Terra Sigillata

‘I’ve been meaning to thank you for some time for being a supplier of Terra Sigillata .
As an amateur potter with a healthy obsession with barrel firing your supplies have transformed my fledgeling creations into little artworks.
I love the unique patterns this process makes and your product perfectly fits my chosen clay body.

Thank you
Lesley’

If you are planning some naked raku, smokefiring or pitfiring this year, you might want to find out a bit more about Terra Sigillata (available to purchase in my shop).

It’s truly amazing stuff which can transform a matte, clay surface into a silky-smooth, gleaming canvas for smoke. (Can you tell how much I love Terra Sig!)

Terra Sig is, simply put, super fine clay particles which have been suspended in water then extracted. It’s been used by ancient civilisations to seal vessels. Terra Sig roughly translates as ‘easth sealed’. (Note - it will not make your pot completely waterproof).

How do I apply Terra Sig?

• To get the smoothest results I would recommend burnishing your piece before applying, you can skip this stage but your surface won’t be as smooth. Old lightbulbs, spoons and pebbles make great burnishing tools.

• Wear a set of plastic gloves to avoid finger prints (the type you get with hair dye kits are ideal).

• Apply several coats of Terra Sig to bone dry clay - bone dry state is important! Making sure to immediately brush over any runs or drips which might occur.

• You can brush over the base as Terra Sig is not a glaze so won’t stick to your kiln shelf.

• Once you have applied the final coat, use a soft plastic bag and gently buff the surface (non-biodegradable dog poo bags work brilliantly as do those hair dye gloves). Buff before the pot gets completely dry. At this point you should begin to see it shine!

• Keep the piece dry and biscuit fire (avoid storing in a place where it might get accidentally splashed as this will spoil the surface).

• Fire below 1000c to make sure the surface remains porous enough to accept smoke markings.

• Clean up your piece using a sponge or plastic scourer

• Polish using beeswax or plant-based wax

• Tip - avoid stickers etc on your fired surface as Terra Sig can be delicate.

• Enjoy a beautifully tactile piece!
  
  
  To get started straight away, order a pot of Terra Sigillata from my online shop (UK delivery only).