low heat firing and mixing clay

Hey All,

I am new here and new to pottery...

In June I spent 10 days in Mexico in a workshop with Juan Quezada learning
his pottery method. My entire experience prior to that was 25 years ago in
high school -- so I know very little about anything besides Juans method. I
have since read some books in an effort to answer questions but it seems
that Juan does things in a way that it pretty different than the rest of the
world.

Since returning home to Washington state I have spent a lot of my spare time
trying to get into doing the things Juan taught in the workshop. He finds,
digs and processes his own clay -- uses a single-coil method to form the
pots -- burnishes them for the shine -- paints them with human hair brushes
-- and burnishes them some more. He then fires then using cow dung as the
fuel for the fire.

I have tested three different local clays and have had a couple of issues
(varying degrees) with all of them -- the first being that they don¹t have
much elasticity to them and they don't hold shape well. Is there something I
could add to help?

Also, after firing them the surface of the pot, when rubbed, comes off in a
very fine powder. Any idea what might be the cause of that? I think that
either they did not fire hot enough and/or they need some sort of binder
added to them. I have been firing them with the same exact process as we did
at the workshop except I have been using wood for fuel because the moisture
up here makes cow-pies an almost impossible source for fuel. I have fired
for about 35 minutes but I am wondering if the wood fire does not get as hot
as the cowpies.

Any advice would be deeply appreciated. I would prefer to use resources and
processes that are as simple, primitive (and cheap) as possible.

Thanks,
Gary D.

i think part of what makes cow pies fire fast & hot is the straw component
along with the nitrogen.

i suppose adding straw to your wood fire might get hotter faster?

i've never tried it but i know using fertilizer can make crude bombs but might
also work in your fire. add sparingly until you agree that it works or doesn't
and doesn't blow you or the pots up.

see ya

steve






Subject: low heat firing and mixing clay
From: Gary Dickson
Date: 8/27/2004 2:49 PM Pacific Daylight Time
Message-id:

Hey All,

I am new here and new to pottery...

In June I spent 10 days in Mexico in a workshop with Juan Quezada learning
his pottery method. My entire experience prior to that was 25 years ago in
high school -- so I know very little about anything besides Juans method. I
have since read some books in an effort to answer questions but it seems
that Juan does things in a way that it pretty different than the rest of the
world.

Since returning home to Washington state I have spent a lot of my spare time
trying to get into doing the things Juan taught in the workshop. He finds,
digs and processes his own clay -- uses a single-coil method to form the
pots -- burnishes them for the shine -- paints them with human hair brushes
-- and burnishes them some more. He then fires then using cow dung as the
fuel for the fire.

I have tested three different local clays and have had a couple of issues
(varying degrees) with all of them -- the first being that they don¹t have
much elasticity to them and they don't hold shape well. Is there something I
could add to help?

Also, after firing them the surface of the pot, when rubbed, comes off in a
very fine powder. Any idea what might be the cause of that? I think that
either they did not fire hot enough and/or they need some sort of binder
added to them. I have been firing them with the same exact process as we did
at the workshop except I have been using wood for fuel because the moisture
up here makes cow-pies an almost impossible source for fuel. I have fired
for about 35 minutes but I am wondering if the wood fire does not get as hot
as the cowpies.

Any advice would be deeply appreciated. I would prefer to use resources and
processes that are as simple, primitive (and cheap) as possible.

Thanks,
Gary D.








steve graber

I fired last night using bark and had better results -- but it's going to
take a LOT of bark. So straw might be a very good option -- I'll have to
give that a try! Unfortunately I didn't position the covering properly and
ended up with a reduction firing :-/

Any ideas regarding what (and how much of what) I might be able to add to my
clay to improve plasticity?

Thanks,
Gary

On 8/28/04 3:30 PM, in article ,
"Slgraber" wrote:

i think part of what makes cow pies fire fast & hot is the straw component
along with the nitrogen.

i suppose adding straw to your wood fire might get hotter faster?

i've never tried it but i know using fertilizer can make crude bombs but might
also work in your fire. add sparingly until you agree that it works or
doesn't
and doesn't blow you or the pots up.

see ya

steve






Subject: low heat firing and mixing clay
From: Gary Dickson
Date: 8/27/2004 2:49 PM Pacific Daylight Time
Message-id:

Hey All,

I am new here and new to pottery...

In June I spent 10 days in Mexico in a workshop with Juan Quezada learning
his pottery method. My entire experience prior to that was 25 years ago in
high school -- so I know very little about anything besides Juans method. I
have since read some books in an effort to answer questions but it seems
that Juan does things in a way that it pretty different than the rest of the
world.

Since returning home to Washington state I have spent a lot of my spare time
trying to get into doing the things Juan taught in the workshop. He finds,
digs and processes his own clay -- uses a single-coil method to form the
pots -- burnishes them for the shine -- paints them with human hair brushes
-- and burnishes them some more. He then fires then using cow dung as the
fuel for the fire.

I have tested three different local clays and have had a couple of issues
(varying degrees) with all of them -- the first being that they don¹t have
much elasticity to them and they don't hold shape well. Is there something I
could add to help?

Also, after firing them the surface of the pot, when rubbed, comes off in a
very fine powder. Any idea what might be the cause of that? I think that
either they did not fire hot enough and/or they need some sort of binder
added to them. I have been firing them with the same exact process as we did
at the workshop except I have been using wood for fuel because the moisture
up here makes cow-pies an almost impossible source for fuel. I have fired
for about 35 minutes but I am wondering if the wood fire does not get as hot
as the cowpies.

