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using ashes of charcoal briquettes for ash glazing, does it work?

updated mon 23 may 05

 

Fredrick Paget on fri 20 may 05


I had a sample of ash from Kingston briquets analyzed by an
industrial laboratory a couple of months ago.
I will post it if anyone is interested. Right now my wife is
breathing down my neck. We are due to go out to dinner in a couple of
minutes.

--
From Fred &Nan Paget, Marin County,
California, USA
fredrick@well.com

Marcia Selsor on fri 20 may 05


We used briquette ash in hawaii. The fine gray powder from completely
burned briquettes works best.
Marcia Selsor
On May 20, 2005, at 3:56 PM, Warren Heintz wrote:

> Hey, I really don't know to much about it, but the first thing that
> came to mind about charcoal briquettes is I'd wonder about any,if
> any, chemicals that may have been added during their manufacturing.
> Leading to a glaze screw-up and health problems. It would be a good
> way to get rid of them though,if useable. Just a thought. W.
>
> Snipped Ken Nowicki...sorry

John Britt on fri 20 may 05


Charcoal ash works fine. It is very fine and needs little screening. You
can mix 50% whiting and 50% charcoal together and sprinkle/or spray it on
a shino glaze to get a nice effect.

John Britt
President of the Glaze Recipe - Free Trade Association
www.johnbrittpottery.com

dannon rhudy on fri 20 may 05


Ken, what kind of "charcoa" briquettes? The little
black square pillow-looking things are actually compressed
coal dust (yechhhhh). The pure mesquite chunks are
wood. Why don't you try 'em out and tell us what
happens? Waste not, etc.....

regards

Dannon Rhudy


----- Original Message -----
From: "Ken Nowicki"
To:
Sent: Friday, May 20, 2005 9:38 AM
Subject: Using ashes of charcoal briquettes for ash glazing, does it work?


> Hello fellow clay addicts,
>
> While cleaning out the ashes out of my 'Texas smoker' yesterday,
preparing
> to smoke up a batch of my Kansas City pork ribs last night... I was
reminded
> of the same question that ponders my mind every time I do this chore...
and I
> always forget the next day to put it up on the list and see if any one
knows
> the answer to this... so here goes...
>
> Is it possible to use the ashes from charcoal briquettes for making ash
> glazes? If so, what are the results and how do they vary, if any from
using
> ashes from various woods?
>
> Has anyone tried this? I'm sure someone must have. No one seems to ever
> mention it when ash glaze discussions come up however, and I'm wondering
if it's
> not because it simply doesn't work, or maybe the results are
disappointing.
> I'm just curious.
>
> I don't have a fireplace in my home to in which to gather ashes from
> hardwoods, however, I do use wood chunks/chips of various types (apple,
cherry,
> pecan, oak, mesquite, hickory) from time to time when I'm doing some
serious
> barbecuing, smoking actually... in my New Braunfels Texas-style smoker.
Although,
> I always have a nice big bed of coals first of charcoal briquettes going,
> before I lay the pre-soaked wood chunks/chips on top to get it smoking.
When
> I'm done, I have a mixture actually of both... charcoal and wood ash.
>
> I'm not even ready yet to start experimenting with ash glazes, as my
studio
> is not yet put back together... but... I would love to try some of this
out
> once I get up and running again.
>
> - Ken
>
> PS - Those ribs last night smoked for nearly four hours last night...
turned
> out incredible if I don't say so myself... lip smackin' good... heh heh.
No,
> I don't use a barbecue sauce on them at all. Just marinated with a 'dry
rub'
> and served with a bit of hot pepper vinegar sauce at the table... Mmm Mmm
> Mmmm!
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> 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.
>

Ken Nowicki on fri 20 may 05


Yeah... the chemical issue came to my mind as well... but without knowing
'exactly' what Kingsford (or whoever) puts in their charcoal briquettes... I
guess there is no real way of knowing without some sort of information from the
mfgr. or a costly chemical analysis.

Dictionary says:
......................................
bri-quette also briquet: A block of compressed coal dust, charcoal, or
sawdust and wood chips, used for fuel.
.....................................

In a message dated 5/20/2005, warrengheintz@YAHOO.COM writes:

Hey, I really don't know to much about it, but the first thing that came to
mind about charcoal briquettes is I'd wonder about any,if any, chemicals that
may have been added during their manufacturing. Leading to a glaze screw-up
and health problems. It would be a good way to get rid of them though,if
useable. Just a thought. W.

Ken Nowicki on fri 20 may 05


Hello fellow clay addicts,

While cleaning out the ashes out of my 'Texas smoker' yesterday, preparing
to smoke up a batch of my Kansas City pork ribs last night... I was reminded
of the same question that ponders my mind every time I do this chore... and I
always forget the next day to put it up on the list and see if any one knows
the answer to this... so here goes...

Is it possible to use the ashes from charcoal briquettes for making ash
glazes? If so, what are the results and how do they vary, if any from using
ashes from various woods?

Has anyone tried this? I'm sure someone must have. No one seems to ever
mention it when ash glaze discussions come up however, and I'm wondering if it's
not because it simply doesn't work, or maybe the results are disappointing.
I'm just curious.

I don't have a fireplace in my home to in which to gather ashes from
hardwoods, however, I do use wood chunks/chips of various types (apple, cherry,
pecan, oak, mesquite, hickory) from time to time when I'm doing some serious
barbecuing, smoking actually... in my New Braunfels Texas-style smoker. Although,
I always have a nice big bed of coals first of charcoal briquettes going,
before I lay the pre-soaked wood chunks/chips on top to get it smoking. When
I'm done, I have a mixture actually of both... charcoal and wood ash.

