Saggar Firing in an election kiln
It all started last summer when I was invited to teach a hand building workshop in the remote landscape of upstate NY. With nothing but a bonfire as an option for firing, I started experimenting with bonfire firing. What started off as a hand building workshop, soon transformed into a residency experience for me as I immersed myself after classes, to understand and experiment with this style of firing. As my understanding improved we started to get some great smoky surfaces and I really wanted to explore more. However when I came back to Texas, with record temperatures and a burn ban in place the option of firing outdoors didn’t exist. That’s when I came across @ceramics_jolanda_vd_grint book: “Saggar Firing in an Electric Kiln”. That book was what propelled me on this journey. I fire my pieces to cone 07 with a 25 min hold and the firing took about 4 hours and 18 mins.
FAQs:
Why am I using an electric kiln when I could fire it in a pit /raku?
I don’t have a raku kiln so that option doesn’t exist for me. As for pit firing, living in Texas we find ourselves perpetually under outdoor burn ban so I had to explore this option of firing in an electric kiln.
Do I get smoke in my studio and how does it impact the elements?
My kiln is well vented so I haven’t ever seen smoke but I can definitely smell something burning, so I fire the kiln when I am not in the studio. As for the elements, I am keeping a firing log with the program and the firing time, to study the long-term impact of this process on elements. According to Jolanda, if one steers clear of salts then the impact on the kiln is minimal. I have now done about 150 firings and the firing time hasn’t changed even by a minute. Another artist from Belgium who has done this for years mentioned that saggar firing at lower temperatures has minimal to no perceptible impact on the elements and so far I concur. Even if this process somewhat shortens the element life but not dramatically then I will probably allow myself this option because
saggar firing in an electric kiln has definitely helped scratch the itch of atmospheric firing. Lucky for me that my husband is a pro at changing elements 😉.
What combustibles do I use?
Mostly hay, wood shavings and some saw dust.
Is the surface food safe?
I seal my low fire saggar fired pieces with @liquid_quartz_sealer. According to their website, this sealer, when used in accordance with their instructions, makes for a perfectly sealed surface deemed food safe by stringent European standards. (They have detailed information available on their website)