If you enjoy the adventure of alternative firing but have only an electric kiln, this is the guide for you. Learn how to use an electric kiln to attain the natural earthy colors and spontaneous patterns of alternative firing methods. Step-by-step instructions together with nearly 200 photos show how to get good results with saggar firing in an electric kiln, without damaging your kiln. Understand every aspect, from making the saggar and understanding your work's requirements to using terra sigillata, firing the kiln, and more. Along with clearly supplying the exact parameters you need to succeed, the guidance here also allows you the space to experiment and use your own creativity. This resource helps you extend your work with the colors and freedom of alternative firing.

Demonstrating four different clay-firing techniques, this book illustrates the diverse results that each can produce.

Gas Fired Kilns is for people who want to take their pottery firing to the next level with their own kiln. Whether you have made a kiln before or not, or if you need to learn how to fire an existing kiln, this book will help you reach your objectives. Live flames bring the magic of reduction firing, raku, saggar and soda firing within reach. A clean firing gas kiln is a cost effective alternative to buying an electric kiln, and it has much more to offer the ceramicist. Gas can also be used in urban areas where wood firing is prohibited. With the emphasis on practical innovation and clear explanation, this book gives step by step guidance for making three types of gas fired kiln, including an electric kiln to gas conversion, each with a detailed description of how it is fired. In addition to kiln plans and information on the types of burners to use, there are chapters on how to get the best from your gas firings. Finally there are glaze recipes to try, that exploit the capabilities of live flame firing. The book has numerous technical drawings and photographs to illustrate the kiln builds. With Gas Fired Kilns providing conceptual insight and suggesting practical approaches, the reader will have the confidence to take the next step on their journey into ceramics. Chris Barnes is a selected member of the Craft Potters Association UK and a teacher of pottery to adults and children.

This book covers techniques of firing and finishing at low temperature without using glazes. Many ancient cultures and contemporary potters use methods of low firing, adding slips and burnishing pieces to create a more natural finish. The advantages are that it can be done without a kiln using old dustbins, pits dug out of the earth, or bonfires, meaning that providing you have outdoor space, it can be done on a low budget. This book is a step-by-step practical approach and beginner's guide, which focuses on how to do low firing and natural finishes, with many illustrations of beautiful work by contemporary makers. Chapters include burnishing, terra sigillata, smoke-firing, pit-firing, saggar firing and raku techniques.

Learn the key techniques, tips, and tricks for pit, barrel, raku, and wood firing. Fall in love with flames, wood, and the effect that unique firing methods have on pottery. Move beyond the electric kiln and explore the dramatic surfaces of raku, the flashes of salt firing, and the rustic look of ash rivulets. In this book, Lindsay Oesterritter provides a crash course in the most accessible methods of alternative firing. Raku firing requires minimal equipment and can easily be fueled with a standard propane tank. Likewise, pit and barrel firing do not require much in the way of initial investment. Yet all these techniques provide an immediate glimpse into the magic of firing. Bright reds and blues, dramatic black and white crackle, even metallic luster are instantly possible. For more experienced potters and studios looking to offer more, Oesterritter also explores wood-fired kilns. Drawing on years of experience and extensive interviews with fellow wood-fire potters, there is no comparable resource on the market. Features on top potters working today get to the heart of specialty techniques and asides show firing variations and traditional kilns in different cultures around the world. A gallery of showstopping work from a diverse group of artists round out the package and inspire you to get started.

Clay body additions can introduce remarkable new forms and textures in ceramic work. With an emphasis on creativity and experimentation, ceramicist Kathleen Standen reveals a range of possible effects, and profiles the extraordinary work of contemporary makers using additions in their practice.Beginning with an introduction to collecting local clay and making your own clay bodies, the book moves on to cover the array of additions being used by artists today, from hard materials like stones, glass and rust, to combustible matter and fibre, metals including wire and mesh, and colour in various forms. The book is lavishly illustrated throughout with both unique making methods and the beautiful finished works of ceramic artists from around the world.Additions to Clay Bodies is an inspiring introduction to the art of using additions and an essential companion for any artist wishing to expand their practice.

This handsomely illustrated survey of contemporary international artists and their approaches to smoke-fired pottery is an inspirational resource for ceramics devotees, from seasoned practitioners to curious collectors.