How to sculpt a mug out of clay. Why plaster molds? DIY clay toys

Experienced potters create such beauty in just ten minutes that you are amazed. But is it possible to make beautiful ceramics yourself?

What kind of clay is needed

To make ceramics, you need natural clay - this is the main ingredient. Glazes, varnishes, pigments and enamels will be required to cover the finished pottery and color it in the desired color.

Natural clay is:

White - after firing, the product acquires the color of ivory, in the initial state of the clay it has a grayish tint;
Red - the color is due to iron oxide. Clay is well molded, it is convenient and easy to work with, after firing it becomes red.
Blue - used in medicine and cosmetology.

There are also porcelain and dark brown clay, but we will focus on the first two types.

Basic methods for making ceramics

There are different technologies for making clay products:

Clay crafting

The section will be of interest to parents who want to engage their children in a useful and developing activity. And clay modeling develops motor skills, imagination, and will be able to occupy the most restless child.

For adults, clay modeling will be an interesting and refreshing hobby.

Helpful Hints:

cover workplace polyethylene film.
Nearby should be a container of water, a dry towel and a wet sponge.
Main condition successful work- plastic clay. If you see that cracks have appeared on your product, cover them with liquid clay. If the clay crumbles, smear it with a wet brush until the material becomes plastic.

Polymer clay is popular - it consists of PVC and plasticizers.

There are two types of polymer molding material:
the first requires firing at a temperature of 110C;
the second is self-hardening, products do not need heat treatment.

Pottery all the way

To make round pottery, you need a potter's wheel. There are circles with foot and electric control. Various modifications are manifested in the dimensions of the faceplate, rotation speed, power and type of engine.

Working on the potter's wheel requires basic skills and dexterity. For beginner potters, sculpting and pouring the slip mass is suitable. What we will talk about next.

slip casting

Clay of a liquid consistency is used, it is poured into plaster molds. In words, everything is simple, but in practice, ceramic products crack, resulting in uneven thickness. Let's consider the technological process in more detail using the example of pouring a simple mug.

Why plaster molds?

Gypsum absorbs moisture, it will draw excess moisture from the clay slurry. It is convenient to work with plaster, you can make a home-made form, giving it the necessary pattern and size.

Whole or collapsible forms?

The configuration and type of mold does not affect the quality of ceramics, only the ease and convenience of removing the product from the mold. It is easier to remove the finished product from the collapsible form.

Requirements for clay slip:

A liquid solution without impurities, large particles and debris is used. Before cooking, sift dry clay, remove debris, etc.
Strain the finished slip through an old nylon stocking.
The thicker the solution, the thicker the walls of the mug will turn out.

Pour the solution into the mold

Attention! Problem! Air bubbles in the clay solution affect the strength of the product. You need to pour the slip along the wall of the mold, like beer.

Now we are waiting. You will see how the walls of the future mug appear along the contour of the plaster mold. The optimal wall thickness is 5-6 mm. If you see that the slip has become less, add more. When the walls are of the required thickness, you need to drain the remaining solution.

How to do it right?

Carefully pour the remaining slip from the mold. Cut the sides of the mug flush with the mold with a knife. You can’t just turn the mold over and put it upside down: a drop forms at the bottom. You need to leave the mug at an angle.

When the clay has set and become hard, remove the product from the mold. The fact that the mug is ready is evidenced by the fact that it began to peel off from the plaster mold. If this is a collapsible form, then remove the bottom and separate the parts of the form.

Not only mugs and cups are made by the shlinker casting method, but also souvenirs, gift ceramics.

In hardware stores or on the Internet, you can buy ready-made molds for pouring.

Ceramic tableware

There are good reasons to do your own pottery making:

Uniqueness - original dishes that you would like and suit you in all respects can be bought to order or made by yourself. Here are just homemade options will be many times cheaper.
Quality and environmental friendliness. Not all purchased ceramics please with quality and durability: cracks, chips appear, and the pattern becomes not so bright and clear after a month. Some manufacturers use harmful substances such as lead and cadmium. Lead glaze looks beautiful, but you can’t call it environmentally friendly.
Savings and even the possibility of additional earnings. A beautiful service costs money, but you can do it yourself.

There are different technologies, a simple way is to mold plates or bowls with bundles. As shown in the photo below, a lot of interesting things can be fashioned with bundles.

The main thing is that the clay must be plastic, any cracks are smeared with slip. Securely glue the fragments of the future plate to each other.

After that, remove the excess with your fingers or a stack, give the bowl the desired geometry.
All cracks and irregularities are smeared with slip.

Finishing decoration

Decoration is done according to your imagination. The pattern can be cut with a toothpick or a needle. With the help of improvised means, you can make an interesting print on clay that has not yet set.

Basic requirements for such modeling

The bottom should not be too thick, otherwise it will crack during firing. The edges of the bowl should not be thin: chips and damage are inevitable.
All cracks and crevices are covered with a liquid solution.

Jewelry ceramics

Have you heard of ceramic jewelry? Can you make them yourself? Jewelry ceramics is a material consisting of crushed and compacted particles of non-metallic materials from inorganic chemistry.

In furnaces, the material is fired at a temperature of 1600 degrees, after which the material becomes durable, resistant to scratches and mechanical damage. Light weight and strength are the advantages of jewelry ceramics.

No matter how much you want to make a durable ceramic jewelry using technology, it will not work.

Outcome
Making ceramics with your own hands at home is a feasible task. The main thing is desire and a little patience.

How to make pottery from ceramics with your own hands, watch the video lesson - courses on ceramics

11194 0

There was a period in the history of our country when the harsh reality forced us to do something with our own hands, namely the lack of the necessary product in the distribution network, and the only way to become the owner of this or that item was to make it from something at home.

The main ingredient for ceramic tiles is clay.

Now, modern industry and trade provides consumers with any range of goods, including satisfying the needs of buyers in the market of finishing materials. Ceramic tiles are presented in all conceivable and unimaginable types, sizes and colors.

It would seem that it’s easier: come, choose, buy, install, but this option does not suit everyone, in our rapid age of standardization and standard solutions, I want to highlight my individuality at least in the decoration of a particular room. And this raises the question, is it possible to make ceramic tiles at home with your own hands, realizing your own ideas, designing the interior space of a bathroom or kitchen. We will not languish. We answer. Yes, you can, but subject to certain simple conditions, which are described below.

What is needed to organize the production of ceramics

First of all, it is necessary to have a great desire, patience and confidence in a positive result, as well as to have the necessary materials, tools, fixtures and equipment available. Perhaps not everything will work out right away, but the efforts spent will eventually make it possible to be proud of yourself, demonstrating to friends and acquaintances such a rather technological product as ceramic tiles made of clay with your own hands.

