33. Terra Sigillata - How to Make, Color & Apply Terra Sigillata - The Easy Way

In this video I will show you how I make Terra Sigillata. There are many ways to do this but after many tests I have found this to be an easy and realiable way to make a good Terra Sigillata.
See also this video for a whiter Terra Sigillata: • 61. How to Make White...
I will also show you how I ad colors to the Terra Sigillata using stains, carbonates and oxides.
And finally I will show you a super easy, fast and great way to apply the Terra Sigillata to your pots and burnish them so they get super shiny.
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INDEX:
00:00 Introduction to terra Sigillata
01:34 Many different ways to do Terra Sigillata
02:00 What you need to make Terra Sigillata
05:44 Ingredients and amounts - mixing the Terra Sigillata
06:55 Adding Sodium Silicate - the deflucant I use
08:20 Mixing the Terra Sigillata
10:30 Adding the finished mix to the glass jar
12:31 After 20 hours - ready to siphon the Terra Sigillata
15:25 How to meassure the Specific Gravity (SG)
17:26 Adding Colors to the Terra Sigillata
26:36 Introduction to applying Terra Sigillata to pottery
27:17 How to check if the pots are dry enough
28:33 Remove all dust from the pots
31:49 Chosing the best brush for applying Terra sigillata
33:50 Applying the Terra Sigillata to the pottery
35:42 Burnish the Terra Sigillata - The Easy Way
41:29 Adding multiple colors of Terra Sigillata to a pot
48:35 How to fire pottery with terra Sigillata

[@drjones2419]

Having read that T.Sig. can be made from clay other than ball clay, I experimented with several different stoneware clays & kaolin and they all worked but the yield was greater with ball clay. However, the original T Sig. was made by the Romans as found in Samian ware and they used only earthenware clay, so I also tried that. Unlike stoneware clay, earthenware clay did not separate into three distinct layers. In fact, there was no observable separation at all. Instead, I obtained a colloidal slip with a specific gravity hardly any different from tap water, at 1.02. But it shone without having to be polished! And the shine persisted on a test piece fired to 1,000ºC. I find that quite interesting!

[@deMibPottery]

Thanks. Yes, very interesting! Must try that one day

[@pavlentos]

It seems like an angobe)

[@kscvb]

That is exactly what I want to try! Thanks!

[@drjones2419]

I´d be interested to know if you get the same result!@@kscvb

[@PaulByrne-ev2zm]

I just love your videos. Super informative and a pleasure to watch. This is a major effort on your part I’m sure and I for one, really appreciate that you do this. First class.

[@deMibPottery]

Thank you so much for your kind words ❤️🙏

[@nicolebelanger4745]

You are very good at explaining in detail.Fully appreciate you sharing your knowledge. Thank you

[@deMibPottery]

So nice of you

[@russidordi1482]

A wonderfully explicit video which takes you slowly step by step. Thank you ! I did find it difficult to tell what you were saying sometimes, but I'm sure I will find the missing bits. E.G. what ia special about the gloves? What material are they made from please? Thank yu once again.

[@deMibPottery]

Thanks 🙏 The gloves are just cheap polyester

[@benjamintagbo6782]

Good morning sir,am your new fan/student on ceramics etc.weldon job sir.i wish to be as good as you sir.

[@deMibPottery]

Thanks a lot. Just practice and you will get better :-)

[@pankajmakwana2300]

Very nice video and very well explained. Ball mills are not very difficult to make especially if you were to use a new or clean paint tin put it on two rollers coupled to a motor with two pulleys and belt and leave it rolling in the shed.When its time you can open the closeable lid and can use glass marbles or round stones.I can always provide you with a sketch as I am making a small pottery wheel. Thanks for the video, I love it!

[@deMibPottery]

Thanks a lot. That sounds like a good idea. A scetch would be creat :-)

[@pankajmakwana2300]

@@deMibPottery Hi it's me again. Please send me your email address and I can make a sketch for you. You can make the rollers and pulley out of wood if it's what you got available.See what electrical motor you got, an old auto wiper motor can reduce rpm considerably. Thanks.

[@deMibPottery]

my email is: [e-mail]

[@patriciaabuxapqui9976]

Thanks, I always learn from you; can’t wait to see the pieces finished

[@deMibPottery]

Glad you like them!

