Kris Haggland on mon 17 apr 00
I have been doing quite a few pit fires this spring with my high school
classes and everyone loves it. I would like to start getting some of the
beautiful deep reds and oranges on pots that I see in pictures of things
that have been pit fired. What is the secret? We have been using sawdust,
copper carb. sprinkled around the pots, sometimes seaweed, rock salt and
letting it burn open (no lid). Our colors are a range-black to gray and
dramatic white. Occasionally we get a patch or sprinkle of red but never
the beautiful coloring all over the pot. Sometimes we burnish and use terra
sig, sometimes we just burnish for a nice shine. I have been bisque firing
to 010 before things go in the pit. Thanks for you help! kris haggland
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Dannon Rhudy on tue 18 apr 00
At 05:18 PM 4/17/00 EDT, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>I have been doing quite a few pit fires this spring with my high school
>classes and everyone loves it. I would like to start getting some of the
>beautiful deep reds and oranges
-----------------------------------------
My own experience has been that if the fire is not hot
enough, the reds/oranges won't be there, or if they are
they are covered by the carbon blacks. If the fire is
hot enough, some of the carbon will burn off, and the
salt (oranges) will get hot enough to fume, and so will
the copper (reds). Voila - reds & oranges. Sometimes,
though not often, I get some lovely grass-greens, where
there's been some copper flashing without reduction.
regards
Dannon Rhudy
potter@koyote.com
L. P. Skeen on tue 18 apr 00
Kris,
You have to get the kiln HOT to get that red. Just lighting it and letting
it burn down won't do it. You'll have to keep the fire going awhile by
stoking, just like a wood burning kiln. It's very labor intensive.
L
> I have been doing quite a few pit fires this spring with my high school
> classes and everyone loves it. I would like to start getting some of the
> beautiful deep reds and oranges on pots that I see in pictures of things
> that have been pit fired. What is the secret? We have been using
sawdust,
> copper carb. sprinkled around the pots, sometimes seaweed, rock salt and
> letting it burn open (no lid). Our colors are a range-black to gray and
> dramatic white. Occasionally we get a patch or sprinkle of red but never
> the beautiful coloring all over the pot. Sometimes we burnish and use
terra
> sig, sometimes we just burnish for a nice shine. I have been bisque
firing
> to 010 before things go in the pit. Thanks for you help! kris haggland
> ______________________________________________________
> Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
>
Iveragh Ceramics on tue 18 apr 00
Kris,
For those reds simply mix some yellow ochre with water and apply to
pot or part of pot as a slip.
Regards,
Bob Hollis
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kris Haggland"
To:
Sent: Monday, April 17, 2000 10:18 PM
Subject: Pit Firing RED
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> I have been doing quite a few pit fires this spring with my high school
> classes and everyone loves it. I would like to start getting some of the
> beautiful deep reds and oranges on pots that I see in pictures of things
> that have been pit fired. What is the secret? We have been using
sawdust,
> copper carb. sprinkled around the pots, sometimes seaweed, rock salt and
> letting it burn open (no lid). Our colors are a range-black to gray and
> dramatic white. Occasionally we get a patch or sprinkle of red but never
> the beautiful coloring all over the pot. Sometimes we burnish and use
terra
> sig, sometimes we just burnish for a nice shine. I have been bisque
firing
> to 010 before things go in the pit. Thanks for you help! kris haggland
> ______________________________________________________
> Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
>
ray gonzalez on wed 19 apr 00
just got back from a trip from the beach. 2 days of pit firing. i have the
handouts if you are interested, or anyone, i will mail off topic. just email
me and throw something eyecatching in the sub heading. the way that i get the
reds and oranges that you mention is in one of 2 ways. i use what we call
"magic dust" and it is a science. :) throw about a cup of copper carb, and 1
cup of salt in a gallon bucket. fill it the rest of the way with sawdust.
mix. this combo seems to work to produce reds. when i fire, i wrap my pieces
in seaweed (not kelp, not seagrass, i dont know where you are, but here in so
cal we get some nice green stuff with small air capsules.. it is not always
easy to come by but i had no probs a couple of weeks ago) i pack it in a paint
can. you can buy them at the hardware store for about $3. punch several large
holes in it and pack everything in it. i lay a layer of sawdust and salt in
the bottom of the pit. put my cans on that and then pack it with wood. if i
can find driftwood, that is preferred but if not, anything will work. this
last time i had only small pieces of drift and i will throw that in the can for
the salt contet.
hope this helps. it is not the end of me on this subject as i have some
interesting probs to pose on saggar firing later this week.
good luck
ray
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