Handmade Clay Ceramic Tiles

Raw material selection

Everyone probably knows what any ceramics is made of, the main component is clay. But about what types of clay exist, their properties and the possibility of using it for making ceramic tiles with your own hands. According to the composition, properties and applications, clays are divided into four groups:

Coarse ceramic. They contain a large amount of impurities in the form of pebbles and sand, as well as gypsum and lime inclusions. It is used for the manufacture of bricks, tiles, dishes and expanded clay.
Refractory and refractory. They have a high alumina content, good ductility and a high degree of refractoriness. They are used in the manufacture of refractory bricks and various ceramics.
Kaolin. Low-plasticity clays are used in paper and rubber production and as an additive for the manufacture of faience products.
Montmorillonite. Their main feature is their high ductility, they are used as drilling mud, in metallurgy and food industry.

Plasticity is the ability of clay to take any shape and retain it as it dries.

Clays are also divided into "fat" and "skinny". The former are plastic and products from them can be given any shape, but in order to make ceramics with your own hands at home, it is necessary to prepare the clay, for which the source material is diluted to the required composition with sand, fireclay or ground pumice.

You should not take too “fat” clay, medium-plastic is better

Choice of tools and materials

Having decided to make a tile, or ordinary ceramic tile with your own hands, you will need:

raw materials: clay, filler for dilution, in case the clay is greasy, water;
form for the production of future tiles;
a cliche for the formation of an imprint of a drawing or a bas-relief on the front side of the product;
spatula, scoop, trowel;
mesh for reinforcing the product.

Stages of making ceramics

Do-it-yourself technology for the production of ceramic tiles consists of the following steps:

Clay of medium plasticity is taken, poured into a container and filled with water. After several days of soaking, the clay is stirred and kneaded. Then, through a fine sieve, the material is ground into another container and then the mass is distributed on old newspapers or a rag with a layer of 10-15 mm. When the clay reaches the desired density, it is mixed and put into a plastic bag.
The material prepared in this way is placed in the molds and compacted; this must be done so that the level of the molding mass coincides with the edges of the mold, for which the excess material is cut off with a knife or cutter.

The most high-quality forms are made of polyurethane, the products are quite even with the same parameters.

Further, the technology for making ceramic tiles with their own hands goes into the pre-drying stage. It lasts until the mass acquires a lighter shade and this period depends on the ambient temperature and humidity. The result is a raw tile. If something went wrong with you, then at this stage you can still correct the situation, for which the spoiled semi-finished product is soaked with water, and the molding procedure starts over.
The process of burning raw tiles is the most technologically advanced stage, because the semi-finished product must be exposed to a high temperature of about 1000-1200 degrees, which will require special equipment. To make ceramic tiles with your own hands, you can limit yourself to a temperature of 850-900 degrees, which is achieved in an electric muffle furnace. The production technology allows this, provided that the composition of the clay mass contains pumice, which is sintered at the specified temperature. Such primary firing is called biscuit for some similarity in the obtained finely porous structure of the workpiece, after evaporation of water from it. At the same time, the ceramic workpiece has already acquired the necessary hardness and strength. Such a product is called terracotta.

Stages of technology: making raw materials, firing ceramics and applying a decorative layer

If you want to make majolica with your own hands, that is, fired ceramics, glazed on the front side, or, more simply, tiles, then the production technology does not end there. It is necessary to make one more firing, but with glaze, for which a multicomponent mixture is prepared, the main components of which are glass, kaolin and tripolephosphate in powder form. All components are mixed and diluted with water. The resulting mixture, with a brush or by pouring over the workpiece, is distributed over the product, and a second firing is made.

Particular attention should be paid to the control of the process temperature, it should not be higher than the primary firing temperature. Otherwise, the glazed surface may be damaged or the terracotta blank may be sintered.

This tile manufacturing technology allows you to create unique compositions on the glossy surface of the product, for which different glaze compositions are used. In the case when firing glaze is not suitable for you for some reason, then you can make an attractive, smooth and shiny surface with your own hands by treating the workpiece with enamel or varnish.

And so, if the article has been read to the end, and the difficulties of making ceramic tiles from clay with your own hands, reflected in this manual, did not frighten you, then honor and praise be to you. After all, knowing what and how to make such a unique finishing material, the originality and individuality of the lining, as well as the delight of your friends and acquaintances, are provided to you.

Polymer clay was invented relatively recently. Masters have known about this material for no more than half a century. Today, sculpting from it is a very popular hobby for amateurs and a professional activity for experienced designers.

Buying polymer clay a couple of years ago was very problematic. Residents of various Russian cities ordered it from the capital or from other countries. Now, almost all art salons or needlework stores offer such plasticity, where it lies next to knitting yarn, paints and floss that are familiar to us. Many interesting crafts can be made from this amazing material. These are not only souvenirs, but also a huge number of other things that will decorate our lives. You can also decorate the mug with polymer clay, the master class of which is described in this article.

Principle of operation

Today, polymer clay is one of the most common materials used for needlework. Masters are attracted by its elasticity and non-toxicity. In addition, crafts obtained from such material look simply fantastic.

You decide to decorate mugs. Then you should learn how to work with this material. Half the success of your event will depend on choosing the right polymer. It should be borne in mind that ordinary self-hardening clay can be used to decorate mugs and other dishes. However, this material hardens in air after a certain time, which is not enough for beginners, in order to give the product the necessary shape.

What is the best thing to buy in order to decorate a mug with polymer clay? The material can be of any kind. The main thing is to study the instructions and learn the rules for handling it.

polymer clay brands

Today, art salons and needlework stores offer their customers many varieties of material. Which one to buy to decorate the mug with polymer clay? Consider the brands of this material in more detail:

The domestic manufacturer offers St. Petersburg plastic under the name "Tsvetik". This is the cheapest option, but working with it is somewhat difficult. Products of the brand "Tsvetik" are quite solid and easily soiled. However, a person who has patience and skill can make beautiful things out of them.
In order to decorate the mug with polymer clay, you can buy the material of the German manufacturer Cernit. For some, it may seem, on the contrary, too soft in work. However, many craftsmen are attracted by the quality and color range of this sculpture.
The Fimo brand is the most popular in our country. It is produced by the German company Eberhard Fabe. There are several varieties of this polymer. So, "Fimo Classic" is more solid. The Fimo Soft brand is soft and easy to knead. Both types of material are available in a wide range of color scheme. The manufacturer offers polymer clay with sparkles, transparent, and also luminous in ultraviolet. All these types are perfect for those who decide to decorate the mug with polymer clay.
Some craftsmen use material brought from America. This is polymer clay of two brands - "Kato" and "Scalpi". It is not offered in Russian stores, but those who were able to purchase it need to be prepared for a fairly strong smell of the material, similar to the smell of Soviet gouache. In terms of its other qualities, this polymer is similar to other brands.
The whole polymer line is offered by Poliform Products. But this material is chosen, as a rule, by sculptors.

In addition to solid, all of the above companies produce liquid plastic, which is a gel. This is a viscous transparent material that hardens after heat treatment. Decorating mugs and spoons with polymer clay can also be done using a gel, the possibilities of which are also endless.