[@elconsultoriodecandida7304]

Great video. Thanks very much from Spain.😊

[@deMibPottery]

🙏❤️

[@ericessenburg5391]

This is great, I'm so glad that I've found your channel

[@deMibPottery]

Glad you enjoy it!

[@katiakatiakat]

I love your video’s. Thank you for sharing. Can you please turn CC on?

[@deMibPottery]

Thanks. I have CC on but for strange reasons KZbin do not always show it.

[@heididettwiler9863]

Thanks for all the sharing, you make all the work enjoyable and clear to understand! I just discovered you few hours ago! Yeeee!

[@deMibPottery]

Thanks a lot :-)

[@jorgealves9120]

Best video about terra sigilata. Thank you so much for sharing your expertise.

[@deMibPottery]

Thanks a lot :-)

[@christopherazzopardi2062]

Excellent tutorial. I learned from this video

[@deMibPottery]

Great to hear!

[@anjaguggenheim5557]

Gorgeous wares 🤩 thanks for sharing!!

[@deMibPottery]

Thank you 🙏

[@kieranandjanice]

Very well explained many thanks … you got me fired up to experiment with Terastigalata again 👍 Kieran in Killaloe co Clare Eire.

[@deMibPottery]

Sounds great!

[@jennyorme6288]

Thank you for this helpful video, I’ll share this with my pottery class. I’ve just made terra sigillata for the first time and I’m about to syphon it. I might experiment with colouring some of it!

[@deMibPottery]

Thanks. I am glad you like it and can use it in your class :-)

[@MariamCullum]

This is such a well presented video on terra sigillata. You explain the process really well and it is a pleasure to watch your video. Thank you.

[@deMibPottery]

Thank you so much for your kind words! ❤️🙏

[@vibhananda2030]

Really enjoy and learn so much from your videos. I am a self taught sculptor, so your videos are such a fabulous resource for me. Thank you for sharing with such a large heart.

[@deMibPottery]

Thank you so much for your kind words. I really mean a lot to me and inspire me to do more videos :-)

[@ipa137]

So informative. Thank you

[@deMibPottery]

Thanks :-)

[@ElenaAnnunziata]

Very detailed and informative video! Thx so much!

[@deMibPottery]

You're very welcome! :-)

[@ElenaAnnunziata]

@@deMibPottery ...and gorgeous work by the way!

[@321ReadysSetG0]

I use gloves too!! So easy and shinning it up is fun to watch. I have been wanting to color my TS but as I only have access to a kiln when I'm working at the college - I have to wait a few more months for fall semester to resume. Excited to put all your tips/advise to work. Thank you for sharing.

[@deMibPottery]

Thank you so much. But even in a shared kiln you could play with colored TS

[@codythomas7180]

I really enjoy watching your videos. I just made some terra sigillata a few days ago. I am doing some test firings at work in another week or so. You give great information and explain everything clearly. Thank you!

[@deMibPottery]

Thank you. I am glad you can use it :-)

[@jclevesq]

Merci beaucoup. J'ai adoré

[@deMibPottery]

Thanks :-)

[@Sisa61]

Love your videos, love your enthusiasm, so inspiring. Thank you 2:00

[@deMibPottery]

Thanks a lot 🙏

[@rene9406]

Great video, thank you!

[@deMibPottery]

Thanks :-)

[@alexlongart]

I have colored terra sig recipes, but didn’t think to make my terra sig whiter. I just added 100g of tin oxide to 2 cups of terra sig. Thanks Mikkel!

