Barrel Firing

About 2 years ago I had pots in a group pit firing and got some good results. No place to dig a pit at my place, so I decided to try barrel firing. A recent video on Ceramic Arts Daily by Sumi also got me "in the mood" to give it a try. Here are some pots I made using a few different types of clay I had on hand, with terra sig on them, bisqued to ^019.

The terra sig. recipe I used is from Clayart.

500g OM4 Ball Clay

1000g EPK

14 cups water
2 tsp Trisodium Phosphate

Let it settle for a few days, siphon off water on top and about the top third of terra sig. This is white terra sig. You can make different colors by adding stains and oxides. I may get to that if my firing pleases me.

As for the stuff to color the pots, I followed Sumi's advice. I'm using alot of table salt, dried coffee grounds, horse stall bedding brined and dried corn husks- lots of those from eating great corn this year! I did have alot of luck with newspaper saggars in the pit firing, and since I haven't saved absolutely tons of stuff, I will use these items in my newspaper saggars. Also, I have used Miracle Grow and copper oxide in the past, so I'm throwing that in, too.

Figuring out how to dry the coffee grounds and husks without bugs galore was tricky, but a baby pool and stroller cover came in handy. Now I know why I never got rid of this stuff! A few days in the sun and we're good to go.

I loaded the kiln yesterday, but it was kind of rainy, so I will fire today. There are holes in the bottom of my barrel and some bricks and a grate- I decided to leave the very bottom empty for air flow...no big reason. I layered paper, wood shavings, horse stall bedding, salt, miracle grow and saggared pots- 2 layers, about 9 pots in all. Wish me luck.

I needed pots... fast. Brisk sales at Log Cabin Gallery left me, let's say, "inventory challenged."

Fortunately, mother nature cooperated and I had pots sunnin' with the peonies.

They are now fired and you can find these and more for sale at the Log Cabin Gallery in Peninsula, Ohio. Berry bowls, serving bowls, platters and bunches of mugs-two firings I was particularly pleased with. Gotta love it when a plan comes together!

A pot of a different color

This happened to me several years ago, in my old kiln. I messed up a cooling cycle and got my Waterfall Brown to turn red. After talking with one of the authors of "Mastering Cone 6 Glazes," I found that just refiring this glaze to bisque temp turned it red.

Not so in my new kiln. Until my most recent firing. In an attempt to save a slow cooling cycle, I turned it back up from 1227 F to 1800 and cooled normally. Red!

Actually, a kind of brick, orange red. Not so impressive. So, I stuck 'em back in the kiln and refired to ^6 to see what would happen. They darkened up and became a much nicer color, with all kinds of surface variation that I kind of like. After flipping out a little that I now have 4 place settings of tableware that don't match anything, I decided that maybe this is worth pursuing. Besides, I've been trying to get my iron red glazes to work out in this kiln with no success until now. Happy accident.

Firing your own pottery, You Brave Soul

Careful. It's addicting.

So, you've acquired a kiln from Great Aunt Minnie who made the cutest little Christmas trees and poodle figurines, and you'd like to try your hand at moving and firing the earth. Electric kilns are not rocket science, and you can learn to fire one, but safety is very important since you're playing with a couple thousand degrees, and the potential of getting zapped severely. Also, kiln fumes can be toxic, and glaze chemicals can be poisonous..Oh, and then there's silicosis from overexposure to clay dust... (Still with me?) This isn't to scare you off, it's just to let you know that there are pretty important things to know concerning life, limb, and clay.

While I am not an expert on the whole safety thing, I can get you started on the quest for kiln safety. The good news is, the subject is very searchable online- here's a decent basic discussion to get you off and searching: http://pottery.about.com/od/safetyinceramics/tp/kilnsafe.htm

Also, get an electrician to install your kiln- preferably not in the house. If your kiln is used, many manufacturers have owner's manuals either online, or they will send you one. Just contact them with the model and serial # on your kiln. There is usually a plate on the outside jacket of the kiln with this information.

Ok- assuming you've gotten your kiln safely installed, and you've made a few pots, let's bisque!

Bisque is fired clay without glaze. Generally, you do this first firing because it makes the ware strong enough to handle while you are glazing. Also, it is a low firing, so that the clay is porous enough to absorb your glaze. Be sure your pots are completely, totally dry. Moisture in the clay, especially if it's thick (kids love to build thick) will blow up. It's really not the air bubbles, it's the wet. kaboom! A good rule of thumb is this- if the clay feels cool to the touch, it's probably slightly wet. Touch it to your cheek- if it's as cool as you are, wait.

