[fuoco di forno]

There is a discussion going on the site where Randy Brodnax shows his trick with the nice cracks made with Sodium Silicate. We all are in the dark how to fire the pots. On his DVD one can see that he fires his pot in a gas kiln in his backyard, but it would be great if anybody could tell us whether one can fire the pots also in an electric kiln (temp.??) or in a pit fire (or drum) and whether one can glaze the pots after drying and before firing. A week ago I was writing to the email address of Randy Brodnax, but, alas, didn't get an answer. Maybe he's out of town.
Anybody?

Thanks in advance and greetings from Switzerland

Evelyne

[Marcia Selsor]

I never thought of firing them was anything out of the ordinary. My students make them
and we fire them like anything thing else. It depends on if the clay is low fire or high fire.
Just fire according to what type of clay it is.

Marcia

[meisie]

fuoco di forno, on 26 April 2012 - 02:20 AM, said:

There is a discussion going on the site where Randy Brodnax shows his trick with the nice cracks made with Sodium Silicate. We all are in the dark how to fire the pots. On his DVD one can see that he fires his pot in a gas kiln in his backyard, but it would be great if anybody could tell us whether one can fire the pots also in an electric kiln (temp.??) or in a pit fire (or drum) and whether one can glaze the pots after drying and before firing. A week ago I was writing to the email address of Randy Brodnax, but, alas, didn't get an answer. Maybe he's out of town.
Anybody?

Thanks in advance and greetings from Switzerland

Evelyne

I want to say the same as Marcia. I went to a friends studio and he used sodium silicate to make the cracks and he appears to fire in his electric kiln as he would any pot. I have done a couple of pots this way but as of yet have not fired them but I never expected that they would need to be fired any other way that what the clay body type I have dictates.

[acg]

meisie, on 28 April 2012 - 09:28 AM, said:

fuoco di forno, on 26 April 2012 - 02:20 AM, said:

There is a discussion going on the site where Randy Brodnax shows his trick with the nice cracks made with Sodium Silicate. We all are in the dark how to fire the pots. On his DVD one can see that he fires his pot in a gas kiln in his backyard, but it would be great if anybody could tell us whether one can fire the pots also in an electric kiln (temp.??) or in a pit fire (or drum) and whether one can glaze the pots after drying and before firing. A week ago I was writing to the email address of Randy Brodnax, but, alas, didn't get an answer. Maybe he's out of town.
Anybody?

Thanks in advance and greetings from Switzerland

Evelyne

I want to say the same as Marcia. I went to a friends studio and he used sodium silicate to make the cracks and he appears to fire in his electric kiln as he would any pot. I have done a couple of pots this way but as of yet have not fired them but I never expected that they would need to be fired any other way that what the clay body type I have dictates.

[acg]

Sodium Silicate has been used a lot in our community studio. ^10 gas-redution, raku fired, ^9 salt-fired, ^6 oxidation. Just match clay body to temp.

[giltex58]

I have seen Randy do this several times at the Texas Clay Festival. He uses a homebuilt Raku kiln and treats the ware like you would raku. He sometimes sprays and sometimes uses horse hair. Very impressive treatment to the pot. Not really sure of the clay, but I know he likes Soldate a Laguna Clay high fire.

[fuoco di forno]

Thank you very much Marcia, Meisie, acg and giltex58 for your replies regarding the sodium silicate firing. I saw Randy doing the firing in the Raku kiln on the DVD, but I don't know whether you can put an object cracked with the Sodium Silicate also in a pit with direct fire. I'll give it a try in May, when I will do my next pit fire. The clay I use is a high fire clay (refractory).
Happy Sunday to you all!
Evelyne