Any advice would be deeply appreciated. I would prefer to use resources and
processes that are as simple, primitive (and cheap) as possible.

Thanks,
Gary D.








steve graber

you sound like you're trying to keep your pots "pure", but having messed around
with my own black fire pots i like using the basic commercial clays from my
supplier. i started with soldate60, and tried "woodfire", "sculpture
claybody", and porcelain. i like the porcelain results the best but do get
fired cracks. one of these days i'll apply slip porcelain onto some leather
pots with the stronger claybodies.

maybe blend some percent of commercial clay into your usual stuff.

i cheat all the way. i throw the pots, fire to bisque, add graphite onto the
bisquepots, and fire them in a can full of saw dust. i place the can in a gas
kiln and fire until the metal can glows red.

see ya

steve





Subject: low heat firing and mixing clay
From: Gary Dickson
Date: 8/28/2004 4:21 PM Pacific Daylight Time
Message-id:

I fired last night using bark and had better results -- but it's going to
take a LOT of bark. So straw might be a very good option -- I'll have to
give that a try! Unfortunately I didn't position the covering properly and
ended up with a reduction firing :-/

Any ideas regarding what (and how much of what) I might be able to add to my
clay to improve plasticity?

Thanks,
Gary

On 8/28/04 3:30 PM, in article ,
"Slgraber" wrote:

i think part of what makes cow pies fire fast & hot is the straw component
along with the nitrogen.

i suppose adding straw to your wood fire might get hotter faster?

i've never tried it but i know using fertilizer can make crude bombs but
might
also work in your fire. add sparingly until you agree that it works or
doesn't
and doesn't blow you or the pots up.

see ya

steve






Subject: low heat firing and mixing clay
From: Gary Dickson
Date: 8/27/2004 2:49 PM Pacific Daylight Time
Message-id:

Hey All,

I am new here and new to pottery...

In June I spent 10 days in Mexico in a workshop with Juan Quezada learning
his pottery method. My entire experience prior to that was 25 years ago in
high school -- so I know very little about anything besides Juans method.
I
have since read some books in an effort to answer questions but it seems
that Juan does things in a way that it pretty different than the rest of
the
world.

Since returning home to Washington state I have spent a lot of my spare
time
trying to get into doing the things Juan taught in the workshop. He finds,
digs and processes his own clay -- uses a single-coil method to form the
pots -- burnishes them for the shine -- paints them with human hair
brushes
-- and burnishes them some more. He then fires then using cow dung as the
fuel for the fire.

I have tested three different local clays and have had a couple of issues
(varying degrees) with all of them -- the first being that they don¹t have
much elasticity to them and they don't hold shape well. Is there something
I
could add to help?

Also, after firing them the surface of the pot, when rubbed, comes off in
a
very fine powder. Any idea what might be the cause of that? I think that
either they did not fire hot enough and/or they need some sort of binder
added to them. I have been firing them with the same exact process as we
did
at the workshop except I have been using wood for fuel because the
moisture
up here makes cow-pies an almost impossible source for fuel. I have fired
for about 35 minutes but I am wondering if the wood fire does not get as
hot
as the cowpies.

Any advice would be deeply appreciated. I would prefer to use resources
and
processes that are as simple, primitive (and cheap) as possible.

Thanks,
Gary D.








steve graber








steve graber

You don't have to worry about the fertilizer blowing up your kiln.
Explosives utilizing fertilizer as their base ingredient need a specific
type of fertilizer, a binder and a kicker job. We learned how to make field
expedient explosives in special forces. Steve in Tampa.

"Slgraber" wrote in message
...
i think part of what makes cow pies fire fast & hot is the straw component
along with the nitrogen.

i suppose adding straw to your wood fire might get hotter faster?

i've never tried it but i know using fertilizer can make crude bombs but
might
also work in your fire. add sparingly until you agree that it works or
doesn't
and doesn't blow you or the pots up.

see ya

steve






Subject: low heat firing and mixing clay
From: Gary Dickson
Date: 8/27/2004 2:49 PM Pacific Daylight Time
Message-id:

Hey All,

I am new here and new to pottery...

In June I spent 10 days in Mexico in a workshop with Juan Quezada
learning
his pottery method. My entire experience prior to that was 25 years ago
in
high school -- so I know very little about anything besides Juans method.
I
have since read some books in an effort to answer questions but it seems
that Juan does things in a way that it pretty different than the rest of
the
world.

Since returning home to Washington state I have spent a lot of my spare
time
trying to get into doing the things Juan taught in the workshop. He
finds,
digs and processes his own clay -- uses a single-coil method to form the
pots -- burnishes them for the shine -- paints them with human hair
brushes
-- and burnishes them some more. He then fires then using cow dung as the
fuel for the fire.

I have tested three different local clays and have had a couple of issues
(varying degrees) with all of them -- the first being that they don¹t
have
much elasticity to them and they don't hold shape well. Is there
something I
could add to help?

Also, after firing them the surface of the pot, when rubbed, comes off in
a
very fine powder. Any idea what might be the cause of that? I think that
either they did not fire hot enough and/or they need some sort of binder
added to them. I have been firing them with the same exact process as we
did
at the workshop except I have been using wood for fuel because the
moisture
up here makes cow-pies an almost impossible source for fuel. I have fired
for about 35 minutes but I am wondering if the wood fire does not get as
hot
as the cowpies.

Any advice would be deeply appreciated. I would prefer to use resources
and
processes that are as simple, primitive (and cheap) as possible.

Thanks,
Gary D.








steve graber