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  #1  
Old July 1st 03, 08:37 AM
Stelios Zacharias
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Posts: n/a
Default Sort of beginner


Dear all,

I was fortunate enough to have been at a school in the UK with an
active ceramics teacher, some wheels and two kilns, and got
bitten by the bug. Unfortunately, everything was a little too
pre-chewed, meaning that I never had to collect and prepare clay
and oxides or mix my own glazes.

Now that I am on my own, I am finding it a little daunting, but
willing to go for it.

After school, while on military service up in the mountains
bordering Bulgaria, I managed to collect some clay in the wild
from a river, dried it out on the roof of the barracks, and made
some pots. These I put in a big empty petroleum style barrel (the
metal ones which always seem to hang around ports waiting to be
driven into and explode in "action" films). I filled this up with
dried grasses and sticks and torched it.

I doubt the temperature got very high, and I only kept the fire
going about half an hour. The pots that did not explode came out
harder than they went in, but porous.

I have now gathered some clay again in the wild and spent some
time putting it through seives to remove organic material and
stones, and I have had a go at making some pots.

These I have burnished with the back of a tea-spoon. On some I
have put some coloured slips that I made with coloured stones
(powdered in pestle and mortar) and very wet clay.

Burnishing over the slips has made some of the colours nice and
vivid.

Questions:
If I find another barrel, should I try to fire the pots in there
again? The other options are a wood fired fire-place in a country
house (but I have to wait for the winter) or an open fire in
someone's garden. Will any of these firing ideas make the clay
non-poous to the extent that the pots will hold water / wine?

I know that ideally I should go buy some clay, rather than
collect from fields, and possibly go buy a kiln, but that is in
the future.

Oh well. All comments, questions, ideas, etc. welcome!

Cheers,
Stelios, Athens-Greece

--

The address in the headers is real and does not need de-mungeing
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  #2  
Old July 1st 03, 06:12 PM
Monika Schleidt
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default



Stelios Zacharias wrote:

Dear all,

I was fortunate enough to have been at a school in the UK with an
active ceramics teacher, some wheels and two kilns, and got
bitten by the bug. Unfortunately, everything was a little too
pre-chewed, meaning that I never had to collect and prepare clay
and oxides or mix my own glazes.

Now that I am on my own, I am finding it a little daunting, but
willing to go for it.

After school, while on military service up in the mountains
bordering Bulgaria, I managed to collect some clay in the wild
from a river, dried it out on the roof of the barracks, and made
some pots. These I put in a big empty petroleum style barrel (the
metal ones which always seem to hang around ports waiting to be
driven into and explode in "action" films). I filled this up with
dried grasses and sticks and torched it.

I doubt the temperature got very high, and I only kept the fire
going about half an hour. The pots that did not explode came out
harder than they went in, but porous.

I have now gathered some clay again in the wild and spent some
time putting it through seives to remove organic material and
stones, and I have had a go at making some pots.

These I have burnished with the back of a tea-spoon. On some I
have put some coloured slips that I made with coloured stones
(powdered in pestle and mortar) and very wet clay.

Burnishing over the slips has made some of the colours nice and
vivid.

Questions:
If I find another barrel, should I try to fire the pots in there
again? The other options are a wood fired fire-place in a country
house (but I have to wait for the winter) or an open fire in
someone's garden. Will any of these firing ideas make the clay
non-poous to the extent that the pots will hold water / wine?

I know that ideally I should go buy some clay, rather than
collect from fields, and possibly go buy a kiln, but that is in
the future.

Oh well. All comments, questions, ideas, etc. welcome!


I think, to get the pots waterproof, you will need a kiln, and maybe
some glazes, or preferably both. But i think your attempts are
admirable. Someone's fireplace and someone's bonfire in the garden will
not really work out well, you will have too many broken pots. The fire
is too hot too suddenly, in a kiln you can get it up there slowly. Get
some pottery books, or some classes somewhere and you are on your way!

Good luck, Monika ( from Austria)

--
Monika Schleidt

www.schleidt.org/mskeramik


  #3  
Old July 1st 03, 06:53 PM
Dominic Spencer
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Possibly fill the barrel with sawdust and pots i.e.with pots evenly
dispersed in the sawdust. Pack the sawdust in reasonably well. Make some
holes around the sides and in the lid of the barrel (a metal lid of some
sort will be necessary), cover the top with a good number of knotted sheets
of newspaper to form a layer, and light these. When they have burned for a
few minutes, and the sawdust is going, put the lid on and leave for 24 - 48
hours. Check periodically to ensure it is still burning, and re-light if
necessary.

