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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

Reply to
Stelios Zacharias
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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 snipped-for-privacy@schleidt.org

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Reply to
Monika Schleidt

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.

Reply to
Dominic Spencer

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

Reply to
SpunMud

Reply to
Eddie Daughton

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

Reply to
MKent41616

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

Reply to
Stelios Zacharias

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

Reply to
Stelios Zacharias

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