Stoneware Fired to Earthenware Temperature

[Maureen ROSE 0]

Hi from France. 

I have been working in pit fired polished stoneware for the past five years. Recently I was advised that my pots were to be declared as earthenware and not stoneware as it is the firing temperature that counts and not the material used. This seems strange to me.  Any idea? 

 

[oldlady 2,715]

the temperature is all important.      it sets the clay, whatever it is called, into a ceramic product.   pit firing will always result in earthenware, it will not hold water.

this forum must be very different from others, recently there have been a number of people posting without a title for a question, just their name.   nobody can look up a question by it's subject if there is no question in the title.   your name is not a title.   could you please fix that?

[Min 3,166]

Hi Maureen Rose and welcome to the forum.

I would call what you are making pit fired unvitrified stoneware. If you think about it we don't call raku pots earthenware and yet they are often fired to the same temperatures.

(I moved your thread to this section and changed the title to better reflect the content.)

 

[neilestrick 4,368]

I wouldn't call it earthenware. It's fired to earthenware temps, but the clay itself is stoneware. The terms 'stoneware', 'porcelain', 'earthenware' and 'terra cotta' all define the type of clay body, not the firing temperature or method. Low fire, mid range, high fire, oxidation, reduction, pit, raku, saggar, etc all define firing processes. I think that in your case, using the term stoneware is confusing because we know that stoneware is usually fired to higher temps than pit firing. Even Joe public knows that stoneware is vitrified, strong stuff. I don't think that you need to specify stoneware in describing your work because the type of clay does not really define it. You can pit fire with just about any clay body. Most raku bodies are actually just stoneware bodies, but we don't call them 'Raku fired stoneware', because the type of clay isn't what defines the piece. I would just call your work pit fired ware and leave it at that. If someone wants more details on what type of clay you use then you can tell them the specifics.

[liambesaw 2,543]

It's all semantics.  You're firing stoneware to earthenware temperatures, resulting in what is functionally earthenware but "technically" stoneware.  Is there a specific reason you want to use stoneware versus an earthenware body?  Is it just for the name?

[Sorcery 131]

Who cares what they call em...

So long as it ain't "ugly"!

Sorce