Before you buy this amazing material, you should choose a product that will be decorated. Based on its color, you will need to decide on the tone of the plastic. Let's start with two or three. Among them should be a white bar, which can be diluted with more saturated colors.

varnish

If you are decorating a mug with polymer clay, how to make the finished item the most attractive? To do this, it should be varnished. This will give the mug a gloss and more expressiveness of the colors. In addition, varnish is necessary to enhance the strength of things. In addition, he fixes tinting paint on it.

What are plastic clay varnishes? The manufacturer offers matte, semi-gloss and glossy coating material. Such varnishes are sold in hardware stores. What can be done to make a polymer clay mug look the most attractive? Experienced craftsmen advise purchasing acrylic water-soluble varnishes with a polyurethane base. Such material is practically odorless, dries quickly and is easily washed off the brush. In a day, a mug with a polymer clay decor, covered with a similar varnish, will become resistant to mechanical damage and moisture.

Those who are engaged in such work for the first time should remember that before applying varnish, the surface should be washed with dishwashing detergent or degreased with alcohol, and the coating process itself is best done with a synthetic brush.

Working surface

How to prepare for sculpting with polymer clay? To work with this material, you need the smoothest possible surface. It can be glass or ceramic tiles, as well as a simple sheet of white paper. The main condition for such a surface is the absence of pores into which plastic can eat.

Knives

A block of polymer clay should be cut into pieces of the required size. For this, the master who decorates the mug with polymer clay (see photo below) will need knives.

They must be sharp enough. This will prevent deformation of the product during cutting. To complete the decor of the mug, a regular or blade can be used.

Rolling pins and stacks

These tools do not have to be purchased in art salons. Stacks when working with plastic can be knitting needles or toothpicks.

In order to roll out plastic, many lovers take a glass bottle. Suitable for these purposes and other material at hand, which may be, for example, a bottle of hairspray or deodorant.

Gloves

After heat treatment of polymer clay, the master's fingerprints may remain on it. In order for the product to be neat and not to spend too much time polishing it, it is necessary to wear latex gloves. You can buy them at any pharmacy. Sometimes they are not very convenient when sculpting, but they greatly increase the quality of the work done.

Gloves should be selected according to the size of the hand. After all, the denser the latex adheres to the fingers, the more convenient it is for the master to decorate the mug.

Other

What other materials will be needed to complete the planned work? In general, in order to make a thermoplastic thing, you can use:

special forms (boats), with the help of which figures are easily cut out;
a special syringe (extruder) equipped with various nozzles;
pasta machine;
texture sheets;
powders, etc.

However, all this can be bought after you understand that sculpting products from polymer clay is your calling.

What a Newbie Needs

As a rule, they decorate mugs with polymer clay of a girl. A master class on carrying out such work begins with an explanation of what beginners in this business should prepare:

the mug itself;
nail polish remover or glass cleaner;
polymer baked clay;
wooden skewer or toothpick;
clean wet cloth;
epoxy adhesive;
stationery knife;
varnish for plastic clay.

Preparatory stage

So, you have decided to decorate the mug with polymer clay. How to do this work with your own hands? To begin with, you should take some boring mug, which should become bright and original.

It should be laid on the surface in such a way that it is as convenient as possible to work. For this, for example, a baby blanket can be used.

Beginning of work

If your idea is to decorate a mug with polymer clay, how to make this work? To begin with, a piece of plastic of the desired size is cut off. Next, it should be well kneaded. Only in this case, the clay will become soft and plastic. To improve the working properties of the material, you can use a special tool. It's called a plasticizer. Experienced needlewomen are advised to purchase Moldmaker brand products. A few peas of this product are enough to soften a whole pack of clay. Vaseline or creams can serve as alternative materials. Suitable for softening and warming procedure.

It happens that clay, especially fresh clay, sticks very strongly to hands. In such cases, experienced craftsmen mix it with a harder brand or leave it on a piece of paper for several hours. However, it should be borne in mind that all the above manipulations will not help the material into which the paint has already got.

It is very important that no air bubbles remain in the clay. In the future, this will ruin your product. When heated, the air will expand, which will warp the plastic.

After that, you should take a cotton swab and, moistening it with nail polish remover or glass cleaner, wipe the surface of the mug. After that, we make an application on it.

baking

A mug with a polymer clay application should not be afraid of water, fade and lose its original appearance over time. To preserve all these qualities, the product must undergo heat treatment. What device is suitable for this? For baking polymer clay, use a gas or electric oven, as well as an electric mini-oven. Microwaves are not suitable for this purpose. The hardening process of polymer clay occurs only when exposed to high temperature. The principle of heating food in the microwave is to create waves. However, there are exceptions to the rule here as well. Some models of modern microwaves are equipped with a function that allows you to set the desired baking temperature. If there is such an opportunity, then clay can be placed in this household appliance.

What else should be considered when decorating a mug with polymer clay? MK (master class) involves accurate monitoring of the temperature indicated on the clay packaging. Exceeding it will cause the material to burn and release toxic substances. As a rule, this temperature is in the range from 110 to 130 degrees. That is why it will be very convenient for the master if the oven he uses has a built-in thermometer. Clay is baked for a short time. Duration of hardening applied to the mug application - ten minutes.

End of process

After heat treatment, the mug should be removed from the oven. From it you need to carefully separate the baked application. Next we need epoxy glue. It is made independently, adhering to all the requirements of the instructions. A thin layer of glue should be applied to the reverse side of the completed application, as well as to the mug, which we wipe again with nail polish remover or glass cleaner. After that, the appliqué is pressed tightly against the mug and subsequently adheres to it very well.

At the next stage of work, you will need a matte or glossy varnish. They cover the finished application. The varnish will protect the surface of the product from damage.

How does the application behave in operation? A cup made in this way can be safely washed. But do not put it in the dishwasher or use abrasive products on the decor.

You will need

- clay;
- Potter's wheel;
- plaster form;
- water;
- kiln for roasting;
- acrylic paints or special glaze.

Instruction

Find the right clay. It is best to buy it in a store, in which case you will be sure of success. However, if you do not have such an opportunity, just dig it up in the nearest career. Remember it in your hands, try to mold a ring, a ball - if it worked out, then the clay is of good quality.

Pour the dried clay with water, after a few hours mix until the consistency of sour cream. Strain and leave to stand. Water will remain on the surface - drain it, and knead the clay like dough. The result should be a plasticine-like material that does not stick to your hands.

If you have a potter's wheel, make dishes with it - this is the most convenient option. To make several identical objects, for example tea, you must first make a plaster mold - you will press a piece of clay into it, and after drying, carefully remove it.

Try to fashion a simple product, such as a mug. Roll into a tight, smooth ball. Press your finger inside and twist the workpiece on it, you will get a semblance of a mug. Next, work with your fingers - thin the walls, lift them higher until the product accepts desired shape. Be sure to cover all cracks and holes. If necessary, wet the product and hands with water.

