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Getting A Bit Of Sheen On A Raw Fired Surface?


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Hi there,

I use a cone 6 terracotta clay and sometimes I like to leave it exposed or raw on the outer surface of the pot of vessel.  My profile picture is an example of what I mean.  I know that burnishing is one way to get clay to shine when fired unglazed.  Are there other methods?  I'm not really looking for high-shine, but a way to "condition" the surface before or after firing so that it isn't dusty or dry looking. 

 

With the set in my profile pic, I actually rubbed a tiny bit of olive oil into the surface of all of the pieces to bring out the richness in color of the red clay.  Is that bizarre?  I can't be the first person to try that, right?

Thanks,

Osa

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Have you tried terra sigilatta ( spelling ? ) It's beautiful on low fire but unsure if it would work for mid fire. I have also used various wax combinations, even floor wax. Of course burnishing is the right way but takes  lots of time :)

 

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I would not put olive oil or any other vegetable oil on the pots as it can/will go rancid, If you want to oil them go with mineral oil, which is food safe and won't rot.

 

Burnishing can work if you have a smooth body, but at cone 6 it will burn off most/all of the shine. Terra sig is definitely worth a try.

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I have used a soda ash wash and it gave a nice, low luster, finish, while maintaining the red clay color at Cone 6.  I made mine by dissolving the soda ash into the hottest water coming out of my faucet, stirring constantly while dropping the powder into the container until a few crystals wouldn't dissolve.  I decanted and stored the rest in a non-reactive container.  I have not noticed it precipitating out (which is why I assume Chris recommended making only what you use for one time.)  The result is caustic, so please be careful with the liquid, and particularly don't get it in your eyes.

 

You can search at Ceramic Arts Daily and get more information.  It turns up several discussions in the forum of this subject.

 

John

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Make only enough for each use and do not put the leftovers down any drains ... unless you want to meet your local plumber.

 

Now you have me interested.  Tell me more.  Will it just eat through PVC, or will it even eat through metal pipes?

 

It turns into a solid in the dish, so I imagine it would do the same in the elbow of your pipes.

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Make only enough for each use and do not put the leftovers down any drains ... unless you want to meet your local plumber.

 

Now you have me interested.  Tell me more.  Will it just eat through PVC, or will it even eat through metal pipes?

 

It turns into a solid in the dish, so I imagine it would do the same in the elbow of your pipes.

 

 

Ah, good advice then.... Just not as interesting, in comparison to melting through the plumbing.

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Make only enough for each use and do not put the leftovers down any drains ... unless you want to meet your local plumber.

 

 

Now you have me interested.  Tell me more.  Will it just eat through PVC, or will it even eat through metal pipes?

 

It turns into a solid in the dish, so I imagine it would do the same in the elbow of your pipes.

 

 

Ah, good advice then.... Just not as interesting, in comparison to melting through the plumbing.

Could also not be true ... I was just told not to dump it and observed what it did in an old dish.

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I had soda ash in a 5 gallon bucket, which is how they store it where I take classes.  It ate (?) through the bottom of the bucket and drained onto my slate tile floor, which also disintegrated some.  So yeah...  glass jar or something...  My teacher was surprised when I told her, though.  I don't think they've had any problems keeping theirs in a bucket.

 

But I do think its effect is nice and in line with what you're looking for.

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