Your other option is to make a wood burning kiln out of house-bricks. You
will need some kiln shelves - but these are cheaper than an entire kiln. I
can look out some instructions on how to make such a kiln if you would
like - it's really not that hard, and it's great fun.

Let me know. Dom (England)
"Stelios Zacharias" wrote in message
news

Dear all,

I was fortunate enough to have been at a school in the UK with an
active ceramics teacher, some wheels and two kilns, and got
bitten by the bug. Unfortunately, everything was a little too
pre-chewed, meaning that I never had to collect and prepare clay
and oxides or mix my own glazes.

Now that I am on my own, I am finding it a little daunting, but
willing to go for it.

After school, while on military service up in the mountains
bordering Bulgaria, I managed to collect some clay in the wild
from a river, dried it out on the roof of the barracks, and made
some pots. These I put in a big empty petroleum style barrel (the
metal ones which always seem to hang around ports waiting to be
driven into and explode in "action" films). I filled this up with
dried grasses and sticks and torched it.

I doubt the temperature got very high, and I only kept the fire
going about half an hour. The pots that did not explode came out
harder than they went in, but porous.

I have now gathered some clay again in the wild and spent some
time putting it through seives to remove organic material and
stones, and I have had a go at making some pots.

These I have burnished with the back of a tea-spoon. On some I
have put some coloured slips that I made with coloured stones
(powdered in pestle and mortar) and very wet clay.

Burnishing over the slips has made some of the colours nice and
vivid.

Questions:
If I find another barrel, should I try to fire the pots in there
again? The other options are a wood fired fire-place in a country
house (but I have to wait for the winter) or an open fire in
someone's garden. Will any of these firing ideas make the clay
non-poous to the extent that the pots will hold water / wine?

I know that ideally I should go buy some clay, rather than
collect from fields, and possibly go buy a kiln, but that is in
the future.

Oh well. All comments, questions, ideas, etc. welcome!

Cheers,
Stelios, Athens-Greece

--

The address in the headers is real and does not need de-mungeing



  #4  
Old July 1st 03, 08:32 PM
SpunMud
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

i have to agree with Monika that your efforts are admirable. they remind me of
very early potters' efforts! speaking of early potters on some continents,
before they had the technology to fire hot enough to flux glaze material, the
way they made their pots (somewhat) able to hold water was by burnishing: i.e.,
compacting the aggregate into the clay and getting a "glaze-like" finish, which
helped create a somewhat non-porous finish. i'm mainly thinking of the native
north and south americans. however, i'm with Monika in recommending that you
utilize some modern conveniences. if you could bisque fire the ware, even to
cone 015, and then pit fire them with cow dung, sawdust or whatever, you could
come up with some very nice pieces.

good luck and cheers to you for your spirit! i loved

i look forward to hearing of your results.

eric
SpunMud
  #5  
Old July 1st 03, 09:35 PM
Eddie Daughton
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

Sounds great..wish i could be with you on the adventure......
Some tips.... Go S L O W L Y when the heat is rising....Make sure that
your pots are completely dry before firing (possibly put them around a small
fire (turning regularly)..... A bonfire is ok (folk used em for thousands of
years) just a bit tricky to get to work.... the secret is patience, if pots
blow up it's either they were wet, you went up too fast, or you didn't have
enuff "grog" (ground up fired clay, but can be sand, river gravel, hell even
shell works as long as you don't go too high...) in the clay (i usually use
about 25-30% for bonfire firing)..
Lots of Luck
Love
Eddie
"Dominic Spencer" wrote in message
...
Possibly fill the barrel with sawdust and pots i.e.with pots evenly
dispersed in the sawdust. Pack the sawdust in reasonably well. Make some
holes around the sides and in the lid of the barrel (a metal lid of some
sort will be necessary), cover the top with a good number of knotted

sheets
of newspaper to form a layer, and light these. When they have burned for

a
few minutes, and the sawdust is going, put the lid on and leave for 24 -

48
hours. Check periodically to ensure it is still burning, and re-light if
necessary.

Your other option is to make a wood burning kiln out of house-bricks. You
will need some kiln shelves - but these are cheaper than an entire kiln.

I
can look out some instructions on how to make such a kiln if you would
like - it's really not that hard, and it's great fun.

Let me know. Dom (England)
"Stelios Zacharias" wrote in message
news

Dear all,

I was fortunate enough to have been at a school in the UK with an
active ceramics teacher, some wheels and two kilns, and got
bitten by the bug. Unfortunately, everything was a little too
pre-chewed, meaning that I never had to collect and prepare clay
and oxides or mix my own glazes.