[@deMibPottery]

Good :-)

[@marijapolo15]

Nice Tutorial Thanks a lot

[@deMibPottery]

You are most welcome

[@lougibbon5942]

This was so helpful. My Husband is going to put the holes in my barrel and then I can I get going and have a go ! Your channel and your teaching has been invaluable. Thank you so much for your generosity 🇬🇧👍

[@deMibPottery]

Thank you so much. That is very kind of you to say :-)

[@C-M-E]

I didn't actually go looking for Terra Sig recipes for when I heard the following, it just happened to be in the background info on ancient pottery I was watching, but it was said (internet scholar, take it for whatever that might be worth) that the Romans repeated this process several times til they only had a super thin layer to work with. Sounds like a lot of waiting and recycling to me! As I happen to have a science-sized unit for doing other processes, if/when I get around to trying this, I might throw my batch through a sonication unit and see if there's any net difference. Not that you can't do you, but I find it handy to have the extra large syringes like you find for veterinary work (I just get the biggest ones I can find in a 5 pack for the most decent price) for pulling separation layers as some of the things I use include very concentrated sulphuric acid; not exactly mouth-friendly for siphoning. 😁 Usually you can snag 100ml 5 or 10 packs for $6-14, market price varying as it goes. Get the ones without the needles and just chop the attachment points for ease of pulling a larger/heavier volume.

[@deMibPottery]

The syphoning works well for the larger batches I make but I guess a syringe could also work for some :-)

[@C-M-E]

@@deMibPottery I'll definitely try the glove trick for speedy burnishing though, that's just too good not to! I wonder if other glove types also work, like the suede-esque split leather ones. Do you find that they transfer any material between colors?

[@deMibPottery]

Not sure. I just use cheap polyester gloves and they work fine

[@tonycurtis4678]

Just about to make my first batch of TS and was unsure about using oxides. Your video has been really helpful and the pacing of it is just right - for me anyway!!

[@deMibPottery]

Glad it was helpful!

[@Gazovoort]

Very very nice!!! Really.

[@deMibPottery]

Thanks :-)

[@stickermigtigger]

I got some microfibre gloves after watching one of your earlier videos. Life is good!

[@deMibPottery]

Glad you like them! :-)

[@AurelioApe]

Thanks for your video. I am writing to you with the translator because I do not speak English. The images are very explicit; but, since you take the trouble to explain them, I would strongly ask you to activate the subtitles option. For non-English speakers, thanks to automatic translation, it will be wonderful to be able to understand your words to complete the understanding of the video. Thanks in advance.

[@deMibPottery]

Thanks. Automatic subtitles are ensbled but some times KZbin apparently do not show them.

[@AurelioApe]

@@deMibPottery Thanks for answering. True, other videos of his allow subtitles. I'll try my luck, maybe on another visit I'll find them activated.

[@annehartzenbusch2010]

Thoroughly enjoy your videos. Very detailed, very specific. So much to learn. You are a wonderful instructor. What are the gloves made of? Wool? Synthetic? And do you wash them to keep one color from contaminating another one?

[@deMibPottery]

Thank you so much :-) The gloves I use now is polyester, but cotton or wool also works.

[@cherylross8812]

wonderful tutorial...THANK YOU! Quick question: is Terra Sigillata applied to greenware or is it applied to bisque, plz?

[@deMibPottery]

Thanks 🙏 I apply it to greenware

[@kerrydinkgreve8099]

Hi Mikkel, loved this video, thankyou so much for sharing. I was wondering what sort of gloves you are using to bunish your pots. Kind regard Kerry

[@deMibPottery]

Thanks a lot :-) It is just some cheap polyester gloves from H&M

[@eevatuikkala]

Just when I'm thinking about trying to make TS for the first time, you make a video about it! Lucky me 😄 Where do you get the sodium sil.? I've been trying to look it up and came across the term waterglass and stuff used as a hardener for concrete🥴😅

[@deMibPottery]

Thanks :-) "Waterglass" should be just another name for sodium silicate. Look closer at the label. In Denmark we use that name too.

[@eevatuikkala]

@@deMibPottery Thanks, good to know i was on the right track with my googling 😁

[@gato_fofo]

TOP!🇧🇷

[@deMibPottery]

Thanks :-)

[@lisbethsriis3376]

Hej mikkel. Tak for din video. Virkelig god gennemgang af fremgangsmåden ved Terra sigliata. Kan man bruge det på stentøjsler på samme måde som du gør, og brænde det til stentøjstemperatur 1240-1260 grader i en elektrisk ovn?

[@deMibPottery]

Tak :-) Du vil normalt miste en stor del af blankheden hvis du brænder det for højt.

[@pallkvaran2903]

Amazing! Is your clay grogged at all? Does this work with grogged raku clay as well?

