07/08/2024
Another Potters Camp over and, after a couple of days to recover, I've had a chance to take some photographs of my haul:
1. Smoke fired pots - the pots were wrapped in banana skins, seaweed, copper wire, wire wool and strips of cotton soaked in salt. These were then placed in oil drums, sprinkled with copper carbonate and more salt with wood placed on top. We then set fire to the wood and let it all burn for about an hour. The next day we dug through the ashes to find these jewels!
2. Gas fired pots - these were placed in one of several kilns powered by propane and fired for a good 10 hours or so. Some nice speckly surfaces on these
3. Wood fired pots - the huge wood kiln is powered with offcuts from a local cricket bat manufacturer, so it's all willow wood! The glaze combines with the wood ash to give some interesting effects. Unfortunately I was slapdash with the glazing so some pots dribbled and need the bases tidying up with the Dremel to stop them wobbling like Weebles...
4. Soda fired pots - these are essentially gas fired pots, but once the kiln is up to temperature hot soda liquid is sprayed into the kiln to bond with the slips covering the pots. Some lovely earthy colours here, but the classic 'orange peel' effect is missing
5. More wood fired pots - these were fired in a little kiln we built at camp last year. The first firing was okay, but this time we adjusted a few things and fired more consistently so got much better results. 8 hours stoking wood into a hot kiln on one of the warmest days of the year - and with no shade - wasn't terribly relaxing, but I've got a nice tan from it!
6. Paper kiln pot - the paper kiln had a firebox and chamber built of bricks, but the chimney was made from a paper and clay slop combo. It looked superb and managed to fire to raku temperature, hence the lovely turquoise raku glaze
7. Raku firing - the classic copper tones of a raku firing still looks gorgeous! The same turquoise glaze from the paper kiln firing was used on this pot, but since it was plunged into a bucket of sawdust on pulling from the kiln whilst still hot, oxygen is taken from the glaze by the burning process to leave some great metallic colours
