Saggar Firing Pottery

The first time a saw some pots that had been saggar fired I fell in love. The patterns and colors remind me of the cosmos. So, I learned the saggar firing technique in my propane-fuelled raku kiln. The saggars that I make are simple aluminum foil saggars with a mixture of chemicals and organic material.

[@stickermigtigger]

If you put the flow control valve at the tank instead of at the kiln you can stand up and several feet away from the kiln to make adjustments. :-) I adjust mine from a lawn chair with a good cup of coffee. Also means I don’t have to wear a respiratory very much if at all.

[@ThePotteryWheel]

Brilliant idea :)

[@about2mount]

I certainly hope you both have a pressure regulator between you're hose & burner and the propane, butane or LP-Gas tank. It is extremely dangerous to not have a pressure regulator. Why? If the tank runs out of gas the fire can back-feed itself from the burner through the hose and explode the near empty tank when a vacuum is reached from temperature change.

[@stickermigtigger]

@@about2mount If I didn’t have one I probably wouldn’t have known to suggest to her that she move the one she HAS installed to the tank end.

[@philphilphil]

These are some of the most beautiful pots I have seen! Thank you for the thorough tutorial 🙏🏻

[@AlpacaRenee]

Just beautiful!!! Thank you for sharing your process.

[@katiakatiakat]

Thank you for the video! There seems to be endless opportunities for creative fun with pottery!

[@shawnhollahan590]

Such wonderful art. I love your posts.

[@drjones2419]

Thank you so much for this very comprehensive and informative video; and it is so professionally presented too. I intend to try this technique very soon.

[@georgheidfogel9005]

Stunning pieces and great instructions

[@dvolkmann6036]

These are amazing! Love it!

[@lindadance8846]

Thank you for sharing ,makes me want to do raku again ,beautiful colours

[@treilly261]

Good Morning! I have learned so much from you! I can’t thank you enough for sharing your techniques, which are Awesome 🌝 A labor of love .

[@ThePotteryWheel]

Hi Terry, I'm so glad you've found it useful :)

[@kjirstenboucher9682]

I love this so much! Now I want to try it.

[@camiloramirezphoto]

Beautiful. Great video , Thanks for explain the process. I'm just starting to build my raku kiln. Thanks

[@traceyhilder6640]

Never seen or heard of it before but really good teacher and beautiful work

[@mohammedegyptian2527]

nice work as usual , bravo Lesley

[@annagray6491]

Such stunning work! I aspire to get to this level! Only been making ceramics for a year so have a lot to learn still!

[@martinoisa]

Magnifique!! Merci pour ce précieux partage 🤩😍

[@MrFavoritetools]

Gracias por compartir el proceso! Muy didáctico e ilustrativo.

[@jellyboy123]

i love your kiln

[@134402ha]

Thank you for your nice explanation.  🙏

[@claudettedelphis6476]

Beautiful 🦋 Thank you for sharing with us 🦄 Lovely to be with you 👘 You are an inspiration 🧚‍♀️🙏😉💐

[@C-M-E]

I very much appreciate you sharing your techniques and the effects possible with them, and as much as I dislike when others go full safety nanny, there's a few bits to point out that will keep you and others safe when doing these things. The least scary part: ceramic fiber blankets are made with a high degree of silica which will absolutely go airborne under duress of elevated temperatures. While I applaud your use of the respirator and goggles, unsealed kaolin is still "dangerous" even as it sits with normal exposure in handling and firing; the more you're exposed, the greater the chances accumulate of developing silicosis (basically a build-up of silica bits on and in your lungs). Sealing kaolin fiber with sodium silicate liquid is a very cost effective and safe method to keep it locked in place. You can make it if you like, buy the powder and mix it yourself (with ppe equipment, naturally) or purchase pre-mixed solution, but I normally go with the powder and add water for convenience. Now with the relatively small amounts involved with your pottery, chances are relatively small you'll have a problem, but I'm very timid when iron and aluminum particles come into intimate contact in any substantial quantity. I've dealt with powders of both and done purposefully, so if gases given off during combustion or elevated temperatures of firing are possible, that you might have to read up on. Point of the matter: aluminum and iron _powders_ react rather excitedly (read thermal violence) when exposed to high heat in the form of thermite, a chemical reaction that burns at temperatures upwards of 3300*C/6000*F and is for all intents and purposes, impossible to extinguish with consumer-level equipment. When done purposefully, it's often used to weld railway rails together and takes a significant amount to heat to initiate, but once it touches off, you stand back and let it go while whatever around it goes up in a shower of sparks and copious smoke. I'm not saying stop everything you're doing that involve the two materials. As said, in the amounts you're dealing with there's a relatively slim chance you'll encounter problems, but it is something to consider for the one time the unexpected happens and your kiln turns into an unquenchable volcano.