When the dishes are ready, decorate them - apply patterns with scratches with a fork, stick with clay or a pen. In order to stick the elements, use clay diluted with water to the state of glue.

It is best to fire pottery in a muffle furnace, at a temperature of at least 600 ° C. If you don’t have such a stove, use an ordinary village stove or, in extreme cases, a fire. Carefully place your artwork in the place where the highest temperature is expected and start a fire.

Try to protect the cup as much as possible from possible damage by firewood or firebrands and at the same time place it in the field of view. As soon as it heats up to a bright orange color, you can stop firing.

After it has completely cooled down, remove the product and carry out a test by pouring water into it. If the water still oozes, grease the cup and smoke it over a flame, then wash it well and wipe it.

Paint the dishes with acrylic paints or special glazes. Pay attention to the instructions for the glaze - some types require additional firing.

Tiles as a type of decoration are gaining popularity again. Production artels and art workshops specializing in them are being created. Learning how to make tiles is not difficult, but to become a master of your craft, you need to try.

Instruction

Make a clay model. Place the finished model in the formwork, fill it with gypsum (10 parts of water and 7 parts of gypsum). When the plaster hardens, remove the formwork, dry the form along with the model. Then release the form from the model, rinse and dry.

Fill the mold with clay. From clay, fashion 4 rectangular bars with the same cross section. Apply notches to the back surface of the tile, attach the bars so that they form a box - a rump.

Dried tile fire in a muffle furnace for 3-4 hours at 900-950. Leave the tiles to cool slowly in the closed oven chamber after firing. If necessary, write tile in a cold way (ordinary oil paints) or engobes (clay diluted to the consistency of liquid sour cream).

Thereafter tile can be glazed. Apply the glaze to the surface by pouring or dipping. When the ceramic is dry, fire it again in the kiln.

Terminology

A tile is called a clay tile fired in a kiln, which is most often covered with glaze on the front side. Tiles are used to cover walls and stoves.

A classic tile consists of a plate, or the front side, which is covered with glaze, and a rump, which on the reverse side forms an open box with two holes in the walls. These holes serve to fix the tiles to each other with wire, for the subsequent laying of the wire into the thickness of the masonry.

This name comes from two words - the Old Slavonic “Razъ”, “rezъ” and “cut”, “cut”, “cut”, “cut”, “draw a line with something sharp”. In the old days, such tiles were made by ramming clay in special wooden boxes, which had a relief pattern on the bottom inside, similarly, gingerbread was made.

The oldest known form of cladding ceramic is the glazed nail-like tiles, their multi-coloured heads creating patterns on the surface. Often the walls were faced with glazed bricks, not only for beauty, but also to create additional strength. Often terracotta tiles were used as decor for the facades of temples. They were covered with whitewash and looked like carved white stone.

Tiling

Tiles are made by hand from clay using wooden moulds. Clay is suitable for this or marl, the tiles are first dried, and only after that they are fired at temperatures up to 1150 ° C. Tiles have a rather high cost, so they often try to make them on their own.

The laying of bricks and tiles should be carried out simultaneously; the lining of ready-made fireplaces and walls is inconvenient, although possible. To keep the tiles well, determine the level of laying the solution. The surface must be cleaned of the previous coating, you can use a metal brush for this.

After that, a recess is made in all seams by 1 cm with a chisel or chisel. If the required mortar layer is 2 cm, you can also lay on the surface without deepening the seams. And if the layer is even larger, you should attach the building mesh using nails driven into the seams. After that, the surface is primed. Tiles are customized in shape, color and size, and laying can begin from the bottom corner. The tiles are fastened together with wire, the ends of which are hidden in the seams between the bricks and fixed with mortar.

Let's start with the fact that tiles cannot be considered only a decorative finish. These products do not just decorate stoves or fireplaces. They create unique artistic image. The ornate veneer is eye-catching. Colored tiles can be viewed endlessly, every moment finding new twists in ornaments and plots.

Tiled stoves appeared in Russia as early as the 16th century, that is, in pre-Petrine times. As a result, an original style was formed, which is characterized by multi-colored painting, intricate plots and complex floral ornaments. It must be said that tiled stoves were built in royal residences, boyar houses, houses of wealthy citizens. Masters tried their best to please influential and capricious customers. Thanks to their diligence, many artistic and technical techniques were invented that made it possible to create genuine ceramic masterpieces. However, everything has changed. when the nobility began to copy the Western European way of life. In the 19th century, noble gentlemen began to give preference to Dutch tiled stoves (Dutch women) with their monochrome decor.

To date, heating is the most pressing issue that future owners of country houses have to solve. Unfortunately, few people can count on connection to the gas main (according to statistics, only about 20% of the settlements in our country are gasified). Most private developers have to puzzle over how and with what to heat their home. Mount a full-scale system based on a storage of liquefied gas or diesel fuel, or maybe get by with the construction of a traditional Russian stove or a high-efficiency fireplace. If it is planned to build a wooden house, then it makes sense to choose the second option. Chopped walls tolerate rapid air heating (from negative to room temperatures). Wood absorbs condensation, thereby regulating the humidity in the room. In a word, one has only to flood the stove, as the exhausted house will be filled with pleasant warmth.

In permanent homes, masonry stoves and fireplaces serve as alternative heat sources. They heat the cottage on cool summer evenings and in the off-season. In a frosty winter, a flooded furnace noticeably unloads the boiler unit.

Unlike heat-resistant ceramic tiles, tiles are three-dimensional products. On the reverse side, they have a rumba - a box of a special shape with holes, through which, as well as with the help of furnace wire, the tiles are attached to the brickwork and connected to each other. As a result, an air gap forms behind the decorative cladding. Double-bottom cladding significantly increases the thermal inertia of the furnace, and also contributes to more economical fuel consumption. Hot air (temperature reaches 100 degrees) fills the air channels, which ensures uniform distribution of heat throughout the volume of the heating structure. At the same time, the surface of the furnace does not heat up and does not burn if accidentally touched. Thus, the tiles increase the safety of the stove heater, which is especially important for families with children and small animals.

Finishes. In practice, three main types of finishing masonry heaters are used. In the old days, peasants coated the stoves with clay-lime mortar, and then whitewashed and painted in different manners. This method is rarely used these days. Furnaces are either lined with decorative heat-resistant bricks or lined with tiles. Moreover, facing is preferable in all respects. After all, tiles not only perfectly decorate the heating structure, but also significantly increase its efficiency.

Tiles are made according to the author's drawings. Taking into account the style of the interior and the aesthetic preferences of the owners, the artist draws sketches of future products. One of the traditional decorative trends (Old Russian, Dutch, Flemish) is usually chosen as a guide. But there are exceptions. In the painting, oriental motifs or pictorial compositions in the modern style can be used. For children's rooms, cladding with plots from popular cartoons is often ordered.

The next step is to determine the exact dimensions and calculate the number of tiles. By this time, the project of the future furnace should be developed. I must say that companies involved in laying tiled heaters have extensive catalogs of fireplaces and stoves of various types. Company collections also contain numerous examples of facings.

