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Pit firing


Avaviel

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One of my traits is that I don't mind asking odd questions that betray my ignorance. But –

 

Briefly, as in the last twenty minutes, I've been looking at pit fired pots. I know that the pit fired pot isn't useable or water tight because it isn't covered with a glaze. BUT – could you:

 

Bisque,

Pit fire,

and then High fire with a glaze?

 

Could you keep the same fun colors that you get with the pit fire in a high fire, or would those things burn off?

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One of my traits is that I don't mind asking odd questions that betray my ignorance. But –

 

Briefly, as in the last twenty minutes, I've been looking at pit fired pots. I know that the pit fired pot isn't useable or water tight because it isn't covered with a glaze. BUT – could you:

 

Bisque,

Pit fire,

and then High fire with a glaze?

 

Could you keep the same fun colors that you get with the pit fire in a high fire, or would those things burn off?

 

 

Yes if the clay was high fire clay

The effects of pit firing (muted carbon colors) will burn away mostly and the high fire glaze will most likely be the same as if it was never pit fired-I have not tested this but you should.

Mark

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I have re-bisqued pieces that were ugly after being smoked (I use a little weber kettle b-b-q or a trash can) and successfully burned out the carbon, so I can tell you that you will loose all the carbon with a simple bisque firing. A high firing will also burn out any carbon. If you have used something like miracle grow or copper carbonate or any other weirdness, you will probably have a residue on the piece from that, but carbon, no. However the pot fires up to cone 5 and can be glazed just fine if you do burn out the carbon with a bisque. I suspect trying to one-fire a smoked piece with glaze on it would be ... bad.

 

Generally smoking a piece that has been high-fired is less than satisfactory because it doesn't absorb enough carbon. The exception to this was when I did it with paper clay, the clay stays porous because of the fibers burning out and does pick up some carbon. The results were not as nice as a good cone 5 clay done with a smoking though, the paper clay was just rather dead looking, none of the burnishing sheen you can get with the cone 5 clay.

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