[@deMibPottery]

Yes but to get a smooth surface with this you need to push in the grog/burnish with a rib or something first

[@utebunge5765]

Hi from South Africa, thank you for your detailed "Sig" making video. I followed, more or less, your recipe using dried bits and pieces of self dug clay and commercial clay. I ended with a specific gravity of 1.05. I think because the clay has more bigger particles that ball clay which I don't have. Can I leave it out in a bowl to evaporate? Would that increase the SG? Would appreciate your comment. Many thanks for your informative videos. Ute

[@deMibPottery]

Thanks - and yes you can. I would probably get the sg up a bit to get enough particlrs to make it really shine

[@utebunge5765]

@@deMibPottery thank you so much for your reply.....when I stirred it there was some "sludge" at the bottom so I let it settle again and siphoned off a bit from the top.....now up to 1.1. Will now leave it to evaporate a bit longer. Can't wait to try it. 😃⚱️

[@mariajosereis7558]

🙃🙂!! Obrigado

[@deMibPottery]

Thanks :-)

[@RobertoFavacho]

Parabéns pelo lindo trabalho! O Amigo poderia colocar legenda nas suas edições? Obrigado e sucesso.

[@deMibPottery]

I am sorry, but I do not understand this language :-)

[@katiakatiakat]

They are asking for subtitles.

[@haraldnygaard3007]

Thank you for a great intro to Terra Sigillata. You mentioned you sometimes sand before laying the TerSig on. What grade sansd Paper /abrasive do you use?

[@deMibPottery]

Thanks. The finest you can find

[@haraldnygaard3007]

@@deMibPottery One more question. I looked at some of the other videos you made (great stuff) but am still confused as to the best way to fire terra segillsta work. Would love to do raku, pit fire etc but have for read some opinions that it may come out not so shiny, but rather flaky. What is the best way to fire terra sigillata, in your opinion?

[@deMibPottery]

Tera Sigilata can be tricky. You have to find a recipe and fire schedule that works with your clay body. It can flake off if it's not right. The higher you bisque fire the less shiny it will be - but also less likely to flake. I only use Tera Sigilata on pots that will not get any glaze - so pitfire, naked raku, horse hair raku etc. Glazes generally do not stick very well on a high shine surface with Tera Sigilata. But you can also get almost the same shine by burnishing your pots. And then there is nothing to flake of. Its just a lot of work :-)

[@katiakatiakat]

Do you burnish greenware and then bisque it? Does it loose the shine after the bisque or glaze fire (if I was glazing the inside)?

[@karinemborggjerse8725]

Hej Mikkel. Har du erfaring med at reglase på transparent blank glasur? Jeg har nogle ting, der er begittede, og glaseret, som ikke er blevet så spændende. Har forsøgt en gang, men glasuren trak helt væk, og satte sig i store klumper/dråber hist og her. Det kunne være godt ikke bare at kassere krukkerne. Tak for fine videoer. Mvh Karin.

[@deMibPottery]

Der er altid risiko at glasurerne ikke kan sammen ved reglasering, men det er altid værd at prøve. Jeg har ikke selv gjort det på emner med transparant glasur da jeg sjældent bruger det

[@drjones2419]

Tip for potters living in Spain:- Sodium silicate cannot be bought in an ironmongers in Spain. You need to get it from a builders´merchant as it is primarily used as a sealant for concrete and cement.

[@deMibPottery]

Good tip :-)

[@user-hz5fy4wk5u]

Hello! I have a problem with Terra sigillata. After firing, it fells off in some places. What could I have done wrong? Thank you!!!

[@deMibPottery]

Could be too thick, applied to thick or fired to low

[@marie-chantalrobert6631]

Bonjour je voudrais savoir ces de engobe que vous passez sur les pots ? C'est super ce que vous faites

[@deMibPottery]

Sorry, I do not understand French :-) So, as far as Google translate you ask about engrobes. I do not use that on these pots. I use Terra Sigillata :-)

[@johannaschneider9029]

Can you please share a link to buy the gloves?

