Kanorin's chunks of fired mud

[HorseloverFat]

Love raku, but I do not believe a raku pot would last even a single season holding water. I am not sure if there are processes that would make that more feasible for a functional vessel. Maybe treating the raku as a luster firing on an already higher fired pot? I don't think you would get the rich blacks that I love in raku with an almost vitrified clay body though. Maybe I should reach out to my old professor who apprenticed in a raku studio for a few years...

IMO Salt firing is criminally underused in ceramics, soda and wood just being more popular. Some of my best pieces were salt fired shino glazes, sometimes fired 3 or 4 times. If I had my own studio a salt kiln probably wouldn't be top priority though. Salt firing is pretty dam hard on brick and furniture.

Soda and wood firing IS salt glazing though. You are creating salt vapor for a reaction at appropriate heats
Do you just mean the METHOD of applying the salt.. because salt and soda are roughly the same molecule.
...

You are right, though, it is underused. It calls for a completely separate kiln.. once you "saltify" your internal kiln pieces , bricks, furniture.. that's ALL they can ever be.

...

Looking really good Kanorin!

 

[ForrestW]

Soda and wood firing IS salt glazing though. You are creating salt vapor for a reaction at appropriate heats
Do you just mean the METHOD of applying the salt.. because salt and soda are roughly the same molecule.
...

You are right, though, it is underused. It calls for a completely separate kiln.. once you "saltify" your internal kiln pieces , bricks, furniture.. that's ALL they can ever be.

...

Looking really good Kanorin!

Great thread-- fun reading if from the start today. Great Pots Kanorin!!! And man would I love to take an class on glaze chemistry, I am super jealous.

I really enjoy soda glazing however a lot of folks feel like the soda/salt can leave the unglazed pots to glossy at times-- so I have tended to stick to more of the slight wood ash and reduction look out of that kiln (and a good bit out of my electric kilns.)

As for soda vs salt-- yes the are very similar I tend to lean soda vapor over salt as you get a more organic one sided effect where the salt distribution is more even all around the pots (but I love that warmth that comes from a salt glazed pot). I built a hybrid wood gas kiln a few years back to be a small cross-draft soda kiln. I regret now not making it a downdraft, I do love the very directional effects from cross draft kilns but the heat distribution is more dramatic from the firebox to the chimney.

As for the comment on Raku-- you can do that for tropicals but as mentioned the minerals in the water will change the pots over time. In years past I have made planters with Raku, and horsehair sagar pots and then sealed them with poly-acrylic to keep them from absorbing water and preserving the finish longer in use. Its not a permanent solution, but it does help some.

Lots of cool exploration here looking forward to reading more

 

[thatdirtykid]

Soda and wood firing IS salt glazing though. You are creating salt vapor for a reaction at appropriate heats
Do you just mean the METHOD of applying the salt.. because salt and soda are roughly the same molecule.
...

You are right, though, it is underused. It calls for a completely separate kiln.. once you "saltify" your internal kiln pieces , bricks, furniture.. that's ALL they can ever be.

...

Looking really good Kanorin!

Absolutely requires a separate kiln and furniture. I did a lot more work and glaze research in typical reduction firing than any salt/soda when I had access to a studio but I typically think of the bright smoother matte colors that sodium carbonate enhances and more crazing versus the crawling glossier earth-tones when introducing sodium chloride.
I do think Soda is also more commonly used since its more versatile and safer as well...

 

[W3rk]

Glazed 8 pots today! Next they will go in a gas-fired kiln (the studio fires for us).
These two I glazed with a dark red underneath a white glaze
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And these next two have white underneath a dull yellow glaze.
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I see there are like 5 more pages in this thread, so apologies if these have already been covered.

A couple tips/suggestions: for your smaller holes I highly recommend just keeping a spare drill bit with you, they are great for making small wire/tie down holes that are nice and clean.

I also noticed in your photos just here that your glaze is on the interior of your pots. Best to avoid this. It can take some work but there are ways to do this (one being painting the interior with wax resist. Or plug your holes temporarily and dip your pots upside down. I also noticed you have glaze in your wire/tie down holes.. unless that was cleaned up the fired glaze will have plugged those holes.