[@michaelhyland7166]

Try opening the burner port all the way and using the knob on the propane cylinder to adjust gas flow. On my setup I’m able to make smaller adjustments to flow without having to get close to the kiln

[@johnbouwens2024]

Love it... Awesome

[@loekheeres9363]

Great video! Thanks from a hobbypotter

[@dairlock]

Thank you

[@gojec29]

A really really nice VDO about this technique, very well explained.Thank a lot for ... Sorry for my bad English but it isn't my mother langage, I am from Belgium...

[@bluetickbeagles116]

Accidental ASMR. ❤❤

[@pascalgallet5931]

Dear Lady, it 's very beautiful.

[@user-rw2hj3bt7y]

Thank you!

[@Chartreuse_Moose]

Wow! Thank you so much for sharing this coveted process. Question for ya, it sounds like you are firing at approximately Cone 015. Do you know how higher firing temperatures affect the Saggar process? I fell in love with Cone 10 firing at Uni but that's like double the heat of what you're working on here. Seriously cool beans. Have an amazing day!

[@jonathanporterfield4470]

Great video, very nicely done. Could you share a little more about how long you take to get to the target temperature and any temperature steps and hold times that you use?

[@ThePotteryWheel]

Hi Jonathan, thanks for your comment. I put a bit more info about temperatures and schedules in this article which you may find helpful...thepotterywheel.com/saggar-firing/

[@janepirico6580]

Pouvez vous m’écrire le nom des matériaux que vous utilisez. Je ne comprends pas beaucoup l’anglais et je ne trouve pas une traduction . Par contre vos explications sont très claires . Merci

[@cristinacelador303]

Hermoso!Podrías decirme que esmalte usaste?Gracias.

[@about2mount]

Nice work and beautiful pottery. Here are some tips. Try decorating some using Liquid Salts and Acidic's such as Iodine, Asian Soy Sauce, Raw Lemon or Lime Juice, Sea Water and or Ash & Water mixed with Purple Dye or any colored dye or mixed dyes for that matter.

[@The123jonas456]

Very beautiful! I need to try it out - i have a question though, will the pots be food safe?

[@skegbyguy]

Thanks for a great video. Have you tried lacquer/varnish rather than wax? I've started using a spray lacquer, you can use matt, satin or glossy. This way the pot is better protected and easier for your customers to care for the pot.

[@ThePotteryWheel]

thanks for the suggestion. I have used lacquer but I like the look of wax better. But you're right, it's easier to care for with a spray

[@givemethegun44]

The wax you use at the end is a skin irritant - does this mean that when the pots are polished it's still an issue to hold them? Thanks for this amazing process video, btw!

[@Naniluce]

Thank you so much for sharing all your knowledge! What is the liquid you put on the pot, the yellow one? I'm French talking...

[@jimmyy5609]

Hi there it's beautiful what are you doing.a wealth of colors that mix together. I wonder what a hen with chicks would look like? thanks for your video and very nice day

[@lucasfragomeni]

Hi. Beautiful! Congrats! I have a doubt... Is the terra sigilatta essencial to the process? I have a lot that far already been "biscuited", but it's porous. Will this effect work on it's surface? Thanks again for sharing.