First, according to detailed sketches, the sculptor (who is also the artist) sculpts the relief of the front surface of the product. Then the molder makes molds for ordinary and shaped tiles from plaster. Gypsum casts are filled with high-quality, well-cleaned chamotte clay. Next comes the drying phase. Molded tiles are kept in a drying chamber at a certain temperature and humidity conditions for two weeks. After that, the tiles are sent to a special electric oven. Products are fired at a temperature of about 1000 degrees. In this case, heating is carried out gradually. Increasing the temperature too quickly will warp and damage the tiles.

Master ceramists visually control the color change of the clay. As soon as the material acquires a certain shade, the products are removed from the oven. However, after the first firing, the tiles do not look very attractive. The cutter processes the ends, “draws” the relief pattern, and at the same time checks the quality of the material after the first firing (scrap). Prepared scrap tiles are covered with glaze or special decorative clays and fired a second time (background color). Then a thematic drawing is applied and a third and, if necessary, a fourth firing is performed.

On a note. Tiled lining contributes to a long service life of the stove. It compensates for internal stresses in the masonry that occur under the influence of high temperature loads. The tiles form a dense, impenetrable shell that protects the brick from external moisture and other negative factors.

DIY earthenware

Have you ever watched how a swallow makes its nest? In addition to blades of grass, used by all feathered builders, clay is also used. Moreover, the clay of the swallows is the main construction material. No wonder the people say: "The bee sculpts from wax, and the swallow from clay." Softening the clay with a liquid secreted by special glands, the swallow, like a real potter, clump after clump sculpts a deep bowl. When it dries, it becomes so strong that if it accidentally falls, it will not break. It is quite possible that in very distant times, observations of swallow work led a person to the idea of building adobe dwellings and hut-huts. Until now, according to the “swallow technology”, raw bricks are made from unbaked clay, used for the construction of various buildings, not only rural, but also urban. As you know, heavily compacted clay does not allow moisture to pass through, therefore, in folk construction, not only walls were made from it, but also floors with roofs. To increase the strength of the adobe floor, it was sprinkled with salt water from time to time.

Clay has become so firmly established in the construction business that even in our reinforced concrete age, a third of the world's population lives in adobe dwellings. And that's not counting the houses made of burnt bricks.

In ancient times, people wrote on thin clay tablets in the same way as they write on paper today. (By the way, White clay necessarily a part of modern paper. So, to some extent, we still write on clay.) Among the clay tablets found during excavations, there are all kinds of documents: laws, certificates, economic reports. Clay tablets became the pages of the very first books written by ancient authors. Epic poems, religious hymns, proverbs and sayings, composed in those distant years, were immortalized on them. Some tablets, after making the inscriptions, were only dried well in the sun, while others, more valuable, intended for long-term storage, were burned. Since time immemorial, people have been sculpting objects necessary for everyday life from clay, especially dishes. Only here is the trouble: dishes made of unbaked clay are very fragile and, moreover, are afraid of moisture. In such dishes it was possible to store only dry products. Raking up the ashes of an extinguished fire, the ancient man noticed more than once that the clay soil in the place where the fire burned became hard, like a stone, and was not washed away by rains. Perhaps this observation inspired the man to burn dishes at the stake. Be that as it may, but clay burned in a fire was the first artificial material in the history of mankind, which later received the name of ceramics. With the development of technology, molded and dried clay products began to be fired not in fires, but in special furnaces - forges. In Russia, the very word "potter" comes from the name of kilns. In the old days, craftsmen working with clay were called potters, but over time, the letter “r”, which made pronunciation difficult, was lost. Ceramic products are the most common finds of archaeologists. Indeed, unlike wood, clay does not rot and does not burn, does not oxidize, like metal. Many clay objects have come down to us in their original form. This is primarily a variety of dishes, lamps, children's toys, cult figurines, molds, weights for fishing nets, spindle whorls, spools of thread, beads, buttons and much more.

In the hands of talented craftsmen, ordinary things turned into true works of decorative and applied art. The art of ceramics reached a high development in ancient Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Greece and China. Many museums around the world are decorated with dishes made by ancient potters. The old masters were able to sculpt dishes, sometimes gigantic in size. The Greek pithoi, vessels for water and wine, reaching a height of two meters, amaze with their high technical skill. It was in the vessel-pithos, and not in the barrel, as is commonly believed, that the ancient Greek philosopher Diogenes lived.

In our time, many secrets that were owned by the ancient masters have been lost. Despite the high development of production, modern ceramists have not yet managed to solve the secret of the preparation of the glaze that covers two large vases discovered during excavations by Chinese archaeologists. When water was poured into the found vases, the glaze immediately darkened and changed color. As soon as the water was poured out, the vessels regained their original whiteness. Ho

Although these amazing chameleon vases were made by Chinese potters more than a thousand years ago, they have not lost their amazing properties. Famous for ceramics and Ancient Russia. From the workshops of potters came out bowls, dishes, jugs, capsules, rukomoi, oven pots and even jugs-calendars. Each calendar was a jug on which certain characters were stamped in a rectangle assigned to each month. In addition to calendars designed for the whole year, there were agricultural calendars covering the period from April to August, that is, from sowing to harvesting grain. On such a calendar, special signs indicated the most important pagan holidays, the dates of field work, and even the days when it was necessary to ask the sky for rain or a bucket (sunny weather). Consecrated water was poured into the jug-calendar, which was sprinkled on the fields during the prayer service. Russian potters painted tableware with special ceramic paints or engobes (liquid colored clays), covered with vitreous glaze - glaze. Especially a lot was made of black polished courts. Slightly dried items were rubbed to a shine with a polisher (smooth stone or polished bone), and then burned in a smoky flame without oxygen being allowed into the hearth. After firing, the dishes acquired a beautiful silver-black or gray surface, at the same time they became more durable and less moisture-permeable. There is earthenware in every modern home, although it is hard to believe that sparkling white china cups and plates are relatives of smoky stove pots, gourls and all kinds of rags molded from dark clay. But dishes made of white and dark clay are not rivals, each is good for its purpose.

The most fragrant tea can only be brewed in a porcelain teapot, and the most delicious cow's milk varenets can be made only in an earthen pot and even in a Russian oven.

In a modern urban dwelling, clay is also present in the form of all kinds of facing slabs, bathtubs, and sinks.

