Tuesday
Aug242010
Terra Sig
Tuesday, August 24, 2010 at 11:04AM
Feel free to comment on what you think about this terra sig process. I'm not really sure how much of this I'm supposed to keep. Maybe the layers will be more distinct tomorrow. ? I wonder if I didn't need a bigger jar. I may have too much clay in this and too little water.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlKeKIRGnPE
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlKeKIRGnPE
Reader Comments (10)
This is Pete Pinnell's easy terra sig recipe. This is what I use & it works great!
In a 5 gallon bucket, put 28 pounds (28 pints or 31/2 gal.) of water. Add 14 pounds dry clay. XX sagger works well for white base, RedArt for red. Add enough sodium silicate to deflocculate (a few tablespoons). For red clays use 2 teaspoons sodium silicate and 1 tablespoon soda ash. Allow to settle. Overnight is average. Less plastic red clays (such as RedArt or fire clay may require only 6-8 hours, while very plastic clays like XX Sagger or OM4 ball may take up to 48 hours).
Syphon off the top (this is the terra sig) without disturbing the sludgy mixture below. Throw the rest away; do not reclaim. Terra sig is best when the specific gravity if about 1.15. Useful range is 1.1 - 1.2. Specific gravity is measured by weighing out 100 grams of water, marking the volume, and weighing the same volume of the sig. Divide the weight of the sig by 100. If too thin evaporate. If too thick allow to settle longer. Apply sig to bone dry greenware and buff. Pete uses “patinas” of 1 gerstley borate + 1 colorant as a thin wash over bisqued sigs, applied and rubbed off. Works on textured areas.
Thanks Judy. So that top part is the sig?? And all that stuff down below gets ditched? Good to know about the specific gravity part. Okay, I'll keep ya posted.
If I'm remembering correctly, I think I used about 4 gal. water, 5 lb RedArt and a tablespoon each of Sodium Silicate and soda ash in my last batch.
I actually let it settle once, siphoned, let that settle again, then siphoned a second time.
I mixed up terra sig twice and still don't feel like I know what I am doing! But what I got worked great. It is really hard to see that middle layer (below the water and above the sludge). In fact, I wish you could make a video of doing the syphoning off the water on top and then the real terra sig layer. I had a heck of a time doing that each time I tried. I will be doing more of it because I do really like using it. Good luck! Gay
What Judy said. You can google Terra Sig and get more info than you ever need to know. I throw out the bottom and top, keep the middle.
Watcha gonna do, make some barns? Haha, just kidding!! I love me some terra sig :)
Well I really didn't know what I was throwing out or keeping until Judy wrote that comment. So I've kept all of that top part but I"m gonna let it settle again and see what it looks like tomorrow. Sorry I should have videoed it. We'll see what happens tomorrow.
Thanks ya'll for helping me.
Ron I also syphon the top part one more time -- but then it's okay -- in fact you should -- stir it before you use it.
With the white terra sig -- since I don't have a ball mill, I bought a $30 rock tumbler & some marbles. When I add colorants to the white I put it through the rock tumbler -- helps dissipate the color & keep it from settling out so much in between uses.
Thanks Judy, good to know. Sarah has a tumbler. Well, I'd better get my own b/c she'd kill me if I used hers from her jewelry studio.
Ron, Terra-Sig is my life blood. have a look at my site www.mypots.com and download my primer at http://users.skynet.be/russel.fouts/Files/Terra-Sig%20Primer.txt
Basically, you keep the top part, always. The rest is basically waste but could be washed to get the SS out and then used as slip, if you really feel you have to keep it.
Good luck, the Bunny looks great.
Russel
Russel, thanks for sending that link along to me again. I am getting excited now that I have a better understanding of this. Hope all is well with you. Ron