[@ThePotteryWheel]

Hi Lucas, you don't have to use terra sig, I don't always use it. But it does give it a smoother finish, and it polishes up nicely. But no, you don't have to use it. Good luck. Let me know how it goes :)

[@lilianedanino98]

please can you tell me wich kind of colors you used

[@JonBrowning760]

what size propane tank do you need?

[@jeanisara9285]

❤️❤️❤️

[@darlink57]

Beautiful! Once you use a kiln for Sagar, can it be used again for regular Raku?

[@ThePotteryWheel]

Yes, absolutely

[@tristanhulbert]

What type of clay can you use for saggar? Thank you for the video.

[@ThePotteryWheel]

Hi Tristan - it's Scarva Extra Smooth E-S10 stoneware - hope that helps.

[@Cryptocaryon]

Nice! Does the pot need to be bisque fired before the saggar?

[@ThePotteryWheel]

thanks, yes, it needs to be bisque fired before

[@akelamosalinas1600]

Hi, can you tell me what kind of wax do you use for polishing the pie es after burning them? Please

[@ThePotteryWheel]

I'm using something called Briwax

[@mabob6212]

great vid, so clear/complete. can u put water in these pots?

[@ThePotteryWheel]

no, they are low fire pots and not water tight. Because they have been bisqued, they are ceramic, but the finish is not water tight like a pottery glaze.

[@talykaarass2764]

👏👏👏👏👏

[@jessegolden802]

Can you list the 'graduals' you shook onto the pots? I saw sugar. What else?

[@ThePotteryWheel]

Hi, all the details are in this guide thepotterywheel.com/saggar-firing/

[@13saien]

Bonjour c'est magnifique je voulais savoir si vous pouvez vous en servir comme pot de fleurs et mettre de l'eau dedans une fois fini

[@jennyanthony2884]

👍❤

[@lukellen]

Did you slip glaze before you bisque fired?

[@mikebrittain6917]

Hi great video can I ask what clay body you use thanks

[@ThePotteryWheel]

I use Scarva earthstone extra smooth :)

[@excelcoloursfritsltd.5814]

Can u tell me what chemical is using by brush

[@lilianedanino98]

c est quoi saggar, pouvez vous me dire quels produits vous utilisez,

[@janepirico6580]

Pouvez vous me préciser le nom des produits que mettez sur vos pots .merci

[@annewalker3344]

What kind of clay did you use? And was the Bisque fire to cone 015?

[@ThePotteryWheel]

Hi Anne, I use scarva earthstone extra smooth ES10 and bisque fire to cone 06

[@thomasthomas4886]

Thank you vert much for this great video. Could you please list the ingrédients you use as I Couldn’t understand as my english is bad. Many Thanks in advance. All the best. Ludovic

[@ThePotteryWheel]

Hello, you should find all the ingredients you’re looking for in this article here thepotterywheel.com/saggar-firing/ Hope that helps, Lesley

[@simonphoenix3789]

how did the foil not melt? Aluminum melts at under 700 C doesn't it?

[@ThePotteryWheel]

Hi Simon. The aluminum gets very thin, papery and brittle and it just falls away from the pots. I'm not sure what temperature it would become molten, but the kiln is hot enough so that it becomes very thin and fragile.

[@claudiadchiappino]

Hello! I am amazed at your video. I love doing raku but I was unaware of this technique. I don't know what terrecigolata is, some kind of wax? I couldn't find it on Google, haha. Is there a formula to do it? Thank you so much!!!!

[@giorgiocamagni2606]

The right name is TERRA SIGILLATA

[@sallycampbell7709]

She also mentioned she has a link in the description on how to make it

[@svet.ceramics]

Miracle-Gro isn’t pure copper sulphate. I’m just checking if this is correct? Miracle-Gro contains urea, urea phosphate, potassium chloride, boric acid, ammonium phosphate, manganese EDTA and iron EDTA. Is this what we use?