In a word, clay is always a modern material, without which it is impossible to do either in the present or in the future. Since ancient times, clay has served man not only as a raw material for ceramics and construction. Traditional healers used clay as a kind of healing agent. For example, stretching of the veins was treated with a plaster made from yellow clay diluted in vinegar. In order to relieve pain in the lower back and joints, a patch of clay diluted in hot water with the addition of kerosene was applied to sore spots. Healers preferred oven clay, using it for divination, whispering from the evil eye and treating fever. Various pottery was used as medical equipment. Drugs were prepared in some vessels, dried herbs and roots were stored in others. And the smallest pots, which were called mahotkas for their small size, were used for colds as ordinary medical jars. Probably the first medical heating pad was also clay. At first, a jug with a narrow neck was used as a heating pad, into which hot water was poured. Then, on the orders of doctors, potters began to make special medical heating pads in the form of a low vessel with a flat, wide bottom and a tight-fitting neck. Even the ordinary red brick is said to have been put to the service of health. It was heated in a furnace, then onion peel was poured on top, inhaling the smoke that appeared at the same time. Modern medicine confirms that such inhalation helps with colds. With the help of a red-hot brick, you can also disinfect the room, expel mosquitoes and flies from it. Only in these cases, instead of onion peel, wormwood and juniper branches were used.

Few people know that the inhabitants of the North - the Chukchi and Koryaks - used clay ... for food. Of course, not any clay, but white clay, called "earth fat" by the northerners. They ate ground fat along with deer milk or added it to meat broth. Europeans did not disdain “edible” clay either, preparing a delicacy like sweets from it.

I was on topan…”

I was on a digger, I was on a topan, I was on a circle, I was on a fire, I was on a fire. When he was young, he fed people, but when he became old, he began to swaddle. Everyone could guess this riddle in the old days. The hero of the riddle is an ordinary oven pot. Using his example, you can trace the entire path that clay goes through before becoming ceramic product. Village potters called a pit or quarry where clay was mined "Kopants". From the digger, the clay fell on the "topanets" - a flat place in the yard or hut, where they trampled it with their feet, carefully kneading and picking out the pebbles that got into it. After such processing, the clay entered the "circle", that is, the potter's wheel, where it took the form of a pot or some other vessel. When the pot finally dried up, it was sent to the “fire”, or rather, to the oven, where after firing it became hard as a stone. But in order for the pot not to absorb moisture, it had to be “on the burn”. To do this, it was dipped in hot form into leavened thick or liquid flour mash.

The second part of the riddle figuratively and briefly shows the further fate of the finished pottery. It is hardly worth specifically explaining how the stove pot “fed people”, but why it “began to swaddle” in old age is hardly clear to a modern person. The fact is that in the past, housewives were in no hurry to throw away old cracked pots. They were wrapped around with narrow steamed birch bark ribbons, as if they were swaddling. Pots and other earthenware entwined with birch bark could serve for many more years. We will have to remember this old Russian riddle more than once, but for now we will talk about diggers and “living clay”.

"Living clay" potters called the clay, which is in nature in its natural state.

The clay found in nature is so diverse in composition that in the bowels of the earth you can actually find a ready-made clay mixture suitable for making any kind of ceramics - from sparkling white faience dishes to red stove bricks. Of course, large deposits of valuable types of clay are rare, so factories and plants for the production of ceramics appear near such natural pantries, such as, for example, in Gzhel near Moscow, where white clay was once discovered. Every self-respecting village potter also had, although small, but his treasured deposits, or, more simply, digging pits, where he got clay suitable for work. Sometimes it was necessary to travel many miles for the necessary clay, extracting it from deep pits with incredible difficulties. Moreover, one deposit was not always enough, since different products required a different composition of clay. So, for example, greasy ferruginous clay is best suited for black-polished ceramics. It is highly plastic, perfectly molded on the potter's wheel, and after drying it can be ironed to a mirror finish. The ware from such clay does not pass moisture and differs in high durability. One problem: greasy clay cracks easily during drying and subsequent firing. Products made from thin clay containing a significant amount of sand have a rough surface, and besides, they strongly absorb moisture. But when drying and firing, lean clay cracks very rarely. For good clay, the golden mean is preferred when it has an average fat content.

Oily clay is considered to contain less than 5% sand, while lean clay includes up to 30% sand. Medium fat clay contains 15% sand.

You can find suitable clay for modeling and pottery almost everywhere, there would be a desire. In addition, a small amount of clay can always be “fixed” by elutriation and other methods. Clay can occur immediately under the soil layer at a shallow depth. In garden plots, it can be found during various land works. Layers of clay quite often come to the surface along the banks of rivers and lakes, in the slopes and slopes of ravines. There are areas in the Non-Chernozem region where clay is literally underfoot and in wet weather on country roads it turns into a continuous mess, causing indignation of passers-by. Even from such “dirt” collected on the road, small decorative items can be molded and then fired. But, of course, this should not be done. Even where there is clay soil all around, you need to dig at least a shallow ditch to get to cleaner and more uniform layers.

Clay suitable for modeling can be successfully prepared even in a big city. After all, builders are always digging pits for a new house somewhere nearby, or a water or gas pipeline is being repaired. At the same time, clay layers, lying at great depths, are on the surface.

To determine the suitability of clay for modeling, you can quite in a simple way. From a small lump of moistened clay taken for a test, roll a tourniquet about the size of your index finger between your palms. Then slowly bend it in half. If, at the same time, cracks do not form at the bend or there are very few of them, then the clay is quite suitable for work and, in all likelihood, it contains 10-15% sand.

Each type of clay at a certain stage of modeling, drying and firing changes its color. Dried clay differs from raw clay only in a lighter tone, but when fired, most clays dramatically change their color. The only exception is white clay, which, when moistened, acquires only a slight gray tint, and after firing it remains the same white. The color of "living clay", usually in a wet state, is most often deceptive. After firing, it can suddenly change dramatically: green will become pink, brown - red, and blue and black - white. As you know, craftswomen from the village of Filimonovo, Tula Region, sculpt their toys from black and blue clay. Only after being dried in a kiln, the toys become white with a slightly creamy tint. The miraculous transformation that happened to the clay can be explained very simply: under the influence of high temperature, organic particles burned out, which gave the clay a black color before firing. By the way, similar particles are found in the black soil, where they also determine the color of this soil. The color of clay, both in the raw and in the fired state, is also affected by the various mineral impurities and metal salts in it. If, for example, clay contains iron oxides, then after firing it becomes red, orange or purple. According to the color that the clay acquires after firing, they distinguish white-burning clay (white), light-burning (light gray, light yellow, light pink), dark-burning (red, red-brown, brown, brown-purple). To determine what kind of clay you have to deal with, mold a plate from a small piece or roll a ball, which, after thorough drying, fire in an oven. Put the prepared clay in wooden boxes, fill it with water so that its individual lumps protrude slightly above the surface. It is advisable to immediately prepare as much clay as possible. With an abundance of clay, only a small part of it is consumed, and the rest will be constantly aged. The more wet the clay is, the better. Previously, potters kept clay in the open air in the so-called clay pit - a special pit, the walls of which were made of logs, planks or thick boards. The clay had to lie in the clay pit for at least three months, but sometimes it was in open storage for several years. In the spring and summer, the sun's rays burned it, in the autumn the winds blew and the rains poured, in the winter it froze in the cold and thawed during the thaw, then melt water penetrated into it. But all this was only beneficial for the clay, since it was loosened from numerous microcracks, while harmful organic impurities were oxidized and soluble salts were washed out.

