Flameware

[Freebrenda]

What is the best clay to use for flameware

[hitchmss]

As far as I know there are no companies commercially producing a flameware clay body. There may be smaller outfits, but Laguna, Standard, Axner, etc to my knowledge dont carry one. Id be willing to bet money that implying that their clay body could go on the stove top would make them way to susceptible to claims when the pots fail.

There are commercially produced Micaceous clay bodies for sale, but they are pricey and still not made for the stove top, per se

Find a flameware clay body recipe and mix your own. This will allow you to tweak to your firing range anyways.

Flameware clay bodies are very difficult to get glazes to stick to (during firing either shiver/crawl). Some good info on flameware clay bodies and glazes in the book "In the Potters Kitchen". Lots of testing for flameware pots; not only do you need to insure glaze safety, but also that your pots can take the extreme hot/cold/hot/cold cycles. Pots with food going from the fridge to a stove top immediately, or to a hot oven. No prewarming the oven with pots inside. Taking pots that are hot on the stove top and adding cold ingredients to them (imagine one trying to deglaze(not in ceramics, but in cooking terms) a pot with cool wine...). If you imply to your customers that the pots can go on the stovetop, they are going to treat them like their metal pots and pans. Best to test for what is "normal" use, and also for the "idiot" use would be.

Pots made for the stovetop will also need to be designed for this use; minimize sharp corners, make as even walls as possible, durable/comfortable handles.............Lots of design features to consider.

Much admiration to those who can make both beautiful and truly flameware vessels....ive only come across a few flameware pots, and never a flameware potter.....im assuming they are like unicorns.

[Mark C.]

Just use the search function on main page as this has been covered many many times.