Turning your own art into a piece of permanent stone-like message to the future! These things will be around long after we are gone. Simply amazing! Nice pieces!
Love that big Minnetrista bowl. The TING! sound is a happy one! Now to build a giant wind-or-water-driven bellows with natural materials? Joints glued with bison hoof glue, of course.
Thanks for your video! A suggestion? You can go to your local pottery store and sometimes they have old, traded in kilns. Not to electric fire but to use as a container for a wood fire. Put some holes in the bottom for ventilation, it keeps the heat in soooo good. Thanks again!
Good fire. I tried a charcoal firing last night and only got to 700 C so yours was quite a bit hotter than mine. Cow manure burns similar to charcoal, not sure what the temperature difference is, but I might run some experiments.
Thanks, I think lump charcoal might get hotter but it does spark a lot and its more expensive. It is harder to find really dry manure here than it is in AZ. I wonder if Native Americans ever used anything like a bellows?
Thanks for watching. I think there are a lot of variations on how to do this kind of firing. Now I'm using a lot of lump charcoal. It really works well.
Thanks for watching. I do lose a lot of heat out of the sides and the bottom. A cover would probably hold the heat in but also may restrict the air flow. With a regular wood fire on the ground I can often get 1700f. In any case, 1500 will normally do the job.
Hey, I just learned on Andy’s site that you are in Minnesota. I live in the Twin Cities. I’m just getting started in Primitive Pottery. Maybe we could meet up some day and talk pottery. I’m heading for Florida tomorrow for 2 months because I’ve had enough of this cold. 😜👍
Sounds great! (getting together and going to Florida) Let me know when you return. email: AirstreamWanderings@gmail.com I am doing a primitive pottery workshop this summer.
When Tony fired a big Olla, he warmed it slowly to 500 degrees to ensure no cracking. I'm not sure that's necessary is smaller pots. He used Yucca and small scrap wood for firing.
Thanks Gene, The white slip was collected near St. Johns AZ (I think you have some). The black paint is manganese dioxide collected in western New Mexico mixed with a little clay. The red was collected in Southern AZ.
Thanks for the comment. If you watch my newer videos you will see that I've switched to using bricks. I think a big thing is that I can get more of a drafts and better air circulation. The bricks do hold in the heat but initially it can take awhile to heat them up especially in cold weather.
Thank you so much for your demo i am interested in making small clay whistles and thinking i can fire them like you did May be put one in a coffee can then surround it in the pit with charcoal like you did , or do you have any ideas on that Great Video
Yes, that might work well. Keep in mind that firing like this uses clay with about 20% grog/temper in it. Andy Ward Ancient Pottery CZcams channel has one on using commercial clay. Very likely you will need to add some sand to it otherwise it will break. Course sand works best but will make fine details harder to make on your whistle. Also dry and preheat your whistle. It works well to put them in your oven first at a very low temperature and then bump the temp up to it's highest point. The nice thing about charcoal is that it will slow down the thermal shock and the coffee can will help too. Lump charcoal gets hotter but regular charcoal works too. Be prepared to experiment a little. Have fun and good luck. Thanks for watching.
Just a theory, I think if you built an outer circle in the barbeque of brick, the brick would get hot and hold in the heat, do everything else the same with your charcoal briquettes and pottery inside that. You might even be able to do a floor in it, of brick and do the outer circle.
If you use lump charcoal instead of briquettes, you'll get a hotter burn. You'll have to use more because it burns faster than briquettes, but you'll definitely get higher heat.
Yes, I've used lump charcoal and it is hotter. I'm not sure that it is that much of a benefit but there are some clays that like a really hot fire. On the other hand temps over 820C can lead to problems with calcium spalls which lately have been very frustrating. It is also almost twice the expense.
@@airstreamwanderings3683 I don't know about calcium spalls but I hear you on the expense. When I was running the barbecue wagon full-time I would usually use a combination of lump and briquettes so I could get the higher heat but keep the longer burn at the same time.
My briquette fire was a total failure. I got the same temps as you but all my pots melted :-( . Even if they had turned out ok, the briquettes were obviously full of plastic.. so I had melted drops of gunk all over everything. Couldnt even use the pots as grog after that. Next fire will be wood.
I'm sorry to hear that it didn't work - very peculiar. I've heard of pottery melting but not like this. Tony Soares has a number of videos on using charcoal. Lump charcoal wouldn't have additives but there's a lot to be said for sticking with what works. The journey continues, good luck.
Sorry for the slow reply, I've been out of town. Of all the things I've used charcoal has worked best and lump charcoal seems to get the hottest. Here's a video I made using a portable kiln. czcams.com/video/cNJ7hZ_jcFM/video.html
Great video, very useful. What oxides did you use to decorate the clay. Also, I was so surprised the pots didn’t end up black and sooty and obliterate all your pattern work. Is it because you used charcoal instead of wood or sawdust?Thanks
The black is manganese dioxide mixed with about 30-40% clay. Reds are some type of iron oxide or hematite mixed with clay. I've never tried sawdust but wood or charcoal work fine. The key with wood is to make sure that you use dry wood that will burn pretty quickly about 1" diameter. It needs plenty of air so it burns cleanly. Initially your pots absorb carbon and turn black but when the fire gets in the oxidizing phase the carbon burns off. It helps if you protect the pot by covering it with sherds. They reduce thermal shock and carbon on the surface. Have fun, good luck.
