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how do i get a wood fired look from a gas kiln?

updated fri 4 mar 05

 

Susan S on wed 2 mar 05


In a message dated 3/2/2005 11:08:53 PM Eastern Standard Time,
hendley@TYLER.NET writes:

> The best way to get a "wood-fired look" in a gas kiln is spray and/or
> sprinkle ashes on the pieces.
> Sprinkle dry ash on shoulders and tops, and spray on vertical surfaces
> by mixing the ashes with water and a little clay.
> One you learn this technique, you can fool just about anyone, even
> woodfirers.
> David Hendley

David,

Does this still have to be done at a cone 10 or thereabout? Or can it be
done in a lower firing?

Susie

Robert Fox on wed 2 mar 05


I know that some people can achieve a wood fired look out of a cone 10 gas
firing by layering shino and ash glazes. Does anyone know any good recipes
for this and how to apply them? Thanks.

David Hendley on wed 2 mar 05


The best way to get a "wood-fired look" in a gas kiln is spray and/or
sprinkle ashes on the pieces.
Sprinkle dry ash on shoulders and tops, and spray on vertical surfaces
by mixing the ashes with water and a little clay.
One you learn this technique, you can fool just about anyone, even
woodfirers.
David Hendley
Working hard to make sure there is no mug left behind
david@farmpots.com
http://www.farmpots.com


----- Original Message -----
> I know that some people can achieve a wood fired look out of a cone 10 gas
> firing by layering shino and ash glazes. Does anyone know any good
> recipes
> for this and how to apply them? Thanks.
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________

Edwards on thu 3 mar 05


Hello Robert-- Woodfiring is very diverse. What is your idea of a
woodfired look? A nice celadon or maybe more of an Echizen pot?
~Craig
_______________
Craig Edwards, New London MN
e-mail craigedwards@charter.net
http://photobucket.com/albums/v11/credwards/
Illegitimis non carborundum


Robert Fox wrote:

>I know that some people can achieve a wood fired look out of a cone 10 gas
>firing by layering shino and ash glazes. Does anyone know any good recipes
>for this and how to apply them? Thanks.
>
>______________________________________________________________________________
>Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
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>Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
>
>
>

Dale Neese on thu 3 mar 05


The first article I read about applying wood ash to ware in a reduction
firing was written by Dick Lehman. CM April 96. www.dicklehman.com
A couple of beautiful pieces of Dick Lehman's work is on the cover of this
month's issue of Ceramics Monthly. On Dick's website there are links to more
information about his techniques with side-firing and using wood ash. As he
states, "These side-fired pots are no longer mere substitutes for wood-fired
pots: they have developed their own voice and aesthetic.."
Rightly so. I don't think it is an attempt to fool anyone into thinking that
the pots are wood fired. Just a different avenue to explore. I have used
wood ash on my ware at cone 10 reduction for several years now and have
learned to control effects and have surprisingly discovered much more in the
process.
Whether you desire the wood fired look or beautiful Chinese type glazes, you
just can't grab a recipe from an article and make it happen the way the
author makes it work. Too many variables that one must take into account to
achieve the same results. Time, testing and desire.

Dale Tex
"across the alley from the Alamo"
San Antonio, Texas USA

Liz Willoughby on thu 3 mar 05


Hello Robert Fox,
A simple way is to just sprinkle a little ash over the shoulders or
tops of pots, glazed with shino.
Meticky Liz from Grafton, Ontario, Canada

You Must Believe in Spring

>I know that some people can achieve a wood fired look out of a cone 10 gas
>firing by layering shino and ash glazes. Does anyone know any good recipes
>for this and how to apply them? Thanks.
>

John Britt on thu 3 mar 05


To do this, have a bucket of wood ash from the fire place already sieved
and close to the glaze bucket. Then glaze the pot with a shino glaze and
while wearing a respirator, because ash dust can burn your throat and
lungs, and while the glaze is still wet, with a small hand sieve, sprinkle
some ash on the pot. That way it sticks to the piece and won't blow off
and you don=92t have to mix up anything special to make it stick.

Fire in reduction and you will have a piece that looks like a typical
reduction wood fired piece.

Super secret trick: Totally confidential and TOP SECRET!!!

If you really want to fool them -- put the piece on wads and allow it to
dry that way with a carbon trap (containing soda ash) shino as the glaze.
That way the soda ash will create some flashing around the wads.

I will try to bring some tea bowls to NCECA to illustrate the ash effect.

