Colorants
Here is a non exclusive list of colorants for pit firing or to be used inside of a saggar. There are many things that will produce colors, some better than others, when placed in the pit. We have found through research and trial and error that the combination of copper, salt, iron is key to getting colors in the pit. Now you can vary the proportions of each and the type of each to vary the results. We feel these three must be present to get significant colors.
You can place colorants in the bedding, around each piece, on top of each piece, or even throw it at the pieces during the firing. Each can result in different effects in the coloration. When you bury the colorant, it will add color late in the firing. If you place in around or on the piece it will color in the middle of the firing. When you throw it in you can get instant coloring much like a star burst pattern.
Here is the list we have so far, it is ever changing and growing…
As stated above this is not an all inclusive list, this is just some of the thing we have tried, read about, or heard of. The ones with the trio of ???, means either we haven’t tried it yet or the results are not definite enough to offer a guesstimate to what they will do.
You can place colorants in the bedding, around each piece, on top of each piece, or even throw it at the pieces during the firing. Each can result in different effects in the coloration. When you bury the colorant, it will add color late in the firing. If you place in around or on the piece it will color in the middle of the firing. When you throw it in you can get instant coloring much like a star burst pattern.
Here is the list we have so far, it is ever changing and growing…
- Copper Carbonate …greens, blues, maroons, reds
- Copper Sulfate …greens, blues, maroons, reds
- Cobalt Carbonate …blues
- Ferric Chloride …reds, yellows, oranges
- Steel wool …blues, grays, pinks
- Banana peels …greens, grays
- Copper wire …can be red, black, blue, green, whites depending on wire
- thickness and temperature of the fire
- Sawdust …black, gray, blue-gray,
- Cow pies… depends on what it ate…blacks, yellows, greens, grays, browns
- Bacon Grease …brown/greens
- Sodium Chloride …Orange, yellows, salmon, peach, gold
- Coffee Grounds …browns, greens, blues
- Nails …Neat blue/gray dots with halos
- Bark …???
- Leaves …brown/greens
- Grass clippings …brown/greens
- Tea Bags …???
- Citrus Rinds …???
- Dry Dog Food …???
- Dry Cat Food …???
- Miracle Grow …Not sure on colors, did leave big chunks
- Root Killer …???
- Potassium Chloride …???
- Egg Shells …left lots of texture
- Multi-vitamins …???
- Red Iron Oxide …browns, maroons, rust
- Aluminum …???
- Straw …???
- Old Medications …???
- Driftwood …???
- Seaweed …???
- Calcium Chloride …???
- Borax …???
- Baking Soda …???
- Magnesium Sulfate …???
- Alum …???
- Dead fish …???(Kiesha will not let me try it)
- Bones …blues (don’t go grave robbing, visit your butcher)
- Road Kill …??? (Again, Kiesha will not let me try it)
As stated above this is not an all inclusive list, this is just some of the thing we have tried, read about, or heard of. The ones with the trio of ???, means either we haven’t tried it yet or the results are not definite enough to offer a guesstimate to what they will do.