[@ThePotteryWheel]

yes, miracle gro is fine to use

[@chewincovers7265]

Hi! Do you have an online shop?

[@willemh3319]

90°C means kichen oven

[@daliahegazy6578]

What are the materials you used , please?

[@ThePotteryWheel]

Hi there I wrote an article which lists all the materials that I used, here is a link to the article, hope that helps thepotterywheel.com/saggar-firing/

[@anabaez9385]

Good day! I love your content, very precise in the processes and materials, thank you for giving us your knowledge. Could you tell me how I find in the miracle glow industry? What's his name? Well, thank you! Beautiful work ❣️🇦🇷

[@ThePotteryWheel]

I don't know what country you are in, but here is there main website miraclegro.com/en-us/home

[@laurauribe3762]

Hermoso!!! Could you please tell me what’s the name of the first chemical you used please?

[@ThePotteryWheel]

If you mean the liquid, it's ferric chloride

[@mattwilliams3504]

Is your burner a weed burner?

[@ThePotteryWheel]

yes, just a weed burner

[@mariocovarrubias9955]

Hermoso trabajo, lo tienen en español ???????? me dará

[@ThePotteryWheel]

Gracias, quieres decir, ¿vendo en España? O te refieres a que el video esta en español?

[@mariocovarrubias9955]

@@ThePotteryWheel si lo tienes en español???????

[@mariocovarrubias9955]

@@ThePotteryWheel cuanto cuesta el curso?????

[@ThePotteryWheel]

@@mariocovarrubias9955 No doy un curso. Pero puede consultar mi artículo que le dará más detalles sobre los pasos que tomo thepotterywheel.com/saggar-firing/ Espero que eso ayude

[@mariocovarrubias9955]

@@ThePotteryWheel muchas gracias por tu atención un fuerte abrazo 🤗🤗🤗🤗así lo haré

[@user-gi7hx6dj2g]

E' possibile avere la traduzione in italiano di questi video?

[@ThePotteryWheel]

Ciao, mi dispiace, non parlo italiano. Sto usando Google Translate per scrivere questo! Mi piacerebbe fare qualche video in altre lingue e spero di farlo in futuro. Grazie per avermi ricordato.

[@maryampaluch5273]

why this video have not English subtitle

[@ThePotteryWheel]

Hi Maryam, if you click the button on the bottom of the video that says CC (for closed caption) you get subtitles as well as the audio.

[@sjp8969]

On the topic of turning off the burner, you should always kill the flame at the furthermost point from the source, reason is what we learned in school, is that when the escape velocity of gas is greater then the velocity of combustion, we have a safe environment where most likely nothing wrong can happen. BUT as you turn the wheel to shut down the flame from the bottle itself and NOT at the nozzle, there you have a recipe for disaster, there is still gas inside the tube from the bottle to the nozzle, the escape velocity of gas can now be lower then the velocity of combustion and you can have a little poof in the tube, now if you are at the end of life of bottle there might be lower pressure inside the bottle itself, and the whole thing can explode in your face. ALWAYS TURN OFF THE GAS FROM THE NOZZLE NO MATTER WHAT !! The pressure inside the hose is a layer of safety :)

[@ThePotteryWheel]

Thanks, that's helpful

[@ludouglas1]

your videos are excellent and my students are learning a lot from them. but what is a sargar? everyone everywhere calls it Sag - ger as in rhyming with bag. Terra sigilatta has a soft G, not a hard g. it's not a country thing with pronunciation because everywhere calls it terra sij (more like a J sound for it)

[@ThePotteryWheel]

Hi Linda, I'm glad your students are finding the videos helpful. I think my pronunciation must be a country thing. It's just how we pronounce it around here! It's not just me, honest!

[@stickyfox]

I thought it might have been pronounced that way, as "sigillata" means "bearing sigils" or decorated with designs. But I couldn't find a pronunciation guide. :D