them up on the pad making a four sided structure with no roof .. what I
ended up with is a nice sized pit that I think would be suitable for
some primitive firing (as soon as I find something to cover it with
(where are all those metal signs I used to have stacked up? The wife
must have taken them to the curb when I wasnt looking ..). I read in
this listserv alot about using the kiln but almost no discussion on more
basic techniques ..
Does anyone have any pointers on doing primitive firing, am I going
about this all wrong? I'd love to try Raku, but we dont have Bisque-ware
and we dont have easy access yet to a kiln (that will change, a Kiln was
taken in trade for some computer work (but it doesnt work yet, I dont
know the name brand of it, its over at someone elses house)). So for
right now its primitive firing ... we are all doing one or two
hand-built or wheel thrown pieces, and I have set a date of May 5 to be
the firing date, hopefully all pieces will be 'bone' dry by then (or
they wont be fired).
again I ask for any pointers, ideas and words of wisdom/encouragement.
--
Thanks!
Dave
Hobbits is good eatin' - Skull, http://www.pvponline.com
Jim and Marge Wade on thu 5 apr 01
Matt,
Try some seaweed, too, if you get the chance. I've wrapped pots in it as
well as dried banana peels, dried orange rinds, pine needles, etc. Try tying
the objects onto the pots with copper wire (18 or 20 guage works well) or
those copper "Chore Boy" scouring pads. I've had some beautiful lavender and
subtle purples come out of the seaweed firings. I consider that stuff gold.
Now when my sister comes for a visit from Florida I make her bring a bunch
with her, then I ration it with care!
Marge
> From: Matt MacIntire
> Reply-To: Ceramic Arts Discussion List
> Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2001 17:46:01 -0400
> To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
> Subject: Re: primitive firing?
>
> Claudia wrote:
>>> Now I am using more of the larger sawdust along
>>> with fern, blackberry and anything else in reach
>>> of the kiln. The leaf shadows are sometimes
>>> impressive.
>
> That sounds intruiging...
>
> You didn't mention how you use the fronds or branches.
> Do you wrap them onto the pot or otherwise place them
> near to the pot?
>
> Do they resist the smoke? Or leave a smoke pattern
> similar to their shape.
>
>
> Matt
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
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Graeme Anderson on thu 5 apr 01
Hal Riegger - Primitive Pottery. 1972. ISBN 0442269455
has some very interesting primitive kilns. Having no close neighbours that
you like would be a requisite for some of the kilns. :
Matt MacIntire on thu 5 apr 01
Dave >> Does anyone have any pointers on doing primitive firing
I thought others might have more specific information. Since no one else
responded, I'll tell you what I have learned.
We've done primitive firing a couple different ways. For me it has mostly
been an "activity" rather than a firing method chosen to yield my best work.
Primitive firing is fun, and can be done well, but I'd advise you to expect
a lot of breakage. If you are mainly interested in keepers, I'd advise you
to bisque the pots before any open firing treatment. Survival rates are
MUCH higher for bisqued pots. But if you are just in the mood to
experiment, primitive firing can be great fun and you may get a few nice
pots out of the deal.
Take a look at some of the books that show primitive firings. You will
notice a few things.
The shapes are often quite rounded. Rounded forms survive much better than
shapes with parts that stick way out. Smaller pieces are easiest to fire.
Bigger ones are harder, since the fire can be uneven. You will notice that
the clay is always quite coarse. The granular material allows the water
vapor to escape better. Coarse clay will survive open firing much better
than normal stoneware clay.
When firing green pots, the trick seems to be to heat the pots rather
gradually.
One approach is to warm the pots up near the fire, then move them on (or
over) some coals and gradually move them into the fire. Another approach is
to build a small fire around the pots with not much fuel and gradually add
more fuel until you have a real fire.
A third approach I've seen work well is to dig a pit and build a fire OVER
the pots on some sort of grate. The coals gradually fall into the pit and
cover the pots. This is a good approach mainly if you have a lot of stuff
you want to burn up.
However you fire, make sure the pots are either really dry -- or really wet.
I've had fun pinching out small pots from some rather coarse clay and
putting them straight into the coals. Eventually move them into the fire.
Evidently the wet clay allows steam out better than clay that has partially
dried. If small pots are reasonably thin and even, they fire fine if you
put them in wet. Anything that gets a bit thick will definitely give you a
show. I don't find it too dangerous, but it might depend on the crowd. You
probably ought not do open firing with careless people around anyway.
I have seen native potters fire with dung. They stack the ware and pile
dung all around the pots. I recollect that they used paper to start the
fire. They lit the dung on fire, and when it got going well, they covered
the pile with dirt. They added no more fuel and just let the fire burn out,
which took several hours. That seemed to work quite well and they had
minimal breakage even when firing green pots. They used coarse clay, that
was burnished. The dung starts much more slowly than a pile of sticks. The
pots have longer to warm up, but still get hot enough.
