Burnishing is not burnishing~2

In previous article about burnishing, I have briefly explained about the process of burnishing, and the result after firing. In this one, I will show the process of preparation before firing and the result of our firing before Thanksgiving.

After burnishing, and a soft bisque firing, we wrapped our bisque wares in aluminum foil with varieties of organic matters.
The aluminum foil acts as a temporal ceramic saggar that traps all the fumes, and smoke within the aluminum poach.

In this firing, the organic matters include: banana peels, coffee grounds, sea weeds, dry cat food, saw dust, pine needles and orange peels. Minerals used in this firing include: salt, baking soda, iron oxide, steel wool, and copper sulfate.

Interesting material experimented in this firing are from Mary's hydrangea, and Susanne's steel wire.

With some organic materials, we experimented with salt and salt water. The result with salt water showed more variations of color than with dry salt.

The hydrangea created very soft smoky patterns around the pot. The steel wire left black/blue lines with halo around the piece. This discovery would open up many possibilities for line designs in the future firings.

It was raining and cold on the day of firing, so as the previous few weeks. Therefore, our outdoor kiln was wet, and as a result, the firing temperature was on the lower end, maybe around cone 019. If we fired with a little higher temperature, we probably would see more color at the end. This is a continuous experimentation, so we will have to do it again.