What is all this stuff I got with my kiln, and what do I do with it? : shelves, stilts, kiln wash, cones. The round or hexagonal things you got with your kiln are shelves.

The.... well, "stilty" things you got, usually a few different heights, are stilts.

Kiln wash usually comes in powdered form, and you add water until it's like cream, and paint it on ONE SIDE of each shelf. This helps you to remove glaze runs and drips without ruining the shelf. Important.

Here is an explanation of what cones are and what they do.

Can we load yet? Ok, here we go. The pic of the shelves and stilts is great because it sort of shows them in action. Start with some really short stilts and a full shelf at the bottom of your kiln. You want to raise the first layer of pots up to the first row of elements (those twisty coiled wire things all around the kiln.) Also, it's good to put your bottom layer of ware on a shelf, because you want to protect the bottom of the kiln from glaze drips. (when we get that far.)

Next, choose stilts that are higher than your tallest pot. Stack a couple of stilts if need be. Three stilts to each shelf will support it well. Y'know, the tripod thing. Add shelves, more ware and stilts- also add a conepack in at least one place in the kiln- near a peephole is good so you can check your firing, and stop the kiln if you must before the kiln sitter trips.

KILN SITTER?? What? - It's the thing sticking out of the side of your kiln. Inside, there's a porcelain tube, and some prongs. You'll put a small cone on the prongs. Outside, there's a lever that falls to shut off the kiln when the cone melts. Read more here.

Finally, my friends, (do I sound like McCain?) at long last, it's time to fire the dang thing. Close the lid- or, prop it open a little if you're afraid your ware might not be completely dry.

I'm going to assume that Aunt Minnie's kiln is older, and it has switches-not a computer controller (whole'nother article.) These switches work pretty much like a stove. Here is a good, conservative schedule to follow when firing a bisque. Follow the article to the bottom. Basically, it's low for an hour, then gradually turn the thing up over the next few hours until you are on high. The kiln sitter should shut off your kiln, providing you have it adjusted right, at the right temp. A bisque should take anywhere from 8-10 hours, depending on how slow you go and how old / worn your elements are. Any longer and there's a problem with the kiln- a discussion for another time.

Let the thing cool for at least a day- then open, unload, and start thinking about glaze!

So, if after reading this, you're thinking "the kiln gods aren't welcome at my house," -fear not! Join a local art center, audit a college class, or pay a potter (in NE Ohio, that would be me) and leave it up to the crazy people.

Questions? I'm sure there's something I didn't cover, so comment here or email me at sheaclaypottery@gmail.com

Ok, so Rockerchic says I have to blog today..

But, it's autumn here in NE Ohio, and I would much rather be out in the leaves with the kids! ...and the dog.

So, who in the big H is Rockerchic? Check her out!

I did make pots all morning, so I earned an afternoon in the sun-

Case Barlow Farm, Hudson, OH

I want to thank Linda Matty, Sean (sorry, I don't remember your last name) and all the families I met at Case Barlow farm yesterday in Hudson, OH. I have driven by the BIG red barn several times, but never visited. I was invited to demonstrate pottery at their Harvest Festival yesterday. What a fun event! The weather couldn't have been more perfect, and there were free crafts, apples, pumpkins, horses- tons to do and see, and many, many smiling faces.

The only unfortunate result is that I didn't have time to take pictures! If you have pics from the event and would forward them to me, I will post them here. My email is sheaclaypottery@gmail.com Here is a link to Case Barlow Farm. Visit, or visit them again, if you have the chance- I know I will.

*Update- Linda provided the pic of me above, enjoying the sunny day at the Case Barlow House.

Kiln Openings are the Best

I unloaded my kiln w/ leather gloves today because I couldn't wait for it to cool. Just like Christmas! My hubby shakes his head as I run out to the garage about 40 times to check the temp, then ouch!ouch!ouch! rob a pot from the top shelf- or a few test tiles, or something to make me happy while i wait for the load to cool (and my eyebrows to grow back!) All in all, it was a good firing- I'm just getting the itch to do something new. I tested a couple of glazes that have serious possibilities, and now new forms and ideas are swimming around in my head. I'm actually considering changing to white clay for awhile- for the first time in 20 years of pots- white clay. What keeps me from actually doing it is the thought of cleaning LOTS of dark brown clay off of everything. The saving grace is that I would most likely use dark, transparent glaze that breaks, so any brown marks on the clay wouldn't show too much. Honestly, I'm also considering combining both my dark brown with the white..as long as both clay bodies get along. ..oh, the possibilities !