Author Topic: Re: native pottery part 2 (Read 25564 times)

iowabow · « **Reply #60 on:** September 10, 2012, 05:05:50 pm »

Now Conducting a density test on my one sample and looking at areas that were polished a little. The bubbles are not on the polished area. So a new test will be setup up. what I learned was that the clay held up to the water for an hour and did not desolve yet and there were lots of bubbles coming off the pot. The sample also changed the Ph of the water solution so something was reacting with the water. So did cooking pots in the past release something and change the PH of what was in the pot??... hmm dont know yet.

New test:
clay with the shell
clay with the shell polished
clay with the shell with slip
clay with the shell with slip and then polished

A density test will be conducted on these 4 pieces.

What we are testing for is the the water in the sample.
The problem is that a pot that boils water can not have water in the pot because the steam with distroy it. The shell in the clay makes it handle heat but makes the pot porous kind of a problem if you are going to put it on a fire.

iowabow · « **Reply #61 on:** September 11, 2012, 12:05:37 pm »

20 hours later and the clay did not dissolve so that is good.

iowabow · « **Reply #62 on:** September 12, 2012, 06:31:58 pm »

The clay rod has dried out and looks just fine.

sadiejane · « **Reply #63 on:** September 19, 2012, 05:12:47 pm »

yr killing me man

anxiously awaiting the next installment

iowabow · « **Reply #64 on:** September 20, 2012, 09:27:55 am »

I am still working on data from the g/ml test to determine ratio mixture. I want to make sure that the process is repeatable if it works. I was thinking about making a mix if the shell mixture is dry today and I remember to take the scale to work. Here is my plan:
1 make a clay body and run test for porosity
2 if tests are positive then mix clay and age for 4 weeks to increase plasticity
3 make one pot and test in modern kiln
4 if all is going well then make pots and fire 4 of them at a time, in different type fires.
This is a long processes
5 write article and send to PA to see if they want to print it.

iowabow · « **Reply #65 on:** September 20, 2012, 04:21:27 pm »

learned something real cool today about mixing the clay bodies. Dry mix lime will not mix but the lime wet will. it is going to be fun to text this out in the kiln. My guess is the dry is going to pop. lol it is getting fun now

David_Daugherty · « **Reply #66 on:** September 28, 2012, 01:30:23 am »

These are some of the pots the people I do pottery with made. These are prefired pots. Hope to get some pics of some of the pots we have pit fired on here soon. The fire really paints the pottery nice!

iowabow · « **Reply #67 on:** October 20, 2012, 07:59:30 am »

Update the technical data is coming in and now pots are being made to test the data. I will keep ya posted. This is a long process.

JW_Halverson · « **Reply #68 on:** October 20, 2012, 04:02:02 pm »

John and I talked this morning about what he is learning about making clay pots. What he's learning is that he has barely started learning!

We look at these "primitive" technologies as being crude or simple, when the opposite is really true. He is learning that there are quite a few variables that need to be taken into account in order to make a pot that works LIKE A POT SHOULD! Remember, these peoples made these pots (and other traditional gear) according to generation after generation of experimentation yielding thousands of failures that were expensive in time, effort, and sometimes materials. All those failures took away from feeding and clothing yourself and your family. When they hit on something that worked, they passed that knowledge on. That's what culture is....knowledge that works.

Upshot...primitive skills are something you have to work hard at. If this "primitive stuff" were all that easy, then we'd all have no problem turning out a dozen perfectly matched wicked sharp stone arrowheads the first hour we sat down with abo tools, right? All our first bows would be our last bows because they were sooooo dang goooood! Yeah. Right. Send me $2 and I'll send you a lifetime supply of winning lottery ticket numbers.

Jimbob · « **Reply #69 on:** October 21, 2012, 04:22:18 am »

John, I need your address to send my 2 dollars too.......

iowabow · « **Reply #70 on:** October 22, 2012, 02:00:37 pm »

Jw is right we have lost so many of those connections. Here is a little more about my thoughts. http://www.thehawkeye.com/story/art--tour-102212

richardzane · « **Reply #71 on:** November 25, 2012, 09:24:20 pm »

just noticed this thread on pottery!
i've been doing coiled pottery from natural clay sources for almost 30 years and would be glad to share info.if anyone's interested
(for examples google: Richard Zane Smith)

learned a lot of short cuts..and trial and error.
I teach tribal members in this area Iroquoian / paddled pottery and we do primitive firings. They start their own fires from flint in steel or from bow and spindle.

had lots of disappointments from finding calcium carbonate or gypsum in my clay sources. they often spall or leave pits....even years after.
fortunately the clays in this area of OKl are the best i've ever used. I avoid creek clays(too much silt) except for making bricks or adobe.

if you work outside, you might consider adding cattail fuzz to the clay.
shuck four cattail heads into a clay slurry..push it under and mix it by hand untill it doesn't try to escape(it floats like crazy)
whenthis clay dries enough to be balled up store it. when you want to make a pot take a pinch of this stuff and knead it in to your clay.
you'll know its enough if you tear the clay and can see the fibers.

if you fire in an open pit
fire the ground for a full 24 hours before firing pots . when the ground is dry the fire won't leave condensation on a mirror held over it.
preheat the pots by setting them near the fire and turning them often . flat bottom pots will break more often than round bottomed ones.
pack the pots in dry woodash . this will initially insulate them from the flame which will kill them.

these ladies had never made pots before, these were their firsts. and they are at it again here, every Saturday.