The technique of salt glazing was discovered sometime in the 14th century in Germany. The process was originally used with low-fire ceramics, but quickly became a favorite technique with stoneware. Western Europeans used the salt glaze process in salt kilns quite extensively during the 16th and 17th centuries.

Americans have produced salt ware since early 1700s in Pennsylvania, Virginia and American Stoneware became the predominant American houseware during the 19th century. Today, North and South Carolina are well known for continuing salt fire production.

Salt firing is one ceramic process that was created outside of Japan and carried to their culture in the early 1900s. This method is one that is continuing to be used for experimentation and creativity in the field of ceramics and pottery. Modern potters and ceramists continue to explore many of the old techniques. One should keep in mind that this method is hard on contemporary electric kilns in that the fumes are corrosive and destructive to the kiln interiors. Most craftsmen opt to use gas kilns, specialty or home made kilns when using various salt methods.

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The Raku technique has its origins dating back to the 1500’s in Japan. Historians feel it was probably developed by Koreans under Japanese rule but the circumstances remain a mystery. Raku is a firing process that has been primarily associated with pottery, but in the last couple decades, ceramists have increasingly explored and experimented with the technique with positive results. So positive in fact, that it has recently become very popular with those artists involved with cast-ceramics. The exciting thing about Raku is that no two pieces turn out exactly alike.

The primary difference with Raku and other (glazed) finishing techniques, is the firing process. Normally ceramics and pottery ware are loaded into a cold kiln and the temperature is raised slowly until it reaches a set maturity level usually controlled with pyrometric cones, or electronic controllers. This process can take anywhere from 8-24 hours to complete the heating and cooling cycle. The Raku technique requires the item be either pre-heated and then loaded in a hot kiln; or loaded into a cold kiln with a fast heating process. The ware is ‘finished’ when it is removed from the kiln after reaching temperature in as short a period as 15-25 minutes. Sometimes, some effects can take considerably longer, but most normally it is a fast firing process.
Temperatures are not controlled by cones but rather by the ‘experienced eye’. Raku firing is always done on pre-fired ware, or bisque – NEVER on greenware.

When the glaze is ready, it is in a molten condition. The items are then removed with the use of long tongs and gloves and then they are plunged into some form of combustible material such as dried grasses, leaves, shredded paper, straw, etc. Each type of material creates different effects on the finished piece.

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Horse Hair Pottery

Horse Hair Pottery dates back many years and is credited to the Navajo. Some believe its origin was an accident when an Indian’s hair had been blown by the wind and attached itself to an item that had just come out of the firing pit. The Indian then, liking the effect, began applying hairs from their horse to their pieces.

This technique is very popular in Southwestern cultures and decor. Quite a few people have enshrined their favorite horses by having pottery made using their animal’s hair.

Basically, the process involves removing bisque from the firing while still hot (about 1300 degrees Fahrenheit) and carefully draping single strands of hair over and around the item. The horse hair will burn and shrivel up and will leave permanent imprints of its presence on the item.

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(Pyrometric) cones have been used for around a hundred years as a way to control and monitor the firing of ceramic and pottery pieces. Pyrometric cones are used to measure heatwork during the firing process. They help determine if ware has reached maturity, if the kiln is operating properly, and if problems occur in a kiln during the firing process.

A cone is a slender pyramid or more recently bar of carefully controlled clay compositions that are developed to react repeatedly and consistently to varying degrees of heat. Their consistency has a range of about 50 degrees from one use to another. Cones are numbered so as to show how much heat they absorb before bending or ‘melting’. They bend when they begin to form glass from their composition melting. Cones can only be used once.

When originally developed by Orton, cones were numbered 1 through 20 with 20 being the hottest. When they developed cooler cones, they reversed the numbering by adding a zero in front of the number 01, 02, 03 etc. with cone 022 being the coolest. Cones currently range from coolest 022 to hottest 42. It is critical that when firing a kiln you be sure to check that instructions say cone 05 rather than 5, for example, in order to achieve success with the firing of your item. Firing an item at cone 5 that is supposed to be fired at cone 05 can only result in disaster.

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