Share
This Site
With a Friend

Custom Search Our Homemade Pottery

Submit Your
Pottery Comments
Here

Pottery Magic Home

Weekly Letter
Mail List

Pottery Videos


Tools for Pottery


Tips & Techniques for Pottery and Ceramics


Clay Pottery Craft Projects


Clay Pottery Articles of Interest


Old Time Pottery History


Pottery and Ceramics
Featured Potters Gallery



Pottery and Ceramics Definitions


All About The Clay



All About Pottery Glazes

Horsehair ceramic is made from a white stoneware clay that has been bisque fired to a lower than usual temperature.
This leaves the fired clay body quite porous, so that it can absorb the carbon from burning hair.
Later, the bisque is warmed up in the kiln to about 1300° F.
When it is removed, individual strands of horsehair, preferably from the tail, are laid against the hot surface.
If the temperature on the surface of the piece is just right, the hair will attach to the pot, shrivel up, and begin to burn.
If it is too hot, it will almost look like it pushes the hair away.
As the ash forms, a small deposit of carbon and smoke is absorbed into the clay surface, leaving a permanent trace of the horsehair.
After the temperature falls below 900° F, the pot will no longer accept the hair.
The artist will usually etch a design onto the surface of the pieces after the horsehair is applied.
When the ashes are washed away and the piece is completely dry, a paste wax or an aerosol furniture polish is applied and rubbed in to give it a soft satin finish and lasting luster.

Ceramic piece available at www.koolsnativearts.com

The important thing for a well informed ceramic lover to remember is that horsehair ceramic is not a form of raku ceramic.
The raku has a tradition which grew out of 16th century Japan and it is produced there today following the traditional ways.
Horsehair ceramic is a 20th century Native American tradition which, because of its simple beauty, has been adopted by other ceramicist who also do contemporary American raku.

Want To Try It?
Follow Me!

Tips - Definitions - Clay Projects - Pottery Gallery - Pottery Tools - Glazes - All About Clay

Have you ever come up with a good idea while working with your handmade pottery or ceramics and thought that you would like to share it with others? You have? Well, why not send it to us and we will add it to the tips page for all to see.

Handmade pottery can be a very gratifying hobby that produces fun and satisfying results. For many people it's an enjoyable release that is created by working an inanimate mound of clay into a beautiful work of art that you made through your artistic abilities.

The best way of starting out is to take a few lessons. You will probably waste quite a bit in materials when you first get started. Figuring out how to truly make handmade pottery correctly and shape into what you want it to be can be quite an ordeal. The different tools that a normal shop will have can be fun to try. You will soon see which ones you like to use the most and then when you are ready you will know which ones to buy.

With the help of the internet, you can now purchase most if not all of your ceramic and pottery tools and supplies online. We are located far from any well supplied dealers and yet working with reliable ceramic and pottery suppliers online has allowed us to recieve most of our orders within a timely manner.

When you get all set up, just enjoy the hobby and have fun at it. Some people get pretty serious and start selling their creations at craft fairs and small stores, but others just like to create items for themselves, relatives, and friends. Whichever kind of handmade pottery you desire to endeavor, enjoy the hobby and have fun doing it.