Hope it helps,

John Britt
www.johnbrittpottery.com

Jeff Brown on thu 3 mar 05


On Wed, 2 Mar 2005 17:05:31 -0500, Robert Fox
wrote:

>I know that some people can achieve a wood fired look out of a cone 10 gas
>firing by layering shino and ash glazes. Does anyone know any good recipes
>for this and how to apply them? Thanks.
>


I use "Dry Ash Glazing" on Shino and Ashglazes from time-to-time in
different ways.

One technique involves lightly dusting a freshly glazed damp pot with a
fine sieved ash in areas I want to accentuate, or on a glaze that I want
slight color variations.

...Or.. using a course sieve sprinkle ash heavier on a freshly glazed 'wet'
pot for more of an drippy ash effect.

...And.... After you have applied the ash to your shino or woodash glazes
line those pots up on the bag wall or in the fire channel with the ash side
facing the fire to get the brunt of the heat or direct flame from your
burners.

But I don't do this to emulate woodfiring, it is it's own glazing style. In
fact, you can do things with sifted ash that you can't do in wood firing,
like "ashing" both sides of your pot, or mixing oxides in with the ash.


Thank you,
Jeff Brown
950 1st NH Turnpike
Northwood, NH 03261
(603) 942-8829
http://www.jeffbrownpottery.com

Edwards on thu 3 mar 05


My super secret is to fire with wood Strictly Hush Hush! Then tell
people that it's from a gas kiln. Hehehe.
~Craig

Lee Love wrote:

> John Britt wrote:
>
>> Super secret trick: Totally confidential and TOP SECRET!!!
>>
>> If you really want to fool them -- put the piece on wads and allow it to
>> dry that way with a carbon trap (containing soda ash) shino as the
>> glaze.
>> That way the soda ash will create some flashing around the wads.
>>
>>
>

Ben on thu 3 mar 05


John wrote : put the piece on wads and allow it to
dry that way with a carbon trap (containing soda ash) shino as the glaze.
That way the soda ash will create some flashing around the wads.



Craig wrote: What is your idea of a woodfired look?


How 'bout lots of flashing ? Seems like we covered ash.

Kathy McDonald on thu 3 mar 05


I haven't done this in years...but I remember using
an ash solution (or ash glaze) sprayed from an atomizer
(ie: empty windex bottle) directly onto pots in strategic places
after they had been glazed and the glaze was allowed to dry.
I played with these effects for about a year and the technique works best
with shino's over porcelain and ironbearing clay with an iron saturate
glaze.


Also, finely sieved ash mixed with liquid wax resist
brushed over shino glazes gives a real neet flash.
I was experimenting with apple tree ash and aspen ash at the time.

I will see if I can dig up some pictures...but I think they all might be
slides.

Kathy



-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG]On Behalf Of Lee Love
Sent: Thursday, March 03, 2005 9:22 AM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Re: how do I get a wood fired look from a gas kiln?


John Britt wrote:

>Super secret trick: Totally confidential and TOP SECRET!!!
>
>If you really want to fool them -- put the piece on wads and allow it to
>dry that way with a carbon trap (containing soda ash) shino as the glaze.
>That way the soda ash will create some flashing around the wads.
>
>
Shells work even better. Shirley Johnson uses calgon water on the
outside of her bean bowls to make them toasty. I have used shino
water and graduated to the soda ash solution I mentioned earlier. If
you dip the foot in soda ash water and then set the foot on shells
stuffed with wadding, not only do you get color, you get nice marks on
the feet.

--
Lee in Mashiko, Japan http://mashiko.org
http://potters.blogspot.com/ WEB LOG
http://claycraft.blogspot.com/ Photos!

____________________________________________________________________________
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Lee Love on fri 4 mar 05


John Britt wrote:

>Super secret trick: Totally confidential and TOP SECRET!!!
>
>If you really want to fool them -- put the piece on wads and allow it to
>dry that way with a carbon trap (containing soda ash) shino as the glaze.
>That way the soda ash will create some flashing around the wads.
>
>
Shells work even better. Shirley Johnson uses calgon water on the
outside of her bean bowls to make them toasty. I have used shino
water and graduated to the soda ash solution I mentioned earlier. If
you dip the foot in soda ash water and then set the foot on shells
stuffed with wadding, not only do you get color, you get nice marks on
the feet.

--
Lee in Mashiko, Japan http://mashiko.org
http://potters.blogspot.com/ WEB LOG
http://claycraft.blogspot.com/ Photos!