The centuries-old practice of folk craftsmen has shown that the longer the clay is aged, the better its quality...
Clay, which has an optimal fat content and is well aged, just needs to be washed thoroughly and pick out the pebbles that accidentally got into it. In the past, clay was kneaded in a pottery or hut on the floor, sprinkled with sand, which in the riddle about the pot is called "topanets". Quite often, the whole family, including children, was engaged in the washing and cleaning of the clay. Clay was trampled with bare feet until it turned into a thin plate, which was immediately rolled into a roll. Then the roll was folded in half and trampled again. When the clay again took the form of a plate, a new roll was rolled up. This was repeated up to five times, until the clay turned into a homogeneous mass, soft and pliable, like pie dough. By the way, well-washed and cleaned clay, ready for pottery, is called clay dough.

Sifting clay

If you decide to sift the clay, then lay it out in small lumps on a wooden deck and dry it in the sun (Fig. 1.1). In winter, clay dries well in the cold, spread out under a canopy where snow does not fall. A small amount of clay can be dried indoors, on a warm oven or on a central heating radiator. Of course, the smaller the lumps, the faster the clay will dry. Pour the dried clay into a thick-walled wooden box and break it with a rammer - a massive piece of a tree trunk with handles (1.2) reinforced on top. Sift the resulting clay dust through a fine sieve and remove all kinds of impurities from it in the form of pebbles, chips, blades of grass and large grains of sand (1.3). Before modeling, clay powder is kneaded in the same way as bread dough, adding water from time to time and thoroughly mixing the clay mass with your hands. It is advisable to store a part of the clay powder in case the clay dough needs to be quickly made thicker, but there is no time for drying and evaporation. The required amount of powder is poured into the liquid clay dough, and then kneaded well.

Elutriation of clay

When elutriated, the clay is not only cleansed, but also becomes more oily and plastic. Therefore, clay containing a lot of sand and having low plasticity is most often elutriated.

Elutriate the clay in a tall vessel, such as a bucket.

Pour one part of clay with three parts of water and leave overnight. In the morning, stir the clay thoroughly with a whorl until a homogeneous solution is obtained. Then let the solution settle for a long time. As soon as the water clears from above, carefully drain it with a rubber hose. But it is not so easy to drain the water without muddying it. Therefore, even in ancient times, a simple and ingenious device was invented, which is still used by Japanese potters (Fig. 1.4). Several holes are drilled vertically in a wooden tub at a short distance from each other. Before filling the tub with a liquid clay solution, each hole is plugged with a wooden plug. Heavier grains of sand and various kinds of pebbles settle to the bottom in the first place. Then, after settling, clay particles fall down. Gradually, the water from above brightens and finally becomes transparent (1.4a). As soon as the level of light water seems to be slightly below the upper hole, the cork is pulled out, and the clarified, settled water is poured out of the barrel (1.46). After some time, the cork located below is removed. So gradually all the settled water is drained. To speed up the process of clay settling, bitter Epsom salts are first added to the solution (about one pinch per bucket). Instead of a wooden tub, you can use a suitable metal bowl. At different levels, short tubes are soldered into it, which are plugged with stoppers.

After removing the settled water, carefully scoop out the liquid clay, leaving the bottom layer intact, in which the pebbles and sand settled to the bottom are located. Pour the clay solution into a wide wooden box or basin and place it in the sun so that excess moisture evaporates faster from the clay (1.5). As soon as the dried clay loses fluidity, mix it from time to time with a shovel. After the clay acquires the consistency of a thick dough and stops sticking to the hands, it is covered with plastic wrap or oilcloth and stored until the start of stucco work.

Skinny Supplements

In the manufacture of large products, so-called thinning additives are introduced into oily clay, which help to reduce shrinkage during drying and firing, thereby preventing cracks and warpage on the product.

Even in ancient times, when making large vessels intended for storing food, gruss was added to clay dough - coarse sand obtained by crushing sandstone. But the most common wasting material has always been fine sand. To remove foreign inclusions from the sand, it is washed several times with clean water and then dried. Other thinning materials are sometimes added to the clay to give it additional properties. Ceramics will become lighter and more porous if a little sawdust is introduced into the clay dough. Folk craftsmen of Central Asia, instead of sawdust, add to the clay fluff of poplar and marsh plant - cattail, as well as crushed animal hair. The admixture of so-called chamotte makes ceramics more refractory. Chamotte can be made from refractory bricks, which are first crushed and sifted through a sieve, removing ceramic dust. The crumbs remaining in the sieve no larger than a millet seed are chamotte. It is added to clay dough no more than 1/5 of the total mass.

Along with chamotte, to obtain fire-resistant ceramics, crushed and sifted ceramic utensils are used.

"Interruption" of clay

Immediately before modeling, in order to remove air bubbles from the aged clay and increase its uniformity, the clay dough is “interrupted” and kneaded. "Interruption" of clay is indispensable in cases where the clay, for some reason, was not well cleaned and small pebbles and other foreign inclusions are found in it. Processing begins with the fact that a bun is rolled from a piece of clay (Fig. 2.1), which is then lifted and thrown with force onto a table or workbench. At the same time, the bun is slightly flattened and takes the form of a loaf. They take a potter's string in their hands (steel wire with two wooden handles at the ends (2.2)) and cut the "loaf" into two parts (2.3). Lifting the upper half, turn it cut side up and throw it on the table with force. The lower half (2.4) is also thrown at it with force, without turning over. The stuck halves are cut from top to bottom with a string, then one of the cut pieces of clay is thrown on the table, and the second is placed on it (2.5). This operation is repeated several times. When cutting clay dough, the string pushes out all kinds of pebbles encountered on the way, opens voids and destroys air bubbles. The more cuts are made, the cleaner and more uniform the clay dough will become.

You can also process clay dough with a carpenter's plow or a large knife (Fig. 3). The lump of clay is carefully compacted with a massive wooden mallet (3.1). Then it is pressed with force against a table or workbench and cut with a plow (3.2a) or a knife into the thinnest plates (3.26). All kinds of foreign inclusions falling under the blade are thrown aside. The thinner the cut plates, the cleaner and more uniform the clay dough becomes. The plates obtained after planing are again assembled into a single lump and compacted with a mallet until it becomes monolithic (3.3). The lump of clay prepared in this way is planed again. These techniques are repeated until the clay dough becomes homogeneous and plastic.

Clay break

This is the last stage in the preparation of clay dough intended for modeling. They take a lump of clay in their hands (Fig. 4.1) and roll it out so that an elongated roller is obtained (4.2). Then the roller is bent in half (4.3) and crushed so that again a round lump is obtained (4.4). From this moment on, all the operations of the mine are repeated in the same sequence several times.

The plasticity of clay dough depends not only on the uniformity of its structure and composition, but also on its humidity.

If the clay is too dry, it is sprinkled abundantly with water before each subsequent change.