It may not be quite what you are looking for, but one of my favorite ways
with primitive firing is sawdust firing. We build some container out of
brick or block stacked up rather loosely. Put the pots in, and then fill
over them will sawdust. Not fine sawdust from a table saw, but the larger
sawdust from a planer. If you have a source of this it works great. [wood
shavings we have in the suburbs, dung is much harder to find! ] The
dry sawdust lights easily and burns slowly, leaving handsome smoke markings,
much like Raku. This type of firing does NOT get hot enough to make the
clay consistently permanent. The pots ought to be bisqued first.
I think you should give it a shot. One of the best things about clay is the
constant experiments. Just try a few firings and see what works for you.
good luck...
Claudia and Ray on thu 5 apr 01
Matt has written a great posting about primitive firing, and I cannot
add much. My work is done in a brick kiln with earthenware clay. Fine
sawdust does work well if you are after large black patches and good
contrast. Now I am using more of the larger sawdust along with fern,
blackberry and anything else in reach of the kiln. The leaf shadows are
sometimes impressive.
The type of clay used, of course, does have an impact on the work.
Earthenware is a bit tight and I do get some breakage, but it burnishes
beautifully and is worth the risk. For large flat pieces such as masks,
I use raku clay and have very good luck. After over 10 years of firing
this way, I am still learning. It never gets boring.
Claudia
Matt MacIntire on thu 5 apr 01
Claudia wrote:
>> Now I am using more of the larger sawdust along
>> with fern, blackberry and anything else in reach
>> of the kiln. The leaf shadows are sometimes
>> impressive.
That sounds intruiging...
You didn't mention how you use the fronds or branches.
Do you wrap them onto the pot or otherwise place them
near to the pot?
Do they resist the smoke? Or leave a smoke pattern
similar to their shape.
Matt
Claudia and Ray on thu 5 apr 01
Hi Matt,
Well, I have tried both wrapping the fronds around the pots, and just
placing them near the pots. Both get interesting results...if the wind
is right, and you hold your mouth just right and the gods are with
you...etc. What usually happens is the leaves do a bit of resisting for
you and leave their shape behind in a light shade. Sometimes, though,
the opposite happens. It is all just a big surprise. That is what I
love about this kind of firing.
Claudia
Snail Scott on fri 6 apr 01
At 09:18 AM 4/6/01 -0400, you wrote:
>The idea about using a chore boy to hold the combustibles
>in place is a terrific idea. Kind of like a hair net
>for pit firing, eh?
>Matt
The Chore Boy is made of copper, and makes
lacy black patterns on the clay it contacts.
-Snail
Matt MacIntire on fri 6 apr 01
Claudia wrote:
>> Well, I have tried both wrapping the fronds around
>> the pots, and just placing them near the pots. Both
>> get interesting results...if the wind is right, and
>> you hold your mouth just right and the gods are with
>> you...etc.
Ahhhh yes... the kiln gods are a capricious when they
bestow their blessing.
Thanks for the information. Next time I'll experiment
a bit with combustibles that have some shape of their
own. That never occurred to me before.
Thanks
Matt
Matt MacIntire on fri 6 apr 01
Marge,
Oooohh, I bet your sister likes getting on the plane
with a bagful of seaweed! She must really like you
to agree to that request.
It does sound interesting. But I fear that for me, it
would be like firing with dung. There just isn't any
around here...
The idea about using a chore boy to hold the combustibles
in place is a terrific idea. Kind of like a hair net
for pit firing, eh?
thanks
Matt
Paul Bailey / Janet Moe on fri 6 apr 01
Marge,
Do you know what kind of seaweed gave you these results?
Janet, on the BC coast, where we have many differents seaweeds to choose from
Jim and Marge Wade wrote:
I've had some beautiful lavender and
subtle purples come out of the seaweed firings.
Jim and Marge Wade on fri 6 apr 01
Matt,
I usually unravel the chore boy so I have more control over where it goes
while I use it to tie down other combustibles. I'll have to try the hairnet
idea on a small pot by itself sometime.
My sister is really pretentious (wouldn't hear of flying anything but first
class) so I LOVE having her have to deal with the stuff!
Marge
> The idea about using a chore boy to hold the combustibles
> in place is a terrific idea. Kind of like a hair net
> for pit firing, eh?
>
> Matt
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> 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.
Jim and Marge Wade on fri 6 apr 01
Not the exact type. But I also had a nice effect where I wrapped a lily leaf
that was in with the seaweed (Jacksonville area) onto the pot with copper
wire. I use a low fire white clay and burnish it when leather hard. The
color variations show up nicely, especially after the pot is waxed.
Marge
> From: Paul Bailey / Janet Moe
> Reply-To: Ceramic Arts Discussion List
> Date: Fri, 6 Apr 2001 09:16:17 -0700
> To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
> Subject: Re: primitive firing?
>
> Marge,
> Do you know what kind of seaweed gave you these results?
> Janet, on the BC coast, where we have many differents seaweeds to choose from
>
> Jim and Marge Wade wrote:
> I've had some beautiful lavender and
> subtle purples come out of the seaweed firings.
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> 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.
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