5 Common Mistakes in Outdoor Pottery Firings
Вставка
- Опубліковано 28 чер 2024
- Learn how to prevent the most common problems with outdoor pottery firings.
Infrared thermometer - amzn.to/3vhob2c
Take my online class "Outdoor Pottery Firing 101" ancientpottery.how/courses/op...
Outdoor pottery firing playlist - • How To Fire Pottery Wi...
🏺 Wednesday Zoom pottery class - ancientpottery.how/ancient-po...
❤️ Channel membership - / ancientpottery
🛍 Shop my website: ancientpottery.how/shop/
📚 Workshops and masterclasses - ancientpottery.how/classes/
⭐️ Social media
Facebook - / andywardpottery
Instagram - / ancientpottery
📬 Send me mail
Andy Ward PO Box 43601 Tucson, AZ 85733
0:00 Over Firing
1:21 Under Firing
3:15 Under Oxidizing
4:31 Thermal Shock
5:43 Not Properly Pre-Heated
6:52 Items That Prevent Problems
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. - Навчання та стиль
There is a lot more to learn about outdoor, open pottery firings. I have a whole playlist on the subject here ua-cam.com/video/hH21K2mlSSY/v-deo.html
Is it possible to fire Ancient Pottery style in an old fashion cast iron wood-burning-heater-oven ?
@@blindpilot9403 definitely a possibility. I know people who fire pottery in wood stoves and fireplaces. But I do t have any experience with this. I would like to make a video of it one day.
Great video, sir! The only thing I have been missing all of these years is my temper ratio, and black paint! I am glad I found those two very important keys to success watching your channel. You are the bridge to success in my case! I am Native American, and I still can't get the native people to share these secrets. I hope everyone here learns what they need, in order to make great pots! Thank you, Andy!
Oh those potters and their secrets! It's a hard nut to crack whatever your race. I'm glad I could help.
@@AncientPottery I am all races except African... Mostly Dutch, Irish, Choctaw, and even Spanish... I do have my 1/16th decree of Indian blood card, and I do know more about my Choctaw roots than any others... I spent most of my summers growing up in Mexican Water Arizona. Near the border of New Mexico on the Navajo Reservation... The home of the Navajo Taco... And where I became infatuated with Native American art... The rest of the time I spent in my home town of Milan New Mexico... spelunkin, and exploring. I found that I will never be done exploring my own general vicinity,... and I have little to no interest in anything other than that of the life-styles of the Southwest Tribes. Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and New Mexico! I wouldn't think of living in another place!
@@markgibsons_SWpottery I used to live near the Choctaw Nation in Oklahoma.
@@AncientPottery I have been there twice, when I was young,.. but I remember it well! I will E-Mail you a couple of good stories about some neat stuff, so I don't clog up the comment box! LOL!
Been watching your great vids for a few months now. They motivated me to go out in my Tucson back yard and try and collect some clay. Using levigation I ended up with a nice quantity. I made a small flat dish as a test and fired it in my BBQ. IT came out great and I am so happy and want to thank you for the inspiration and all the great information you share.
That's great. You are fortunate, much of the backyard dirt around Tucson is quite sandy.
Excellent explanation. I've dealt with a lot of those problems.
I know Arizona is rather dry. And not everyone gets to see clays in distinct dry layers. Any chance we can eventually see how to identify wild clays in more wet climates and flat areas? I'd love to work with clay more when i return to Minnesota, but currently all my knowledge is based on where i grew up in AZ.
Maybe, it's a good suggestion for a future video so I will definitely give it some thought. Here is a video about clay in Minnesota ua-cam.com/video/GgVaW0qIoP4/v-deo.html
I think the height of my pottery has been my most recent issue(about 15inches). As the fire dies down and the coals keep the bottom hot , the top cools in the air causing stress. As a fix I have been (90%) covering my pit fire once the top 25% of the pot is showing, just to reduce the temperature gradient through the piece. I have the piece raised on 1 firebrick. Im having good luck, and the faint lower fire clouds have me hooked :)
Firing in a shallow pit may help some too.
thanks for this comment, and your idea about covering the pots part way through firing. I might be having this problem and intend to try this method.
the infrared pyrometer is the one I use for blacksmithing and particularly for heat treating different steels so I can account for it being a good one
Thanks for sharing the to do and not to do list
Thanks Andy. See you tonight.
