Ceramics Salt Firing

Salt and soda firings can really affect any underglazes or slips you use on your ware and the results can be very varied and interesting.

Ceramics salt firing.

Firing clay transforms it from its humble soft beginnings into a new durable substance. The benefits of doing a salt firing. Sodium from the salt reacts with silica in the clay body to form a glassy coating of sodium silicate the glaze may be colourless or may be. The chlorine leaves the kiln in its gas form through the kiln chimney.

And yes soda can also be fumed in the same way as salt. When firing a salt kiln salt is put directly into the kiln through special ports over the flame. Once again a big thanks to rob hunter and his inspired ceramics in america 2014 top ten issue. The salt kiln must be prepared for the firing often involving repairs to the brick walls and arch and always extensive work preparing the refractory kiln shelves shelf props fire boxes burners door lagging clay wadding clay and clay discs to sit the pots on.

Almost any clay can be used in low fire salt fuming but if orange flashing effects are desired then the body should include some iron oxide. The result is a piece with an active complex surface. An important difference between salt and soda firing is what happens when the mixture vaporizes. The clay body.

If my hit parade were to be about looks alone i might have included the creative slip applications of english mocha ware or the bizarre twisted explorations of george orr or the brilliant cobalt blues of german westerwald salt fired stoneware or the wood fired stoneware of richard. Salt firing is a vapor glazing process where salt sodium chloride is introduced into kiln firebox at high temperature. When salt meets flame it creates sodium and chlorine. Salt glazing also adds a brilliant texture to the ceramics from the building up of layers to the running of salt vapors.

Salt glaze or salt glaze pottery is pottery usually stoneware with a glaze of glossy translucent and slightly orange peel like texture which was formed by throwing common salt into the kiln during the higher temperature part of the firing process. This is done close to the end of the firing process when the. The salt vaporizes and sodium vapor combines with silica in clay surface forming extremely hard sodium silicate glaze. Nevertheless with experience accumulated from each firing potters can discover what works best in their own kilns.

The salt reacts to the surface clay and glazes in different ways leaving matte sheen and some runny glazed areas. Ceramics are tough and strong and similar in some ways to stone.