pit fired pots

[Damian79]

I live in the southeast of south australia so it cold here 80% of the year. not sure if the pit fire method would hold up.
I do have a question though, what is the best clay to use for making slab or drape pots?

[sateef]

hi all (g'day in your language), i'm new to this forum and pretty new to bonsai and very keen on learning.

i am thinking about making my own pots, partly for the creative fun of it and partly because they are mind boggling expensive here in Thailand.

i saw this really nice looking pit fired pot http://ibonsaiclub.forumotion.com/t1100 ... -my-studio

i was thinking, it seems like the disadvantage of pit fired is its so porous but there must be easy fixes for that, like putting a layer of non porous, non reactive mater inside the finished pot, maybe fiberglass, maybe car body filler. in addition to waterproofing it, it would also help improve the strength.

i used photoshop to put a tree in a pit fired pot i found on google, i think it could look pretty nice, although not very traditional

pit fired bonsai pot (photoshop).jpg

[Damian79]

Thanks for retouching on this thead.I'm sure there is more than one new bonsaI enthusiast interested in making pots for them self, and although kiln fired pots are obviously the better option, not everyone can afford to have a kiln setup at home,for money and space reasons.
I'm very interested to hear of any other ideas/methods/techniques that have worked for other people. Perhaps if people could even post pics of the not so orthodox pots they have, we could all benefit from those ideas.

[Damian79]

Hi Guys
Can any one tell me how pots were fired/set back in the days before there were such things as electric/gas kilns?
Thanks

[Pup]

Hi Guys
Can any one tell me how pots were fired/set back in the days before there were such things as electric/gas kilns?
Thanks

Wood Coal and Coke (not the stuff they snort) it is coal that has been preheated to take out some of the impurites I beleive.

[Damian79]

Thanks Pup
Im just trying to find other ways to making my own pots and it makes sense to start at the beginning.

[Mojo Moyogi]

Hi Jason
I read somewhere of a person using cornersing to build a mold for concrete pots. Maybe start there.

Cornersing? I couldn't find anything on it lol

The paperpots is a great idea though, I'll definately give that a go

I'm going to try a couple of small pots first (coke can size) and the see what I can do to them with my new rotary tool

Search for Cornicing or cornices.

Cheers,
Mojo

[Damian79]

Cornersing? I couldn't find anything on it lol

Sorry Mojo its just what I call it. its the wood corner stuff that joins your walls to your celing.

[Neli]

Jason, I can not buy any bonsai pots here...So I have made some training pots from concrete. For me they are better than the plastic pots that they make here, since they are not UV resistant and barely last over a year.This were the first ones, but they are getting better now. I just use river sand and cement 2:1, and make the mixture as dry as possible.
Hope it helps.

[Neli]

Here are some pots I made from soap stone. It takes 15 min to hollow a stone, with a dremel it will be 5 min.



https://fbcdn-sphotos-f-a.akamaihd.net/ ... 6641_n.jpg

[Neli]

And here it is how I made a wire rack with concrete. It was a old pipe from the pond, and it had holes already...so I just stuck some R6 in the holes.



I still need to paint it.


And some stands I made in similar fashio:

[Damian79]

What a great idea Neli. Is the soap stone chalky? How will it stand the test of time I wonder?

[Neli]

I dont think water will damage it...Maybe if it has cracks (which I try to avoid) the roots can split it...but I think it will be OK! The soap stone is not chalki. That is what talcum is made of by grinding it. PH is neutral...good for baby bottoms.

[Damian79]

The paperpots is a great idea though, I'll definately give that a go

I'm going to try a couple of small pots first (coke can size) and the see what I can do to them with my new rotary tool

What will you use your rotary tool for Mojo?

[bodhidharma]

Holey Moley Neli, you are one industrious person. Great stuff, love the wire rack