Marcia Selsor Posted July 27, 2013 Report Share Posted July 27, 2013 I just posted some how-to photos and results of Obvara firing. I really like the patterns created from reducing the pieces in a wheatpaste brew. http://ceramicartsdaily.org/community/gallery/album/586-saggar-horse-hair-feathers-foil-saggars-obvara/ Fired to 1650 and reduced in a liquid flour, sugar yeast brew 3 days old.Rinsed and cooled in water This is suppose to be a Slovakian technique. Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OffCenter Posted July 27, 2013 Report Share Posted July 27, 2013 The one in your post above is my favorite. As I said on your FB page, you're doing some incredible work this summer! Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted July 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2013 Thanks Jim. Although it is stinking hot down here and my dripping sweat stained the terra sig on the foil saggars, I have been doing a lot of exploration. I hope I get to the beach this summer.It is only 22 miles away. Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benzine Posted July 28, 2013 Report Share Posted July 28, 2013 Marcia, it's always great to see what you are working on. Very interesting indeed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted July 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2013 thanks Benzine. The Obvara firing technique is interesting and no smoke. Good for urban settings. A good teaching tool. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted July 28, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2013 I made up several test clay bodies: perlite, cat litter, sawdust, coffee grounds and brass shavings. The pits where the additives were soaked up the carbon.Places where the solution drips can make feather patterns. Pieces need to stay around the 1650 temp coming out of the kiln. If it gets cooler, the solution is more black or not carbonizing. Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted July 28, 2013 Report Share Posted July 28, 2013 amazing! and i do not use that word in everyday converstation marcia, it is another example of the unlimited possibilities available to potters. anything goes, finding what appeals to your own sensibilities is the hard part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Coyle Posted July 29, 2013 Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 SUCH BEAUTIFUL POTS! Is there a link that gives a fuller explanation of your technique. A few of us Santa Fe potters are planning a group pit fire this fall. Would this technique work in this type of a situation or do you have to have a more controlled temperature? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted July 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 There is a lot of info about it online. You need o fire to 1650 all pull pots out hot like in raku. Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benzine Posted July 29, 2013 Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 I just watched another video on the technique. It looks pretty straight forward, minus the witch's brew that you dunk the pieces in initially. Are there multiple recipes for the dunking liquid? Also, what would happen if you incorporated a reduction phase, like traditional Raku? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted July 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 I just watched another video on the technique. It looks pretty straight forward, minus the witch's brew that you dunk the pieces in initially. Are there multiple recipes for the dunking liquid? Also, what would happen if you incorporated a reduction phase, like traditional Raku? here is the brew:1 kilo or 2.2 pounds of flour 1 tbsp of sugar 1-2 packets of yeast 10 liters or 2.6 gallons of water mix, cover and let it ferment for 3 days. SInce this happens at 1650, colder then raku, and you need the porosity of the clay,reduction might obsure the cool patterns. Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evelyne Schoenmann Posted July 29, 2013 Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 Just saw this post, so please ignore my asking about the "witch's brew" in my p.m. Marcia. Thank you very much for sharing the receipt. Will sure try it some day... Do you think I can get 1650F in a pit? Want to try the obvara technique also in a pit or a drum instead of a kiln. Taking out the works after, say, 4 hours of pit firing....? Evelyne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benzine Posted July 29, 2013 Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 I just watched another video on the technique. It looks pretty straight forward, minus the witch's brew that you dunk the pieces in initially. Are there multiple recipes for the dunking liquid? Also, what would happen if you incorporated a reduction phase, like traditional Raku? here is the brew:1 kilo or 2.2 pounds of flour 1 tbsp of sugar 1-2 packets of yeast 10 liters or 2.6 gallons of water mix, cover and let it ferment for 3 days. SInce this happens at 1650, colder then raku, and you need the porosity of the clay,reduction might obsure the cool patterns. Marcia Yeah, that's the recipe, I've seen elsewhere too. Is that the only recipe though, or can other things be added to the mix? What's the purpose of the yeast? To make it foamy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted July 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 the yeast ferments the brew. It make influence the pattern development on the flatter surfaces. SOme look like lichen or feathers. Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted July 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 Just saw this post, so please ignore my asking about the "witch's brew" in my p.m. Marcia. Thank you very much for sharing the receipt. Will sure try it some day... Do you think I can get 1650F in a pit? Want to try the obvara technique also in a pit or a drum instead of a kiln. Taking out the works after, say, 4 hours of pit firing....? Evelyne I am firing in my small raku kiln which is a little taller than 2/3 of an oil drum. I am thinking of making a smaller one for tests and simple firings. The kiln reaches 1650 in about 45 minutes if I hold back and am not fighting the wind.Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Up in Smoke Pottery Posted July 29, 2013 Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 I 've been playing with Obvara for a little over a year now, that is the recipe. Approximate amounts is fine, I have found slight differences in different flours, but not much. You may want to have a beer on hand to "liven" up the mixture if it looses it fizz or you get delayed a day or two. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evelyne Schoenmann Posted July 29, 2013 Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 Just saw this post, so please ignore my asking about the "witch's brew" in my p.m. Marcia. Thank you very much for sharing the receipt. Will sure try it some day... Do you think I can get 1650F in a pit? Want to try the obvara technique also in a pit or a drum instead of a kiln. Taking out the works after, say, 4 hours of pit firing....? Evelyne I am firing in my small raku kiln which is a little taller than 2/3 of an oil drum. I am thinking of making a smaller one for tests and simple firings. The kiln reaches 1650 in about 45 minutes if I hold back and am not fighting the wind.Marcia So you don't think I can do Obvara in an open fire pit? Evelyne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted July 29, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 Just saw this post, so please ignore my asking about the "witch's brew" in my p.m. Marcia. Thank you very much for sharing the receipt. Will sure try it some day... Do you think I can get 1650F in a pit? Want to try the obvara technique also in a pit or a drum instead of a kiln. Taking out the works after, say, 4 hours of pit firing....? Evelyne I am firing in my small raku kiln which is a little taller than 2/3 of an oil drum. I am thinking of making a smaller one for tests and simple firings. The kiln reaches 1650 in about 45 minutes if I hold back and am not fighting the wind.Marcia So you don't think I can do Obvara in an open fire pit?M Marcia Evelyne If you can get to 1650 F go for it!I think you would need to stoke a bit.Manolo Sala (Spain) gets copper fluxing in his pit firing of slab, so use a pyrometer and see how hot it really gets. Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mss Posted July 29, 2013 Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 Bonus! Make some bread with your fermented starter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benzine Posted July 29, 2013 Report Share Posted July 29, 2013 Bonus! Make some bread with your fermented starter. That's what I was thinking! Marcia, I forgot to ask, is the clay just left bare? And if so, what would happen, if it were glazed? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Evelyne Schoenmann Posted July 30, 2013 Report Share Posted July 30, 2013 Just saw this post, so please ignore my asking about the "witch's brew" in my p.m. Marcia. Thank you very much for sharing the receipt. Will sure try it some day... Do you think I can get 1650F in a pit? Want to try the obvara technique also in a pit or a drum instead of a kiln. Taking out the works after, say, 4 hours of pit firing....? Evelyne I am firing in my small raku kiln which is a little taller than 2/3 of an oil drum. I am thinking of making a smaller one for tests and simple firings. The kiln reaches 1650 in about 45 minutes if I hold back and am not fighting the wind.Marcia So you don't think I can do Obvara in an open fire pit?M Marcia Evelyne If you can get to 1650 F go for it!I think you would need to stoke a bit.Manolo Sala (Spain) gets