Samples of Soda Fired Pieces

Some of these soda fired pieces are still available  I have included them here to show the type of work that I am doing.  If you hover the cursor over the thumbnail, the image name will display.

If you contact me with the name, I can tell you if the piece is still available or if I have something similar.

Some Information About Soda Firing

Soda firing is an exciting atmospheric firing technique that can produce distinctive and fascinating results.  It is a relatively new technique that evolved from salt firing.  Salt firing releases chlorine gas and thus is a toxic procedure.  Soda firing does not release toxic gasses.  Both types of firing convert sodium to a gaseous state that then flows through the kiln coating the pieces sodium (forming a glaze).  However, soda firing has its own distinctive look.

Soda firing is done at a variety of different temperatures.  These samples shown on this page were done at cone 10+.  At a very high temperature, a mixture of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) and other chemicals is introduced at the burner ports.  This mixture volatilizes (turns into gas) and the movement of the atmosphere within the kiln distributes the soda.  Positioning and orientation of the pieces (to the gas flow in the kiln) have a great effect on the final product.  With so many significant variables effecting the firing, surprises abound.

This firing process coats everything inside the kiln with sodium.  The kiln shelves, posts and walls over time accumulate deposits of glass-like sodium. Thus the life of this equipment is much more limited than traditional firing techniques.  Because of this added expense and because the technique can be tricky, this type of ware is harder to find on the market.  This also tends to make the pieces more expensive.

Soda fired pieces are food and liquid safe.  They do not require any specific care.