@@airstreamwanderings3683 thank you for your helpful hints, can't wait to begin y explorations with this. One more question. When you mix the manganese diocide with the clay, do you make a slip and add it or use powdered clay. I'm only ever used to using oxides on their own with water.
@@narshsart3620 I mix the dry ingredients first and then add water. I also think it is best if you are able to grind the dry ingredients together first. I use a flat rock as a pallet and grind them with another rock. It isn't totally necessary but I think it helps. A mortar and pestle would work too. Recently I've found that adding a little borax seems to help the paint stick after firing. Good luck.
Sorry for the slow reply I've been gone. I don't know what Amaco is but these kind of fires generally don't get hot enough for glaze. I've thought of looking at raku glazes and think they might work. Native Americans only used glaze for decoration and not for the whole pot and those glazes always had lead in them so there is a real safely issue.
Sorry for the slow reply. I'm not sure exactly but I think you need at least 1350f. I always try for 1500+ With charcoal it usually gets up to 1700+. I think different clays sinter at different temperature.
@@airstreamwanderings3683 thanks for the reply! yes what I’m using is about 1800. I keep having issues with the pots cracking. I believe I’m getting the pit too hot too fast though.
I continue to try different methods to find what works best for me. If you watch any of the recent videos you will see how the process has evolved. I usually fire with lump charcoal now. Thanks for watching.
Turning your own art into a piece of permanent stone-like message to the future! These things will be around long after we are gone. Simply amazing! Nice pieces!
Thanks, that is a nice thought.
@airstreamwanderings3683 will cause quite a bit of confusion for archeologists 1000 years from now lol
@@notmefrfr They are already as confused as could be.... LOL
@@markgibsons_SWpottery 🤣 facts
Love that big Minnetrista bowl. The TING! sound is a happy one! Now to build a giant wind-or-water-driven bellows with natural materials? Joints glued with bison hoof glue, of course.
Really nice pots.
Glad you like them! Cheers
Thanks for your video! A suggestion? You can go to your local pottery store and sometimes they have old, traded in kilns. Not to electric fire but to use as a container for a wood fire. Put some holes in the bottom for ventilation, it keeps the heat in soooo good. Thanks again!
Thanks for the idea. The insulated bricks would really work.
Good fire. I tried a charcoal firing last night and only got to 700 C so yours was quite a bit hotter than mine. Cow manure burns similar to charcoal, not sure what the temperature difference is, but I might run some experiments.
Thanks, I think lump charcoal might get hotter but it does spark a lot and its more expensive. It is harder to find really dry manure here than it is in AZ. I wonder if Native Americans ever used anything like a bellows?
Tony Soares did a firing similar to yours. Thank you for such clear video of your process.
Thanks for watching. I think there are a lot of variations on how to do this kind of firing. Now I'm using a lot of lump charcoal. It really works well.
Great video Wes. I think if you had a cover it would get much hotter.
Thanks for watching. I do lose a lot of heat out of the sides and the bottom. A cover would probably hold the heat in but also may restrict the air flow. With a regular wood fire on the ground I can often get 1700f. In any case, 1500 will normally do the job.
Thank you
thanks for watching
Hey, I just learned on Andy’s site that you are in Minnesota. I live in the Twin Cities. I’m just getting started in Primitive Pottery. Maybe we could meet up some day and talk pottery.
I’m heading for Florida tomorrow for 2 months because I’ve had enough of this cold. 😜👍
Sounds great! (getting together and going to Florida) Let me know when you return. email: AirstreamWanderings@gmail.com I am doing a primitive pottery workshop this summer.
@@airstreamwanderings3683 Sounds great. If I can work out the scheduling, I might check into the workshop.
When Tony fired a big Olla, he warmed it slowly to 500 degrees to ensure no cracking. I'm not sure that's necessary is smaller pots. He used Yucca and small scrap wood for firing.
You can never go wrong with preheating and making sure your pot is totally dry. I think it is the same regardless of size.
Very good firing. You are well over 800C. Pottery is looking good. What were the slips and paints you used?
Thanks Gene, The white slip was collected near St. Johns AZ (I think you have some). The black paint is manganese dioxide collected in western New Mexico mixed with a little clay. The red was collected in Southern AZ.
Maybe insulating it with bricks would help it get hotter. I haven’t done this though. It is just an idea from other videos I have seen.
Thanks for the comment. If you watch my newer videos you will see that I've switched to using bricks. I think a big thing is that I can get more of a drafts and better air circulation. The bricks do hold in the heat but initially it can take awhile to heat them up especially in cold weather.