[@deMibPottery]

I live in Denmark so probably not so usefull for you but any cheap polyester gloves will do :-)

[@rdwhitehead]

Hi Mikkel, after firing do you polish your pots with wax to regain the shine? I usually use a non-toxic type of wax made from bee's wax, but I was wondering if there are alternatives that have less of an effect on the colour of the terra sigillata. I'm looking for a white shiny finish but when I add the wax after firing the whiteness disappears almost and the colour of the base shows through. Any help would be much appreciated. Thank you for the extremely helpful video.

[@deMibPottery]

Thanks :-) Yes, I most often seal and polish my pots - either with a special sealant from Rakuvaria in Holland, an acrylic spray or a wax called Mink Oil. They give different kind of shine and protection.

[@rdwhitehead]

@@deMibPottery Thank you Mikkel. I will give Mink Oil a go!

[@denniswood231]

I have a question, could a person just sieve the clay at 80 mesh instead if mixing and settling and siphoning and end up with a fine enough product?

[@deMibPottery]

No, that would not work :-)

[@rdwhitehead]

Hi again Mikkel, I'm afraid I have one more question for you! I had a really good result following your recipe. One thing I've noticed though is that after I've 'decanted' the terra sigillata, if I let it stand for a long time, for example a week, I still find that the heavier particles settle into a layer of sludge. Is this normal? Or does that mean I'm letting some of the heavier particles in when I siphon the middle layer? Thank you once again.

[@maisoft4044]

I measured the SG and got it at 1.3 and for a different clay 1.4. Is it still good to use. I will experiment with it and share results.

[@deMibPottery]

Sounds good

[@maisoft4044]

​@@deMibPottery My results were great. Thanks for the videos.

[@georgeh8754]

The gloves are a great idea, but I didn't get what kind of gloves they were. What are the gloves you used in this? thanks

[@deMibPottery]

Thanks. It is just cheap polyester gloves. They work really well :-)

[@georgeh8754]

@@deMibPottery Thank you. Are these gloves found at a hardware store?

[@deMibPottery]

Maybe but I just got some cheap ones from H&M

[@georgeh8754]

@@deMibPottery ok perfect now I understand. thank you

[@wewenang5167]

YES YOU CAN PUT FOOD AND COOK WITH LOW FIRED POT ESPECIALLY WITH TERRA SIGILLATA!

[@deMibPottery]

Yes, however keep in mind that in many countries lower fired pottery is not approved for food. But if using a food safe sealant - such as Liquid Quartz, that is approved in some countries, it may pass :-)

[@ombrettalomanto8331]

Hi. How much sodium silicate? Please

[@deMibPottery]

I just add about a teaspoon full. You can also follow this - a bit newer recipe, that I mostly use now: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hl6qlYuKgZajntk

[@user-ly1nm4th3e]

The inside of the pieces are bare clay?

[@deMibPottery]

For pitfire I use no glaze at all

[@user-ly1nm4th3e]

Thanks for replying. I was wondering if they could be clear glazed after the pit fire and refired in an electric kiln, or does the colour burn out? I really enjoy your videos, i learn a lot so thank you for sharing your knowledge

[@joyceradesca408]

Hello, I am from South America Can understand a little Could you please autoorrized the subtitules ? I learn a lot with yours videos Thanks so much Sorry my poor lenguaje

[@deMibPottery]

Thanks :-) CC is enabled on all my videos but for some unknown reason KZbin do not always include it :-)

[@ombrettalomanto8331]

I m deft, there are not subtitle available, there is not a list on the description. That s very bad.

[@deMibPottery]

I do not know whu KZbin some timesdo not show subtitles. It is beyond my control. The recipe is visual in the video

[@ombrettalomanto8331]

there is not a list or a recipe. Or a measure. But never mind.

[@deMibPottery]

There is indeed - at 5:53: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r3ukY3mAe6einq8

[@luanlopeslopes5484]

Por favor coloque legenda, seu conteúdo e ótimo, mas não entendo inglês

[@deMibPottery]

Most of my videos get automatic subtitles by KZbin. If avalable you can activate it on the CC button

[@ewiley2351]

No closed captions

[@deMibPottery]

Its turned on. Some times KZbin bust dont show it. I cant change that

[@lesliereed1033]

Those tiny particles are so fine that your lungs cannot remove/clear them. They stay in there and over time cause problems.

[@deMibPottery]

Yes, in the powdered form - not in the final TS :-)