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Milk Bath?


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Has anyone seen these pretty brown pots from the Ukraine? https://www.etsy.com/listing/169100068/ceramic-pot-with-lid-made-of-red-clay

 

From what I've gathered from the vague descriptions of the process in her various listings, the pieces are bisqued, then soaked in whole milk, then fired a second time to 950°C which gives them a glaze-y, supposedly foodsafe finish.

 

Has anyone here tried this? I'm seriously intrigued. I was thinking of giving it a try with Runyan's Red-Brown Body, as it has a very wide firing range.

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Here's where I see an issue, look at the prices. A pot shipped from Europe, sold on etsy for $15 and the potter makes a living & the seller made a profit, how does this fit?

Yea, we're discussing technique and I'm off topic but anybody else see the 800 lb gorilla?

Wyndham

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Etsy is now full of mass produced items. For instance, try finding hand made leather goods there and you'll see that 90% are from China or India or some other country with cheap labor. They put up a fake identity to make it look like it's a person in their studio making the work, but it's clearly factory made stuff. Yes, those pots were decorated by hand and probably formed by hand, too, but it was most likely done in a factory setting. Etsy is slowly turning in Amazon. I've lost a lot of respect for the site.

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I am trying to figure out what substance in cow's milk would not burn out in a firing. It is only about 70 miles from Kiev to Chernobyl.

Back a bit, we had this thread w/videos. The Tibetan potters sealed their low-fire wares with a mixture of barley powder and yogurt whey.

 

http://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/5683-great-video-on-african-forming-and-firing-wow/?hl=%2Bafrican+%2Bpotter&do=findComment&comment=53400

 

Wonder if the Ukrainians are using raw, unpasteurized milk? And, would chocolate milk give you a tenmoko?

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I am trying to figure out what substance in cow's milk would not burn out in a firing. It is only about 70 miles from Kiev to Chernobyl.

Back a bit, we had this thread w/videos. The Tibetan potters sealed their low-fire wares with a mixture of barley powder and yogurt whey.

 

http://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/5683-great-video-on-african-forming-and-firing-wow/?hl=%2Bafrican+%2Bpotter&do=findComment&comment=53400

 

Wonder if the Ukrainians are using raw, unpasteurized milk? And, would chocolate milk give you a tenmoko?

 

 

So, do you think it would work like an old school casein glue to seal the inside? Maybe something else mixed with milk? With the translation of the second link from Stellaria it seems like the milk is fired into the pot. Perhaps it is just a very low carbonization of the "glaze" turning the pots blackish? Prices seem dirt cheap, (pun intended) but then I don't know the cost of living in that part of the world.

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The listings of both potters say that they are "bathed" or otherwise covered in milk and then fired again. One of them calls it "double kilning".

 

I threw a bowl today that I actually *gasp!* surface decorated, which I will soak in milk after bisque firing. I'll re-bisque after that and see what happens. And yes, it will be whole, unpasteurized milk. Not chocolate :P

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I have been experimenting with milk firing for a while. The bisque fired pots are soaked in whole milk for 10 to 15 minutes, then allowed to thoroughly dry. They are then heated to 600f to 650f and held their until the desired color is achieved. Any hotter and the milk burns off. Once cooled the pots seem to be water tight. I have had some success, but haven't achieved the evenness I see in the Russian/Ukranian pieces.

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I have been experimenting with milk firing for a while. The bisque fired pots are soaked in whole milk for 10 to 15 minutes, then allowed to thoroughly dry. They are then heated to 600f to 650f and held their until the desired color is achieved. Any hotter and the milk burns off. Once cooled the pots seem to be water tight. I have had some success, but haven't achieved the evenness I see in the Russian/Ukranian pieces.

 

Very Interesting!

 

 

 

 

Would be great if this process could be developed into a viable replacement for BPA on tin can lining.

 

Thanks

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So about to cone 020, then, correct? Do they even make Orton cones that low-temp? My kiln only has a kiln sitter - nothing to register actual temp or to regulate. Would I be better off making a bunch of stuff to justify a special firing in the computer-controlled kiln at the arts center? Or could I just keep an eye on it through a spy hole until they get as dark as I want?

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I've only use my raku kiln and, believe it or not, our oven. I have to watch the raku kiln very closely because it heats fairly fast. Our oven has a top heat of 550. It's a little below the recommended temp, but it still works. Once it reaches temperature, I watch through the window until I get the color I want. Both processes only take a few minutes. The raku is faster, but the colors vary with the air currents. The oven gives a more even color, but takes a little longer. Also, be careful handling the piece once it has Bennett's in the milk. The oils from your fingere can a actually leave prints.

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I will check my oven!

So would it be best to fire the pot to complete vitrification first? The clay I'm using is a ^04-8 (not sure how that's possible, but whatever) red-brown, but sometimes the studio only bisques to 07. I should specify that I need it to go to 04 right off, then, correct?

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Hey guys!

I have noticed a link about my pots and you here are ansure about technology :)

Why not to ask me directly?))

I think it would be more helpfull then guessing how to))

Here are more images: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.511091978961862.1073741835.442795785791482&type=3

they shows I'm not selling something produced at a factory)) on some items there are even fingertips.

Actually it is true that I'm not making them by myself and I'm just a seller. The maker lives in a village and mostly sells his items at Kyiv and Chernihiv area. But I can ask him about some specific questions.

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That would be excellent! Mainly, I asked here rather than asking directly because first, I also sell pottery on etsy and I know some people are leery of sharing "trade secrets", which is understandable. And second, just because I was curious if anyone here had tried it.

 

But yes, I'd love it if you could get more information on the process from the potter that makes the pieces you sell! Type of clay, firing temperature for the first firing, if the final firing temperature is held for a certain length of time...

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