Thank you so much for your demo i am interested in making small clay whistles and thinking i can fire them like you did May be put one in a coffee can then surround it in the pit with charcoal like you did , or do you have any ideas on that Great Video
Yes, that might work well. Keep in mind that firing like this uses clay with about 20% grog/temper in it. Andy Ward Ancient Pottery CZcams channel has one on using commercial clay. Very likely you will need to add some sand to it otherwise it will break. Course sand works best but will make fine details harder to make on your whistle. Also dry and preheat your whistle. It works well to put them in your oven first at a very low temperature and then bump the temp up to it's highest point. The nice thing about charcoal is that it will slow down the thermal shock and the coffee can will help too. Lump charcoal gets hotter but regular charcoal works too. Be prepared to experiment a little. Have fun and good luck. Thanks for watching.
Just a theory, I think if you built an outer circle in the barbeque of brick, the brick would get hot and hold in the heat, do everything else the same with your charcoal briquettes and pottery inside that. You might even be able to do a floor in it, of brick and do the outer circle.
Thanks, I just read your most recent comment.
If you use lump charcoal instead of briquettes, you'll get a hotter burn. You'll have to use more because it burns faster than briquettes, but you'll definitely get higher heat.
Yes, I've used lump charcoal and it is hotter. I'm not sure that it is that much of a benefit but there are some clays that like a really hot fire. On the other hand temps over 820C can lead to problems with calcium spalls which lately have been very frustrating. It is also almost twice the expense.
@@airstreamwanderings3683 I don't know about calcium spalls but I hear you on the expense. When I was running the barbecue wagon full-time I would usually use a combination of lump and briquettes so I could get the higher heat but keep the longer burn at the same time.
My briquette fire was a total failure. I got the same temps as you but all my pots melted :-( . Even if they had turned out ok, the briquettes were obviously full of plastic.. so I had melted drops of gunk all over everything. Couldnt even use the pots as grog after that. Next fire will be wood.
I'm sorry to hear that it didn't work - very peculiar. I've heard of pottery melting but not like this. Tony
Soares has a number of videos on using charcoal. Lump charcoal wouldn't have additives but there's a lot to be said for sticking with what works. The journey continues, good luck.
This is excelent news for my since it is forbidden to burn wood in my city due pollution
Sorry for the slow reply, I've been out of town. Of all the things I've used charcoal has worked best and lump charcoal seems to get the hottest. Here's a video I made using a portable kiln. czcams.com/video/cNJ7hZ_jcFM/video.html
Great video, very useful. What oxides did you use to decorate the clay. Also, I was so surprised the pots didn’t end up black and sooty and obliterate all your pattern work. Is it because you used charcoal instead of wood or sawdust?Thanks
The black is manganese dioxide mixed with about 30-40% clay. Reds are some type of iron oxide or hematite mixed with clay. I've never tried sawdust but wood or charcoal work fine. The key with wood is to make sure that you use dry wood that will burn pretty quickly about 1" diameter. It needs plenty of air so it burns cleanly. Initially your pots absorb carbon and turn black but when the fire gets in the oxidizing phase the carbon burns off. It helps if you protect the pot by covering it with sherds. They reduce thermal shock and carbon on the surface. Have fun, good luck.
@@airstreamwanderings3683 thank you for your helpful hints, can't wait to begin y explorations with this. One more question. When you mix the manganese diocide with the clay, do you make a slip and add it or use powdered clay. I'm only ever used to using oxides on their own with water.
@@narshsart3620 I mix the dry ingredients first and then add water. I also think it is best if you are able to grind the dry ingredients together first. I use a flat rock as a pallet and grind them with another rock. It isn't totally necessary but I think it helps. A mortar and pestle would work too. Recently I've found that adding a little borax seems to help the paint stick after firing. Good luck.
I am new to pottery but Im wondering can you use glaze like Amaco and still pit fire ?
Sorry for the slow reply I've been gone. I don't know what Amaco is but these kind of fires generally don't get hot enough for glaze. I've thought of looking at raku glazes and think they might work. Native Americans only used glaze for decoration and not for the whole pot and those glazes always had lead in them so there is a real safely issue.
What temperature did your pots need to sinter?
Sorry for the slow reply. I'm not sure exactly but I think you need at least 1350f. I always try for 1500+ With charcoal it usually gets up to 1700+. I think different clays sinter at different temperature.
@@airstreamwanderings3683 thanks for the reply! yes what I’m using is about 1800. I keep having issues with the pots cracking. I believe I’m getting the pit too hot too fast though.
Intéressant, mais sous-titres en français serait encore mieux…😉
Merci. Malheureusement je ne parle pas français. Merci d'avoir regardé.
wont it be a lot easy if you just build a forge charcoal is good it burns hotter then gas , electric or wood
I continue to try different methods to find what works best for me. If you watch any of the recent videos you will see how the process has evolved. I usually fire with lump charcoal now. Thanks for watching.