copper fluxing in his pit firing of slab, so use a pyrometer and see how hot it really gets. Marcia Will sure try it one day! Will keep you in the loop (and will google Manolo Sala...). Thanks Marcia! Evelyne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted July 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2013 I 've been playing with Obvara for a little over a year now, that is the recipe. Approximate amounts is fine, I have found slight differences in different flours, but not much. You may want to have a beer on hand to "liven" up the mixture if it looses it fizz or you get delayed a day or two.I saw that one of the you tubes was you. Thanks for the tip about the beer. The solution smells like a kegger aftermath.I am having fun with the additives to the clay bodies. I find that has quite a lot to do with attracting the markings.There are quite a few you tubes out there.I am really enjoying doing this. Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted July 30, 2013 Author Report Share Posted July 30, 2013 Just saw this post, so please ignore my asking about the "witch's brew" in my p.m. Marcia. Thank you very much for sharing the receipt. Will sure try it some day... Do you think I can get 1650F in a pit? Want to try the obvara technique also in a pit or a drum instead of a kiln. Taking out the works after, say, 4 hours of pit firing....? Evelyne I am firing in my small raku kiln which is a little taller than 2/3 of an oil drum. I am thinking of making a smaller one for tests and simple firings. The kiln reaches 1650 in about 45 minutes if I hold back and am not fighting the wind.Marcia So you don't think I can do Obvara in an open fire pit?M Marcia Evelyne If you can get to 1650 F go for it!I think you would need to stoke a bit.Manolo Sala (Spain) gets copper fluxing in his pit firing of slab, so use a pyrometer and see how hot it really gets. Marcia Will sure try it one day! Will keep you in the loop (and will google Manolo Sala...). Thanks Marcia! Evelyne Manolo Salas. He is a very excellent ceramic artist with a day job as a tech in a big ceramics factory in Onda.He developed a glow in the dark glaze for a night club tiled ceiling in Barcelona. I have a test piece on a key chain that he gave me. Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Coyle Posted July 30, 2013 Report Share Posted July 30, 2013 As a chemist, I can't see any real reason to ferment the brew you dunk the pots in. Any kind of foaming from the CO2 would not seem to make much difference. The oxidation smoking of the charred organics in the mix is what gives the color. Has anyone tried it without fermentation? It seems like you could get even more wild effects by adding other chemical to the mix like copper carb or iron chloride. Also thickening with gelatin or even adding cooked angel hair noodles stirred up so they would adhere to the pot when you pulled it out From the videos I've seen, It looks like the real trick is how long you immerse and quench the piece, and what the temp it actually was when it went in. Some of the pieces in the videos were a heck of a lot cooler than 1600 F. It looked like, if the pots were cooler, then the patina was more brown and it they were put in real hot, the patina was black, just due to carbon formation. Some of he videos were pretty bad though. Hard to see how how hot the pots were though they didn't seem to be glowing like you would expect at 1600F. I've done a lot of pit fires and 1600F is probably hard to reach but I'm not sure you have to be even very close. I would bet that you can get the same effect even at eight or nine hundred. It would be worth a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Up in Smoke Pottery Posted July 31, 2013 Report Share Posted July 31, 2013 I 've been playing with Obvara for a little over a year now, that is the recipe. Approximate amounts is fine, I have found slight differences in different flours, but not much. You may want to have a beer on hand to "liven" up the mixture if it looses it fizz or you get delayed a day or two. I saw that one of the you tubes was you. Thanks for the tip about the beer. The solution smells like a kegger aftermath.I am having fun with the additives to the clay bodies. I find that has quite a lot to do with attracting the markings.There are quite a few you tubes out there.I am really enjoying doing this. Marcia Your welcome, its been fun to play with and people seem to understand this better than other alternative processes. We've tried various flours and other ingredients including the traditional beet juice for coloring. Are you going to demo this in Minneapolis in October? Wish I could make it, but unable to get the time off this year. Here is the link to the youtube video if anyone wants to watch it, or it's on our web site also. Chad Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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