I'm not even ready yet to start experimenting with ash glazes, as my studio
is not yet put back together... but... I would love to try some of this out
once I get up and running again.

- Ken

PS - Those ribs last night smoked for nearly four hours last night... turned
out incredible if I don't say so myself... lip smackin' good... heh heh. No,
I don't use a barbecue sauce on them at all. Just marinated with a 'dry rub'
and served with a bit of hot pepper vinegar sauce at the table... Mmm Mmm
Mmmm!

Warren Heintz on fri 20 may 05


Hey, I really don't know to much about it, but the first thing that came to mind about charcoal briquettes is I'd wonder about any,if any, chemicals that may have been added during their manufacturing. Leading to a glaze screw-up and health problems. It would be a good way to get rid of them though,if useable. Just a thought. W.

Ken Nowicki wrote:Hello fellow clay addicts,

While cleaning out the ashes out of my 'Texas smoker' yesterday, preparing
to smoke up a batch of my Kansas City pork ribs last night... I was reminded
of the same question that ponders my mind every time I do this chore... and I
always forget the next day to put it up on the list and see if any one knows
the answer to this... so here goes...

Is it possible to use the ashes from charcoal briquettes for making ash
glazes? If so, what are the results and how do they vary, if any from using
ashes from various woods?

Has anyone tried this? I'm sure someone must have. No one seems to ever
mention it when ash glaze discussions come up however, and I'm wondering if it's
not because it simply doesn't work, or maybe the results are disappointing.
I'm just curious.

I don't have a fireplace in my home to in which to gather ashes from
hardwoods, however, I do use wood chunks/chips of various types (apple, cherry,
pecan, oak, mesquite, hickory) from time to time when I'm doing some serious
barbecuing, smoking actually... in my New Braunfels Texas-style smoker. Although,
I always have a nice big bed of coals first of charcoal briquettes going,
before I lay the pre-soaked wood chunks/chips on top to get it smoking. When
I'm done, I have a mixture actually of both... charcoal and wood ash.

I'm not even ready yet to start experimenting with ash glazes, as my studio
is not yet put back together... but... I would love to try some of this out
once I get up and running again.

- Ken

PS - Those ribs last night smoked for nearly four hours last night... turned
out incredible if I don't say so myself... lip smackin' good... heh heh. No,
I don't use a barbecue sauce on them at all. Just marinated with a 'dry rub'
and served with a bit of hot pepper vinegar sauce at the table... Mmm Mmm
Mmmm!

______________________________________________________________________________
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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Bob Hanlin on sat 21 may 05


I recall that my college ceramics prof. used little briquettes (sic). I have one of the pots that he put a kiln post inside a pot and balanced a briquette (sic, again) on the post. The shoulder of the pot has some great flashing and the briquette caused some ash glaze to form.

bobH

Ken Nowicki on sat 21 may 05


John,

Thanks so much for your response. What does adding the whiting do, I'm
curious?

- Ken


Ken Nowicki
Port Washington, NY
RakuArtist@aol.com
Potters Council - Charter Member




In a message dated 5/21/2005 11:41:49 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
jbritt@MAIN.NC.US writes:

Charcoal ash works fine. It is very fine and needs little screening. You
can mix 50% whiting and 50% charcoal together and sprinkle/or spray it on
a shino glaze to get a nice effect.

John Britt
President of the Glaze Recipe - Free Trade Association
_www.johnbrittpottery.com_ (http://www.johnbrittpottery.com)

Ken Nowicki on sat 21 may 05


Thank you Marcia for your input... now this is what I was hoping to hear!


- Ken



Ken Nowicki
Port Washington, NY
RakuArtist@aol.com
Potters Council - Charter Member
.....................................................


In a message dated 5/21/2005 11:41:30 A.M. Eastern Standard Time,
selsor@IMT.NET writes:

We used briquette ash in hawaii. The fine gray powder from completely
burned briquettes works best.
Marcia Selsor

Ken Kang on sat 21 may 05


See my ash glaze from Kingsford briquette.
http://photos.yahoo.com/rakuken2000
Unwashed, straight ash no additives. Fired in my gas kiln ^10.

Aloha, Ken

John Britt on sat 21 may 05


Ken,

Whiting supplies more calcium. Give it a try. It works great over shinos.

John Britt
www.johnbrittpottery.com

Ken Nowicki on sat 21 may 05


Susie (_runswithsizzrs2@aol.com_ (mailto:runswithsizzrs2@aol.com) ) just
informed me that Whole Foods has hardwood charcoal for sale that is pure and
clean burning... so I think next time I'll try that out... since there is a Whole
Foods market not too far from me. Man I love this list sometimes...

Anyway, while looking at the online info about their charcoal at the Whole
Foods web site, I saw this... (see below)

"Kingsford ingredients:
Wood Charcoal, Lignite Charcoal, Anthracite Coal, Limestone, Starch, Borax,
Sawdust and Sodium Nitrate"

Dannon... "yechhhhh" is right...

I'll be switching over to hardwood charcoal most likely, now that I know
where I can get it locally. I'm looking forward to start experimenting with some
ash glazes once I get the new kiln up and running... in the meantime... I'll
start screening and saving the ashes for future use.

- Ken



Ken Nowicki
Port Washington, NY
RakuArtist@aol.com
Potters Council - Charter Member



In a message dated 5/21/2005, dannon@CCRTC.COM writes:

Ken, what kind of "charcoa" briquettes? The little
black square pillow-looking things are actually compressed
coal dust (yechhhhh). The pure mesquite chunks are
wood. Why don't you try 'em out and tell us what
happens? Waste not, etc.....

regards

Dannon Rhudy