You're welcome
I have some issues with pre-heating mine because where I live is full of trees and moisture, Im going to try the oven method and see how it goes
Thank you so much for such valuable tips!
You're welcome
Good stuff Andy
Thanks 👍
Still love your show
Thanks!
Hi Andy, great video full of all the things to take into consideration when firing in the wild.
I have been having less firing success lately. Mainly cracks running from the rim down. What i find interesting and somewhat troubling is why?
My clay has high shrinkage and a bit to sticky when wet enough to work with, so i started adding about 20% temper in the form of diatomaceous earth. The addition has definately helped control the shrinkage and made the clay more workable yet it seems to have made the clay more susceptible to shock. With no temper I can take pieces that are glowing red strait from the fire and drop them into cold water without breaking but the ones with temper aren't making it through firing. Any idea as to why? I'm using river flood plain clay and I figure there is enough silt in it to act like temper and that adding more has made the clay weaker? Not sure... But I keep trying anyways.
Thanks again for all the great videos. A year ago I couldn't form anything and now I can make bowls and pots. I know practice is important but it's knowing what to practice that has helped me
Why in the world would you drop glowing red pots into water? That seems crazy! High shrinkage and sticky clay is not optimal but it doesn't make sense that it would become more susceptible to cracks from being tempered. Maybe try different things. Levigate the clay to remove the silt. Try different temper materials, grog, sand, etc.
Thank you for these tips. I made a cooking pot with its lid; does it matter if I fire it with the lid on top of it or separately?
You can fire with the lid on if you want, it won't make any difference one way or the other.
Very informative stuff, love it!
I did a couple firing this year with an infra thermometer. It just says "HIGH" when it gets to 1000 degrees but that still gives me a reasonable idea of where I need to be for this. Thanks for more videos!
Ha ha, I have never had mine over the top like that.
@@AncientPottery I had no blowouts on the first firings. I found that that was way too high for using a LF glaze. It bubbled up but still looked neat. But it all still worked so my kids and I were happy. Learned a lot from this channel!
@@davidmsmith268 Thanks
You look like bubbles from trailer park boys. Love your channel! I'm visiting tuscon excited to check out some clay spots!
another great educational video andy!
Glad you think so!
Thanks
Excellent tips. A sixth tip might be to say never form a vessel from dry clay that was mixed with water the very same day, but rather allow the prepared clay (clay and water) to cure for 3 or 4 days before forming the vessel.
That would not be my recommendation. I mix up clay and use it the same day all the time. In fact that’s what we do in all the workshops I teach.
Thank you sir!
welcome
Great reminders, thanks.
My pleasure!
Just discovering your channel. So much information! Brilliant. Looking forward to absorbing some of your knowledge
Thanks!
Thanks!
Welcome!
Atomic shrimp could've used some clues from here
Hello Andy. Thank you very much for your videos. You made me fall in love with pottery!🤗
I have just made and fired my first pottery but it seems like it is underfired. Can I fire it again?
yes, retire as much as many times as you need to
@@AncientPotteryThank you very much! Another question is: can I make scratches on pots with my nails if it is fired enough? Is that a sign that it is underfired? I can do it on my pots. Those are not deep scratches but small white lines.
Also damp wood can transfer moisture to your stuff. I'm very guilty of under firing gets me alot,damp climate very hard to realy dry the wood.
Yes, good point. You have to work a lot harder to get the temp up with damp fuel.
I just broke two tumblers in pit firing a few days ago 😅 I added around 30% temper, pre-heated them really well. I blame it on the clay I used 😝
Oh dang! maybe add a little extra temper next time.
