o

Clay & horse manure,
Continued from Page 10.

The new kiln was built out of the bricks from
the original kiln which were held together by
a mixture of clay and horse manure. The work
was hot and sweaty but very rewarding, and
Olga and her family were most patient with
their crew of less-than-in-shape volunteers.

On this trip I also got to participate in
the Potters for Peace equivalent of a ceramic
painting party: using pots that had been made
by the potters of Ducuale Grande, we tried
out their slip-resist method of decorating. At
Ducuale Grande the potters paint slip designs
onto already-fired pots, smoke the pots in
a traditional dome-shaped kiln, and then
scrape off the slip to reveal the unsmoked clay
beneath. On the previous brigade I had spent
the time at Ducuale lying in the shade in the
van, suffering from a mild stomach upset.

Potters for Peace not only supports
Nicaraguan potters, they also facilitate the
building of small water filter factories all over
the world. The filter that is made in these
factories is an inexpensive, 99% effective
clay filter that is made from local clay mixed
with sawdust. The filters are press-moulded
and then fired in a wood-fired kiln, The
proportion of clay to sawdust is carefully
measured so that after the sawdust burns out
during firing the capillaries left in the filter
allow the correct amount of flowage. After
they have been fired, the filters are tested
and then coated with colloidal silver. On the
brigade we visited a couple of these factories
and had a go at pressing a filter using a press
that was powered by a car jack.

‘The next brigade is set for Jan. 14 to 28,
2012 and the cost is $1400US which covers
everything but airfare to Managua (and the
pottery that you will want to buy). In keeping
with the philosophy of Potters for Peace,
accommodation is mostly dormitory-style
and meals are simple but tasty. For more
information visit www.pottersforpeace.org
and if you want to find out more about their
brigades, click on the “trips” link.

Patty Osborne is 2 PGBC member who lives
and works in Vancouver. She reviews clay-
related books and DVDs for our newsletter every
month (see her latest review on Page 6—thank
you Patty!)

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Brigadistas and Nicaraguan potters gather around the reconstructed kiln

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FP taper

Mould is raised out of the pressed clay filter.

Fired filters ready to be unloaded from the
kiln.

Submissions for the December 2011
PGBC newsletter

Please get your articles and ads in to Melany by Nov. 20 at the latest for the Dec. 1
newsletter. Ifyou submit your material after that date, it may have to wait till next month's
newsletter. Submissions can be sent to editor@bcpotters.com.

Remember, there is no newsletter in January.
The first newsletter in 2012 will be published Feb. 1.

GUILD ee
of BRITISH

COLUMBIA
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Potters Guild of BC Newsletter : November 2011 11