Electric Saggar Reduction

I made a couple of saggars for testing reduction in my electric kiln. I sprayed Malcolm Davis Shino with Redart on the outside, Coleman Tea Dust liner. (Note to self - the shino had been sitting around for a couple months)

The saggars are cylinders about 8"x8". Inside each saggars, I put about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of wood chips, three charcoal briquettes, and a pot which was raised about 5/8" from the floor of the saggar on a clay "cookie" and triangle stilts. I put a layer of SuperWool 607 HT on top of the saggar (to plug any gaps) and covered that with a kiln shelf.

These got serious reduction. The Coleman Tea Dust is basically black inside except where the pyroxene crystals formed. The other side of the pot on the right is pretty much completely black. I'll definitely try with less combustible material next time. I also need to mix up enough Shino so I can dip the pots.

One other note. The fiber blanket stuck to the top of the saggar so it was ruined. The fiber costs $1.67 per square foot if you get it from eBay so it's not a ridiculous expense, but I'll probably try a strip around the top of the saggar next time to limit the amount of waste.


Before firing...

Clay is Laguna Half and Half