Now that I am on my own, I am finding it a little daunting, but
willing to go for it.

After school, while on military service up in the mountains
bordering Bulgaria, I managed to collect some clay in the wild
from a river, dried it out on the roof of the barracks, and made
some pots. These I put in a big empty petroleum style barrel (the
metal ones which always seem to hang around ports waiting to be
driven into and explode in "action" films). I filled this up with
dried grasses and sticks and torched it.

I doubt the temperature got very high, and I only kept the fire
going about half an hour. The pots that did not explode came out
harder than they went in, but porous.

I have now gathered some clay again in the wild and spent some
time putting it through seives to remove organic material and
stones, and I have had a go at making some pots.

These I have burnished with the back of a tea-spoon. On some I
have put some coloured slips that I made with coloured stones
(powdered in pestle and mortar) and very wet clay.

Burnishing over the slips has made some of the colours nice and
vivid.

Questions:
If I find another barrel, should I try to fire the pots in there
again? The other options are a wood fired fire-place in a country
house (but I have to wait for the winter) or an open fire in
someone's garden. Will any of these firing ideas make the clay
non-poous to the extent that the pots will hold water / wine?

I know that ideally I should go buy some clay, rather than
collect from fields, and possibly go buy a kiln, but that is in
the future.

Oh well. All comments, questions, ideas, etc. welcome!

Cheers,
Stelios, Athens-Greece

--

The address in the headers is real and does not need de-mungeing





  #6  
Old July 2nd 03, 03:35 AM
MKent41616
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

i might sugest you take a look at the works of the native americans. they fire
in a very similar fashion to a bonfire using dried animal dung. they take the
works pile them up and put metal sheets on them and wood insidethen cover with
the dung and otehr stuff. the artist to look up would be maria martinez i
believe. her word she used black slip and burnished areas. its quite famous.
and similar to your idea since she had to gatehr the materials herself
"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for
lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote."

-- Benjamin Franklin, 1759
  #7  
Old July 5th 03, 03:43 PM
Stelios Zacharias
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On Tue, 1 Jul 2003 18:53:08 +0100, "Dominic Spencer"
wrote:

Possibly fill the barrel with sawdust and pots i.e.with pots evenly
dispersed in the sawdust. Pack the sawdust in reasonably well. Make some
holes around the sides and in the lid of the barrel (a metal lid of some
sort will be necessary), cover the top with a good number of knotted sheets
of newspaper to form a layer, and light these. When they have burned for a
few minutes, and the sawdust is going, put the lid on and leave for 24 - 48
hours. Check periodically to ensure it is still burning, and re-light if
necessary.

Your other option is to make a wood burning kiln out of house-bricks. You
will need some kiln shelves - but these are cheaper than an entire kiln. I
can look out some instructions on how to make such a kiln if you would
like - it's really not that hard, and it's great fun.

Let me know. Dom (England)



Both these ideas appeal to me.

I do not currently have a suitable barrel, but I can get my hands
on some house bricks and a garden in which to build (ok - so it
means driving the green pots about 300 km on bad roads to get to
it, but I would have a garden kiln.

Could you point me to instructions rather than digging them up? -
I don't want to be too much trouble for you.

Many thanks for the ideas and the encouragement.

Cheers,
Stelios

--

The address in the headers is real and does not need de-mungeing
  #8  
Old July 5th 03, 03:43 PM
Stelios Zacharias
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default

On Tue, 1 Jul 2003 21:35:33 +0100, "Eddie Daughton"
wrote:

Sounds great..wish i could be with you on the adventure......
Some tips.... Go S L O W L Y when the heat is rising....Make sure that
your pots are completely dry before firing (possibly put them around a small
fire (turning regularly)..... A bonfire is ok (folk used em for thousands of
years) just a bit tricky to get to work.... the secret is patience, if pots
blow up it's either they were wet, you went up too fast, or you didn't have
enuff "grog" (ground up fired clay, but can be sand, river gravel, hell even
shell works as long as you don't go too high...) in the clay (i usually use
about 25-30% for bonfire firing)..
Lots of Luck
Love
Eddie


Hmmm - grog... I remember that from school, but have made some
pieces with almost totally pure clay content straight from the
ground, soaked, seived and dried. I'll investigate sea shells or
sand or something for future use.

Thanks for the advice.

Cheers,
Stelios
--

The address in the headers is real and does not need de-mungeing
 




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