LinR Posted May 30, 2022 Report Share Posted May 30, 2022 I'd like to try to do a sawdust firing in a sagar in my gas kiln (7 cu ft). I would like to retain the burnishing on the piece which will have been bisque fired to a low temperature to retain the burnish. What cone should I go to for the sawdust firing? Thanks, Lin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted May 31, 2022 Report Share Posted May 31, 2022 NO idea you will just have to try it Magnolia Mud Research and Rae Reich 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babs Posted May 31, 2022 Report Share Posted May 31, 2022 Look at the black potas made by Maria Martinez and her people and their method. Fired outside to be sure but the colour of the fire, animal pancakes, would lead me to believe it would be no higher than low 900 or lower.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babs Posted May 31, 2022 Report Share Posted May 31, 2022 https://www.instagram.com/reel/CeKLGsAl10y/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y= may help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted May 31, 2022 Report Share Posted May 31, 2022 You want to get up to red heat for the carbon trapping to work well. Too hot and it'll just burn out, though. For horsehair firing we always went up to about 1300F, which should work for this, too. Russ, Min, Bill Kielb and 1 other 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinR Posted June 1, 2022 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2022 Thanks folks. I'll try somewhere around 1300F. I've done sawdust firings in an outdoor kiln but just now they are not doing them so I thought it would be fun to see what would happen in a saggar in my kiln. Lin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babs Posted June 2, 2022 Report Share Posted June 2, 2022 Let's sèe the results! Maria Martinez cow pancakes wouldn't get much above red heat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted June 2, 2022 Report Share Posted June 2, 2022 So you're using an indoor kiln? It's pretty easy to overload a vent with smoldering sawdust.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinR Posted June 3, 2022 Author Report Share Posted June 3, 2022 No worries. The kiln is out in a shed. I'll try to show results when I have them which won't be soon. Lin neilestrick and Magnolia Mud Research 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TougeiBoy Posted June 4, 2022 Report Share Posted June 4, 2022 This question may be related, and I hope for good advice. I would like to fire some bizen clay "bizen style", in a gas kiln. One idea is to enclosed the pieces--with salt-soaked grasses tied around them-- in a saggar-like box, and with chunks of pine wood packed around them. Any thoughts on whether this will approximate the unique bizen look? Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinR Posted July 9, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2022 I finally got to fire my burnished pieces. 3 of them were wrapped with banana and clementine peels, stuffed with cedar chips, animal bedding and other sawdust and surrounded with more wood chips. then wrapped in a paper bag to keep everything together. They were then placed into old paint cans and placed in the kiln lid down. 2 of these came out completely black which was what I was going for. The third was in a can which evidently wasn't metal. That was a big surprise. I had no idea that paint cans were made of anything other than metal. The can disappeared, evaporated? and the pot was as bisqued. The kiln was fired to cone 018. The 4th pot was stuffed and wrapped as above. I then wrapped it in heavy duty al. foil. As it was an almost completely closed ikebana pot about 9"x4" I had to find something other than a paint can. I found an old cast iron enameled casserole that it just fitted into but it had no lid. The casserole was to save the shelf in case anything bad happened. The last pot was done as above and wrapped in foil and set on a waster plate. These pots sat inside the open door of my kiln shed for a few hours. When I next looked at them there had been a couple of holes pecked in the foil. Blasted crows which know that al. foil usually means food! I recovered them, covered the top of the casserole with al. foil (had lost the lid)and fired the kiln. These last 2 did not get as much carbon as the paint can ones but the big one is pretty good. I'll wax them with bees wax next then seeif anyone likes them. Sorry about not providing pictures. That's just not in my skill set. Lin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babs Posted July 9, 2022 Report Share Posted July 9, 2022 Sounds exciting indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted July 9, 2022 Report Share Posted July 9, 2022 Paint cans can be plastic bottoms and metal lids and now even all plastic lid and bottom those fumes must have been bad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinR Posted July 9, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2022 This can seemed to be all plastic except the rim, the lid and the handle. I feel bad about burning plastic and wouldn't have if I had had a clue that it was plastic. I know that sounds strange but it looked and felt like any other paint can and was covered with dry paint inside. The outside seemed normal. Lin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted July 9, 2022 Report Share Posted July 9, 2022 Most plastic cans are black in color but not all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LinR Posted July 10, 2022 Author Report Share Posted July 10, 2022 I'll keep that in mind although I don't think I'll be doing this again. I used to have access to a once/year sawdust firing and had made these for a firing at least 4 years ago. Then those firing were not allowed because of the very dry conditions, then COVID and now they seem to have fallen off the radar. Thus the experiment in the kiln I'm satisfied with the results of 3 pieces and the other 2 will make it into a regular glaze firing. Lin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babs Posted July 10, 2022 Report Share Posted July 10, 2022 If ongoing, why not build a couple of saggers from clay? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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