How To Clean And Seal Pit Fired Pottery

sealing pit burn down ware

updated saturday 8 apr 06

Vince Pitelka on tue 4 april 06

"B" (whoever that is) wrote:
"> Has anyone e'er tried sealing a pot that has been pit fired? What would
you lot
> use? Are they useful at all in the usual sense of functional ware? Has
> anyone ever had java out of a pit fired pot?"

B -
I suppose you could use some kind of plastic sealer, but non in order to apply
the piece as functional ware. Pit-fired and bonfired wares are not for
food-service use. In the cultures where they use unglazed pottery, the
children abound up with resistance to the bacteria that grow in the clay. If
you or me prepared and ate food out of unglazed pitfired wares, nosotros'd likely
experience intense gastrointestinal distress. All-time to only accept that
pitfired and bonfired wares are decorative and non-functional, and make
glazed wares to drink your coffee.
- Vince

Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft, Tennessee Technological Academy
Smithville TN 37166, 615/597-6801 x111
vpitelka@dtccom.internet, wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
http://www.tntech.edu/craftcenter/

thepotter on tue iv apr 06

Has anyone always tried sealing a pot that has been pit fired? What would yous
use? Are they useful at all in the usual sense of functional ware? Has
anyone e'er had java out of a pit fired pot? Just curious. Cheers for
your input.
B in rainy RI

Vicki Hardin on tue 4 apr 06

Hey B. Merely idea I would say that I would not recommend drinking from pit
fire pieces that are fired with chemicals such as ferric chloride and such.
Equally for sealing a pot, I work with a very textured surface and then wax even when
put on a warm pot sometimes is non very piece of cake to apply. Information technology gets in the
cracks and you lot have to dig it out or torch it and buff information technology off. What I have
establish to my liking is to utilize clear acrylic spray every bit if it were wax. And so, information technology
is wiped off the pot as it is applied. This gives a very wax like surface
and is seemingly more durable. Be conscientious non to put a lot on as it volition
dry out before y'all wipe it downwardly and then the surface would exist too shiny.
Regards,
Vicki Hardin
http://vickihardin.com

Has anyone ever tried sealing a pot that has been pit fired? What would y'all
use? Are they useful at all in the usual sense of functional ware? Has
anyone ever had coffee out of a pit fired pot? Just curious. Thanks for
your input.
B in rainy RI

Kurt Wild on tue 4 apr 06

I have used Tung oil.
Tung oil does a practiced chore of sealing
and does not modify the quality of the surface.
It does not totally waterproof a pot though.
Do not use Tung Oil Varnish
or you'll get a sleeky surface.

Maxwell, Deborah on tue 4 apr 06

I take polished my pit fired pieces with Johnson paste wax. It gives a
soft seen simply information technology does not seal them. Bonnie has posted and used a sealer
- Weldbond? (bank check archives.)

Because the pit burn is low burn the pieces are non food safety but
enjoyed for their beauty. Good luck!

Deborah J. Bassett-Maxwell
Kimball, MI
www.greatpottery.com
world wide web.redmuddcreations.com

=20

-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of thepotter
Sent: Tuesday, April 04, 2006 9:12 AM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Field of study: sealing pit burn ware

Has anyone ever tried sealing a pot that has been pit fired? What would
you
apply? Are they useful at all in the usual sense of functional ware? Has
anyone ever had java out of a pit fired pot? Just curious. Thanks
for
your input.
B in rainy RI

________________________________________________________________________
______
Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org

You lot may look at the athenaeum for the list or alter your subscription
settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/

Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.

Taylor Hendrix on tue 4 apr 06

Hey B in RI

I wouldn't have coffee out of any pot! ptooy. Now if you had asked
would I try Dr Pepper out of a pit fired pot I would have said, "No,
it a waste of perfectly good Dr Pepper." The only function of pit
fired pots fired here in NA is the function of looking really cool.=20
The bodies I apply in the pit are nowhere near fused enough to contain
water without leaking. As well, when I've fired pots with copper
sulfate, copper carbonate, phenomenon grow, etc. I don't want to lick the
pots afterwards no matter how yummy they look.

As for sealing pots. I have just started but I do employ a good paste
wax for the burnished pots and a stinky grout sealer for my
unburnished pots. They seem to work fine. However, these are not
outdoor pots nor drinky eaty pots.

Lauren Bollero, Bonnie Staffel, Judith Motzkin and others have been
very helpful in my pit journey. I'm sure you'll get plenty of
suggestions regarding sealing pots.

burn down 'em in the ground!

