Soda Fire with Flameware! First Batch

These are from the new soda fire kiln at the Edina Art Center, a downdraft gas kiln with 2 gas inputs.
340 pounds were loaded onto 3 stacks (front, middle, back).
Kiln took 14 hours to fire to cone 10-ish (cone 11 down, on account of soda making things droopier).
1 hour body reduction achieved.
Soda was dumped and sprayed at cone 9.

Back stack had some oxidation.


Flameware test tile plate with Probst #2 straight and tinted with black mason stain, with decorative iron on top and underneath. 6.5'' x 6.5'' x 1'' (16.5 x 16.5 x 2.5 cm)

This piece was cracked in the bisque, but the glaze softened the cracked edges considerably, and I will use it as a serving platter as is. It is not suitable for cooking due to the cracking.




When soda lightly kisses the black glaze it forms a gorgeous luster.



The white was applied very thick here, and you can see it ran nicely. Also note the variation in coloration on the clay body, from chocolate-brown to orange hues to almost buff where the wads were (not shown).

The soda does not form as shiny a luster on the white glaze.
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This is a skillet, which broke in the kiln. It was placed on the floor with the handle facing a vent. The floor was very wet, and this one in particular was blasted. Only the interior was glazed with black Probst #2.

The handle was supported by a brick on the end, however, during the firing the clay body softens and it sagged, pulling the skillet body with it.

Very thick soda forms a gorgeous crystalline layer on the clay body. It is fairly opaque on the glaze, reacting with the colorants to produce the results seen here.


Here you can see how the soda blasted it. Most of the wad bits have been ground off and the edges softened, so I could transport it without hurting myself. The crystal-looking turquoise bit is a soda/sawdust goober that rolled in through the vent.

You can see on the handle how the vitrified clay body (orange-ish) reacts with the soda to form a white stone-y surface when heavily coated.


I like the curly handle end :3
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Quiche dish. Placed on floor in the middle-front. Interior glazed with Probst #2 Black.
This one warped terribly and was ruined by goobers. It actually didn't break until I got it home and was picking it up and the edge just snapped off. I think it has to do with the goobers making it brittle, because the rest of the piece was fine (I tried breaking more of the edge, but none of it came off)

I love the colours!

More goober ruinage and wadding placement. I'll try 5 or 6 wads 'round the outside next time.

Closeup for COLOURS!
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Casserole by Sandra Shaughnessy. I think it's fireclay, wax resist design, and I don't remember the glaze, but this is what normal clay looks like in the soda, middle-ish shelf not too wet.

It's got some luster to it, she might have used a flashing slip.


This is what it looks like with a normal piece gets blasted. It gets this orange peel texture and goes kinda grey.


CRACK!!! This is why I got to take it home. This piece cracked in the bisque, was repaired with paperclay and looked fine, but cracked in the soda again.

If you look closely, there is also a hairline crack in the glaze running perpendicular to the clay body crack, which might be a result of cooling too quickly.



Wadding placement.

tl;dr Pieces on floor in danger of soda goobers. Flameware gets very soft. Probst #2 black makes prettier colours (personal opinion). Heavy soda on flameware makes a matte sparkly surface.