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Adding Minerals To A Pit Fire


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I use copper carbonate washes to create black residues in crevices of clay sculpture. What effect does copper carbonate have when thrown by handfuls onto a pit fire? I saw a clip of Sumi von Dassow doing this, and wondered what it produces when used that way. What else can I throw into a pit fire and what specific effects will each produce? thanks...Jayne

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If you put copper carb. and rock salt into the sawdust you will get pink to green flashing. I spray on copper sulphate which is more prone to fuming at low temperatures. I also use copper sulphate rocks (root killer) in the sawdust in saggars. I like its potential. It really flashes well.

 

 

Marcia

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Guest JBaymore

Also remember that dumping all that stuff into a "pit" starts to potentially impact the dirt and ground in that area. Constant use of this kind of stuff starts to build up you own little mini- "SuperFund Site". So prepare the site to protect the groundwater and such as best you can, use only the amount of such materials you need to use, and try to clean up and dispose of the ashes and residue in a reasonable manner. Don;t let that just sit ther and get rained upon....to then soak into the ground.

 

Our impact as waste generators is tiny when compared to the "real world"........ but we DO contribute to enviromental impacts in our own ways.

 

best,

 

...............john

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Also remember that dumping all that stuff into a "pit" starts to potentially impact the dirt and ground in that area. Constant use of this kind of stuff starts to build up you own little mini- "SuperFund Site". So prepare the site to protect the groundwater and such as best you can, use only the amount of such materials you need to use, and try to clean up and dispose of the ashes and residue in a reasonable manner. Don;t let that just sit ther and get rained upon....to then soak into the ground.

 

Our impact as waste generators is tiny when compared to the "real world"........ but we DO contribute to enviromental impacts in our own ways.

 

best,

 

...............john

 

I realloy like your point of view John. I think a lot about leachates this since my studio is uprstream (not much) fom my water well and the soil is very permeable. In an urban area one does not worry as much about your water source but rain can leach all the stuff you place on the soil down into the water table and I know mine is quite high (10 feet). Even if you don't impacrt your own environment you can impact that of others, it is a very good idea to be careful with the stuff you use.

 

Regards,

charlews

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If you put copper carb. and rock salt into the sawdust you will get pink to green flashing. I spray on copper sulphate which is more prone to fuming at low temperatures. I also use copper sulphate rocks (root killer) in the sawdust in saggars. I like its potential. It really flashes well.

 

 

Marcia

 

 

Thanks Marcia for your help once again. I can't wait to try some of these ideas!

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Also remember that dumping all that stuff into a "pit" starts to potentially impact the dirt and ground in that area. Constant use of this kind of stuff starts to build up you own little mini- "SuperFund Site". So prepare the site to protect the groundwater and such as best you can, use only the amount of such materials you need to use, and try to clean up and dispose of the ashes and residue in a reasonable manner. Don;t let that just sit ther and get rained upon....to then soak into the ground.

 

Our impact as waste generators is tiny when compared to the "real world"........ but we DO contribute to enviromental impacts in our own ways.

 

best,

 

...............john

 

 

You make an excellent point, John. It is through the efforts of each of us that change is brought about -- whether positive or negative! In the past, I have used a metal trash can with 1/4" holes drilled all around and up the sides to smoke some of my sculptures, but the drawback was that they tended to collapse against each other as the sawdust burned down, cracking and even breaking each other. Please tell me if this alternative sounds reasonable: I could place inside the trash can a concrete block turned so that it is taller than it is wide, then place a half kiln shelf on it. I would fill in around the base of the block with 6 inches of sawdust topped with a bit of crumpled newspaper to catch fire quickly, then put my sculptures on the shelf and set the sawdust afire, dropping the lid onto the can and allowing it to smoke until the fire is out. If I did this, what quantity of rock salt or copper carbonate, etc would be appropriate? I don't imagine I'll get intense blacks from the smoke with the sculptures held up out of the fire, but I'm hoping I'll at least get some smoke effects. And the pink to green flashing that Marcia mentioned sounds perfect for the pieces that I'm planning to smoke...

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As long as we are on the subject, here is a a little guide by someone that seems to have pit firing down well, Jane Burton :

 

http://www.burtoncer...%20flyer-jb.pdf

 

In the guide, you'll see that she recommends dry cat food; I tried using that once, and had my cat trying to get into the pit several times to get the food. You never know what you're going to have to deal with making pottery sometimes!

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