Taylor, in Rockport TX

On iv/4/06, thepotter

wrote:
> Has anyone ever tried sealing a pot that has been pit fired? What would =
you
> use? Are they useful at all in the usual sense of functional ware? Has
> anyone ever had coffee out of a pit fired pot? Simply curious. Thanks for
> your input.
> B in rainy RI

2ley on wednesday 5 apr 06

From: "Vince Pitelka"
> certainly is not one of them. Everything about the pit firing process
> makes
> it inappropriate for functional pots.

Possibly I'1000 missing something hither, merely isn't pit firing exactly how we got
our first functional wares in history? I'chiliad not trying to be a smartass or
anything, but surely I'm missing something here.

Philip Tuley

Lauren Bellero on midweek 5 apr 06

>Has anyone always tried sealing a pot that has been pit fired? What would you
>use? Are they useful at all in the usual sense of functional ware? Has
>anyone e'er had coffee out of a pit fired pot?

with what i put in my pit --chemicals and dung-- and what i
seal my pit fire work with, i wouldn't want to drinkable out of them!
anyhow, that'due south not what they're meant for. their function is: decorative!

at diverse times, i've used all of the post-obit (individually!)
inside the pots to seal for water (people want to put flowers
in everything--makes me crazy!): thompson's water seal
(i remember this needs to exist reapplied periodically), oil polyurethane
(too thick sometimes to piece of work with), and most recently, cheers
to bonnie staffel: weldbond (a kind of super agglutinative/sealer
product that looks just like elmers mucilage, just is something different)
diluted 10:1 with water.

i like to seal the outside as well (annihilation that volition preserve the wait
of the intensified colors every bit when they are wet): i've used various
waxes: floor wax, butchers paste wax (i only don't similar the look --
peradventure i haven't applied information technology properly...), oil polyurethane
(too much work, and frequently had drips form -- not good!).
i've settled on acrylic sprays (there are matt and shiny versions).
and so much easier when dealing with lots of pots.

all-time of luck,
lauren
--
Lauren Bellero, Mudslingers Pottery
http://mudslingerspottery.internet
Red Depository financial institution, NJ

David Woof on wed 5 apr 06

Archaic pit fired pottery, from antiquity to present, was and is by some
potters existence sealed with naturally acquired plant resins. Some of these
certainly were non toxic, and rendered the ware "functional" by how one
would interpret the word co-ordinate to the uses they were put to. See
athenaeum here and google upwards more.

David
_________________________________
_________________________________
David Woof Studio
Clarkdale, Arizona
Ph. 928-821-3747 Fax. 866-881-3461
________________________________
________________________________
peering over the edge, reverently taking an irreverent look at everything.

earlk on midweek 5 april 06

On Tue, 2006-04-04 at 20:58 -0500, Vince Pitelka wrote:
> "B" (whoever that is) wrote:
> "> Has anyone ever tried sealing a pot that has been pit fired? What would
> you lot use?

> I suppose y'all could use some kind of plastic sealer, but not in lodge to use
> the slice as functional ware. ...
> All-time to just accept that
> pitfired and bonfired wares are decorative and not-functional, and make
> glazed wares to potable your java.

But Vince, these are modernistic times, surely
there is a way to do this.

I tin imagine a process where the pot was
subjected to a high vacuum to remove the
air from the pores. And so the pot would be
immersed in a liquid plastic after which
the vacuum would exist released. The liquid
would penetrate the pores and with subsequent
curing the pot and all the nasties would be
fully encased in a durable plastic. H2o
proof and serviceable equally functional ware.

Now, somebody get do the enquiry, get the
patent and make a fortune.

Would this still be pottery?

earlk...
bothell, wa, united states of america

Vince Pitelka on wednesday five april 06

> But Vince, these are mod times, surely
> there is a mode to exercise this.
> I tin imagine a process where the pot was
> subjected to a loftier vacuum to remove the
> air from the pores. Then the pot would exist
> immersed in a liquid plastic after which
> the vacuum would be released. The liquid
> would penetrate the pores and with subsequent
> curing the pot and all the nasties would be
> fully encased in a durable plastic. Water
> proof and serviceable as functional ware.

Earl -
I certainly don't eat out of plastic functional ware, and I wouldn't even
consider eating out of a pit fired piece sealed with plastic. Please do not
take law-breaking, Earl, but I think that trying to seal a pitfired piece to make
it hygenic is a ridiculous idea. "Modern times" has zilch to do with information technology.
There are appropriate methods for making utilitarian pottery, and pit firing
certainly is not i of them. Everything well-nigh the pit firing procedure makes
it inappropriate for functional pots.
- Vince

Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Centre for Craft, Tennessee Technological University
Smithville TN 37166, 615/597-6801 x111
vpitelka@dtccom.internet, wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
http://www.tntech.edu/craftcenter/

Vince Pitelka on thu 6 apr 06

Philip Tuley wrote:
"> Maybe I'm missing something here, only isn't pit firing exactly how we got
> our first functional wares in history? I'm not trying to be a smartass or
> anything, but surely I'grand missing something here."