Hand building is super fun and versatile. Good luck.

 

[Kanorin]

Inspired by @Colorado and his great hexagons, decided to try a non 4-sided polygon. Behold the octagon.

 

[Carol 83]

Inspired by @Colorado and his great hexagons, decided to try a non 4-sided polygon. Behold the octagon.
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Very nice (said as a proud owner of one of @Colorados hexagons).

 

[ForrestW]

Nice work!

 

[Kanorin]

I’ve been taking a 6-week wheel class and discovered that throwing on the wheel is way harder for me. It’s been eye opening to see and learn the process though.

 

[ForrestW]

I’ve been taking a 6-week wheel class and discovered that throwing on the wheel is way harder for me. It’s been eye opening to see and learn the process though.
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S cracks . Nice work on the glazing and forms but you are not new to that-- its the wheel throwing your exploring. I am sure its been said many times over on here and forgive me if you are not wanting feedback -- but to me, the 3 things to beat the S crack is 1. keep the bottom from soaking in too much water when throwing, so sponge it out as you go. 2. good compression as you go-- rib the bottom or at least use your thumb. 3. Flip and dry upside down as soon as you can, this will get more even drying between the walls and the bottom. (yes there are others but these 3 tend to have the biggest impact on my students.).

They still make great training pots-- I have used pots that got an S crack in them for 15 years and they have still not broken.

 

[Kanorin]

Oh yeah!

 

[Colorado]

Oh yeah!
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That glaze is a keeper!

 

[Kanorin]

In case your tree is between needing a Hexagon or an Octagon….


The glaze on this came out really neat. Almost like wood-fired.

 

[Kanorin]

Some wild accent and kusamono pot designs.

 

[Kanorin]

On the wheel, I can only do nanbans. S-crack in the bottom of it, so this will be for me.

 

[Colorado]

On the wheel, I can only do nanbans. S-crack in the bottom of it, so this will be for me.
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Sorry to offer unsolicited advice, but I know how frustrating it can be to get cracks so would love to help you troubleshoot the s-cracks. I got a few of those when I started wheel throwing and I think it was because the bottom was too thick relative to the walls. Now I try to make sure they are about the same thickness and haven’t had an s-crack since.

Love your glazes, by the way!

 

[Kanorin]

Sorry to offer unsolicited advice, but I know how frustrating it can be to get cracks so would love to help you troubleshoot the s-cracks. I got a few of those when I started wheel throwing and I think it was because the bottom was too thick relative to the walls. Now I try to make sure they are about the same thickness and haven’t had an s-crack since.

Love your glazes, by the way!

Thanks, appreciate the complement and the advice! I'm going to take a little break from the wheel, but I'm sure I'll give it another whirl at some point in time. I'll try to be more mindful of those thicknesses.

 

[Kanorin]

Armed with some tips I picked up from sitting at the potter’s table at the demo at Bonsai Central, I’m back at it.


Made a couple of smaller pieces and recently working on this large cut-corner rectangle. It’s about 15 inches across and probably could benefit from a lip to help prevent warping of the walls. I’ve never made a lip before. what kind of lip would you make for something like this? Attach to outer wall? Attach to top of walls?


I’m not a fan of very late prominent lips, but a subtle one may look ok.

 

[Colorado]

Hmm, I’ve never tried adding the lip to the outside of the wall. I’ve always done it on top.

But I am not sure if the “proper” way

 

[Colorado]

Armed with some tips I picked up from sitting at the potter’s table at the demo at Bonsai Central, I’m back at it.
View attachment 549915

Made a couple of smaller pieces and recently working on this large cut-corner rectangle. It’s about 15 inches across and probably could benefit from a lip to help prevent warping of the walls. I’ve never made a lip before. what kind of lip would you make for something like this? Attach to outer wall? Attach to top of walls?

View attachment 549916
I’m not a fan of very late prominent lips, but a subtle one may look ok.

I am interested to know the tips you learned at the event!

 

[Kanorin]

I am interested to know the tips you learned at the event!

The best tip was the order of operations for Handbuilding. First cut and attach all of the walls to each other. Then attach the lip. Then the floor and the feet.