Determine the plasticity of clay in a way already known to you. A small lump of clay (4.5a) is rolled between the palms (4.56). The resulting tourniquet is bent in half. If the clay has high plasticity, then not a single crack will appear on the bend of the bundle (4.5c).

The presence of cracks indicates that the clay is too dry and needs to be moistened (4.5g).

There are many popular ways of preparing clay dough. In some regions of Russia, toy masters crush and then separate the clay into separate blanks in the following way. The clay ball (Fig. 5.1) is flattened with a wooden mallet (5.2). The resulting plate is rolled up (5.3). The roll is crushed with a hammer and molded from it the same lump as it was at the very beginning (5.4). The molded lump is flattened again (5.5) and the plate is rolled up (5.6). Having done all this several times, the roll is carefully kneaded and a tourniquet is rolled from the resulting lump, which is cut with a knife into “chunks” (5.7). Each "chunk", depending on the size of the future workpiece, is cut in turn into two or four parts (5.8). Each half and quarter is rolled out in the palms, obtaining blanks in the form of balls of the same size (5.9). The blanks are placed in a wooden box, first covered with a moistened cloth, and then with oilcloth or plastic wrap. Sometimes they are put in some kind of metal vessel, covered with a lid on top. In this form, blanks can be stored for more than a month without losing their original plasticity.

Drying of clay products

Before getting to the “fire”, each clay product must go through a preparatory stage called drying.

Drying is a rather lengthy process. Haste can nullify all previous work: with quick drying, the product is covered with numerous cracks and warps. In the first stage of drying, the moisture from the product should evaporate as slowly as possible. In the early days, craftsmen dry dishes and toys indoors or under a shed in a quiet, windy place where there are no drafts. It takes two to three days to pre-dry. After that, the products were dried in a heated oven. The better the clay dries, the greater the hope that marriage will not occur during firing.

A product that has a complex shape with many details must be dried with extreme care, for example, by lowering it into a metal dish or box, covering it with a newspaper sheet on top. A large product can be covered on top with a dry cloth. On the second day, the rag is removed, but the product continues to dry in the shade. Approximately on the fourth day of medium size, the product can be dried on a stove or on a central heating battery. Dried clay acquires a sufficiently high strength necessary for further processing. Before being fired, each product must be carefully inspected. If cracks are found, they must be carefully repaired. The crack is moistened with water and covered with soft clay. In addition to cracks, all kinds of irregularities, random layers, clay chips adhering to the surface and small scratches can appear on the product. Damaged areas need to be processed with cycles and cleaned with fine-grained sandpaper, and then clay dust should be removed with a wide brush or brush.

To give the product shine, polishing is used. One of the ancient methods of polishing is very simple. The surface of the dried product is rubbed with any smooth object, compacting the top layer of clay until it shines.

After firing, the brilliance becomes stronger. Polished dishes can be safely used in the household, as it is quite moisture resistant. In Russia, polished dishes with a decorative purpose were additionally subjected to blackening. To do this, at the end of firing, some fuming fuel, for example, var, was thrown into the furnace. By absorbing the smoke, the vessels turned black, retaining their luster. There is another way to blacken dishes. Hot pottery is thrown into sawdust or chopped straw.

Clay firing. Building a traditional pottery kiln

Old Russian potters drove their forge into the hillside. How it looked, you can see in the figure, in which the bugle is drawn in section.

Forge for firing ceramics

Old Russian pottery kilns: one-tier from Belgorod (general view) and two-tier from the Donetsk settlement (section).

Handicraft forges of open and closed types.
Clay for the forge will require a lot. First, it must be carefully prepared. Clay should not be too greasy - three parts of sand should be added to one part of clay. After adding water, knead the mass in some large trough. Make sure it's not too liquid! For kneading, cut a large wooden spade out of the board.

Having chosen a place for the furnace, lay a layer of clay on it and compact it well. On this layer, make a platform of bricks or boulder stones (use only granite stones, limestone is not suitable for this). Fasten the stones with clay mortar.

On this site we will lay out a round oven with a diameter of about 1 m. It is made like a very large pot of tows. The bundles are needed thick, with a diameter of at least 20 cm. The thicker the walls of the furnace, the better it will keep heat.
After laying out the first circle, continue to lay out the bundles in a spiral. After laying every three rows, align the walls and tamp them down with a wooden mallet.

Having erected the walls to a height of 30 cm, the lower chamber of the furnace is ready, firewood will burn in it.
Now you need to install the grate-grids on which you will put the fired products. For the grate, you need to find iron bars, grates, nets in advance.

Lay the rods across the stove at a small distance from each other so that the clay products do not fall between them. If the rods protrude slightly beyond the edges of the forge, this is not a problem.

Now continue to build walls, reducing the diameter of the spiral with each turn. So the second chamber is ready, in which the fired products will be placed. At the top we leave a round hole - a hatch for loading the forge.
A hole for the firebox through which firewood is placed, cut with a large knife or a sapper's shovel immediately after the walls have been erected, until the clay has dried.

Near the "entrance" to the stove, make clay gates from bundles. You can decorate the stove with sticky patterns - let it be, for example, a fire-breathing dragon.
Depending on the weather, the finished forge dries for 10-15 days. For one or two days it is better to cover it with burlap, and then dry it in the open air. If cracks form during drying, fill them with clay mass. From the rain, cover the horn with a piece of polyethylene, or even better, build a small canopy over it.

When the forge dries, it must be burned. Well, if by this time you have accumulated products for firing, then you will save both firewood and time. The horn is loaded through the top opening. First, large products are placed on the grate, then smaller products are placed between them and on them. The hatch is covered with a sheet of iron and covered with shards and dry earth. But leave a small gap at the top for the smoke to escape, otherwise there will be no air movement and the fire will not flare up.
First, the stove is heated over low heat, and then more and more firewood is added.

The firing starts in the morning and ends in the evening. At night, the forge will cool down, and in the morning it will be possible to “unload” it, that is, to remove finished products from it. If you don't have enough clay on hand to make a forge, you can build it using the same pattern with bricks. The temperature in the pottery furnace reaches 900°C. Products in the hearth are heated evenly.

Scalding of clay products

Obvar is the last stage in the processing of pottery in rural potteries.

After scalding, earthenware becomes less permeable and, moreover, more durable.

The scald is made immediately after the still hot dishes are taken out of the hearth. Holding it with tongs, it was dipped into a pre-prepared liquid paste solution made from rye or oat flour. Pottery was also scalded in kvass thick, which usually remained at the bottom of the tub with kvass. The potters of Central Asia used whey for the same purposes.

Flour decoction and kvass thick penetrate deep into the walls of pottery, scald and reliably clog its pores. After scalding changes and appearance dishes: it is covered with numerous dark spots, giving it a unique originality. In addition, the stains, according to the belief of the village potters, protect the contents of the vessel from the evil eye.

Gradually, scalding began to be used less and less, potters increasingly use glaze or glaze - covering products with the thinnest layer of glass.