@@AncientPottery Generically asking, what is the maximum amount of temper that can be added without affecting clay plasticity?
@@PanTings It depends a lot on the clay but you can go way up to around 40% with some clays
@@AncientPottery ohhh nicee
Thanks Andy
Hi Andy, when you say you can pre-heat your pots in the oven "on low", what do you mean by "low" in terms of temperature, please? Thanks for the videos!
My oven goes down to about 150 F, some only go down to 200 F, enter is fine. Just so that the temperature is not too severe and will drive off any remaining moisture in the clay.
@@AncientPottery Thank you! I'm in the UK so that would be between 66 and 93 C. My oven starts at 50C so I'm good🙂
Thank you Andy! These are great tips! Tony Soares just puts charcoal brickettes right up against his pottery before lighting them in his urban kiln. I suppose those heat up slow enough that thermal shock is less of a concern? In his application cover shards would not be needed, correct?
I'm really just trying to figure out an urban kiln for our school. We've dug up and processed wild clay.
I believe that the fuel right up against the pottery helps Tony get those great fire clouds that he gets. When I am making polychrome pottery I often don't want any fire clouds so I separate the fuel from the pottery. But yes, the charcoal does heat up relatively more slowly so that should be better, charcoal never gives that harsh radiant heat that breaks a lot of pots.
@@AncientPottery I might just use tinfoil then to prevent the clouds, which I also dislike.
Hello Andy!
Very nice vidéo! Good job!
Will the thickness of a pottery and or the size are of great importance?
I have noticed that the big pieces are more fragile.
What's your feeling?
I have heard from others who have had the same experience but I have not had that problem. I am considering making a video about firing large pieces so any feedback is helpful.
@@AncientPottery Thanks very much!
Your videos are great. Carry on!
What is Temper? Thanks.
Non-plastic material added to the clay, more info here ua-cam.com/video/uZZdLLCO8Iw/v-deo.html
Hi Andy, can I make scratches on pot, with my finger nails, if it is fired enough? Is that a sign that it is underfired? I can do it on my pots. Those are not deep scratches but small white lines.
👍
Nice video andy! I have a question: after painting a pot with mineral paint, how long do you have to wait before firing it? In your opinion, is 6 hours enough?
Paint doesn't add a lot of extra moisture, you can paint and fire almost right away. Any extra moisture that comes from the paint will be cooked off pretty quickly when you pre-heat the pot.
@@AncientPottery ok, thanks a lot!
What is temper? Sand?
Any non-plastic material. It is commonly sand but can also be seashells, ground up ceramics or many other things.
What happens if you put it in the oven to preheat on really high temperature?
If you put it in the oven that is too hot then the moisture in the clay could turn to steam and break the pot. Low temperature is safer
Hey I fired for the first time in a bonfire like setting and it almost "popped" apart and kinda looked like it melted. Does this sound like a problem you recognize?
Sounds strange. Maybe you got too hot, it's hard to say without pictures.
How can you tell when your pot is fired successfully?
Flick it with your finger, if it rings, it is ceramic. The ultimate test is top put water in it, if it dissolves, it is still clay.
Are you related to Brad Pitt? You look a lot like him.
Awsome video by the way
what's the largest piece you've outdoor fired?
around 20 inches in diameter
@@AncientPottery thank you kindly
Dooblydo ave
6 outdoor firings under my belt with a fire pit I made from a propane tank. 6/6 survived. The clay is dug up, processed, and fired in a 10 foot radius of each other. This is about the only good thing I have to say about Ohio lol.
Nice
I accidentally set fire to my Snap-on infrared thermometer after over 15yrs daily use
Aren’t snap on tools guaranteed for life? Maybe it doesn’t cover burning in a fire.
If you're not an absolute traditionalist just invest in a proper kiln. A digitally control electrical kiln works fine for beginners.
Completely missing the point