Philip -
Well, no, they were bonfired rather than pitfired. And every bit I clearly
explained in a previous Clayart post, in our culture we practice not have
resistance to the bacteria that grow in porous clay, and thus would
experience severe abdominal distress if attacked by those bacteria. You
accept to abound up from birth with those bacteria in guild to develop such
resistance, and in those cultures, the resistance may fifty-fifty be inherited.

The idea of sealing pitfired wares in order to use them as utilitarian pots
seems incredibly impractical and inappropriate. I am surprised that anyone
would even consider information technology.
- Vince

Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Arts and crafts, Tennessee Technological University
Smithville TN 37166, 615/597-6801 x111
vpitelka@dtccom.internet, wpitelka@tntech.edu
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
http://world wide web.tntech.edu/craftcenter/

Bonnie Staffel on thu 6 apr 06

Back in my early days of making pottery, there was a sealing remedy for
teapots where the glaze had crazed.. The premise was that the tea =
itself
would seal the pores, and that ane never washed a teapot in soapy water, =
but
let the tannin (?) build up inside the pot. Another remedy that was =
widely
used was to soak the pot in milk. I did not like the latter remedy as =
and then
you got the "pantry" scent to your dishes from the soured milk rest in =
the
pores. It might be interesting to exam using strong tea as a sealant.
All the same, in that location might be a stain left from the tea. =20

Warm regards,

Bonnie Staffel

http://webpages.charter.net/bstaffel/
DVD Throwing with Coils and Slabs
DVD Starting time Processes
Lease Member Potters Council

Earl Brunner on thu 6 apr 06

Most people don't just take the clay out of the ground, form the pot, burnish it and then fire it in the traditional, original sense. They often mix chemicals and colorants with the stuff in the pit to go colored flashing, etc, etc. Then besides, nosotros don't alive in the aforementioned environment and handle food the same way as they did (or do) at those other levels of engineering science. Unglazed, lowfired ware is inherently porous among other things, it fits the applied science of the food grooming and usage level that matches the way it was fabricated. Have you ever gone to another country and gotten sick by eating the food or drinking the water? Generally the people who live in that location don't get ill from the same thing.

Its not that pots made this manner are not expert pots, just unlike, and their usage has limitations. Have you lot ever heard, "form follows function"? Well not just does the design or form determine the function of an object, but what it'south made from and how information technology'south made, limits that part also. If y'all pit fire a "functional" pot, say a teapot, and then doesn't the purchaser take the reasonable expectation to be able to use that pot for that office? Think about information technology, you have these limitations imposed on the pot by the way information technology was made, just you desire to use the pot in a style which is affected by the limitations, so you have to change the limitations of the pot. Seal it somehow for instance. What volition you use? What are the sealants limitations? I think what is being said is that when you mix the two levels of technology in your nutrient handling, or whatever other use of a pot, you had better know what you are doing.

I had to take some visually actually nice glazes out of the metropolis studio, because people were existence idiots and using the glazes inappropriately. I would say (and post on the bucket) "this glaze is not food condom, do not apply to food surfaces" . They would do information technology anyway. Their excuse? "Well, I'm not going to put nutrient in this BOWL." or "I'one thousand non going to drink out of this CUP". How the hell do they know what their grandchild is going to do with that pot? "Grandma made this bowl, I'm going to eat my food out of it everytime I need a bowl". "Grandma made this mug, I'm going to drink my orangish juice out of it everyday."

2ley <2ley@MCHSI.COM> wrote:
From: "Vince Pitelka"
> certainly is not 1 of them. Everything about the pit firing process
> makes
> information technology inappropriate for functional pots.

Maybe I'1000 missing something hither, only isn't pit firing exactly how we got
our outset functional wares in history? I'm not trying to exist a smartass or
anything, but surely I'one thousand missing something here.

Philip Tuley

Earl Brunner
e-mail: brunv53@yahoo.com

Vicki Hardin on fri seven apr 06

Philip Tuley wrote:
"> Maybe I'1000 missing something here, but isn't pit firing exactly how we got
> our first functional wares in history? I'm not trying to be a
> smartass or annihilation, simply surely I'm missing something here."

Another matter to consider and I don't accept the exact number, only I don't
retrieve the age expectancy for aboriginal man was any where near what ours is
today. I am willing to bet that sanitation probably played into that.

Vicki Hardin
http://vickihardin.com

Source: http://www.potters.org/subject92923.htm

Posted by: spriggspabis1949.blogspot.com

Share this post