Terra sigillata recipes

**BHClaysmith** · 06-09-2010, 01:03 PM

BH BASIC TERRA SIGILLATA RECIPES Cone 04 - 10

BASIC SIG
200 grams White ball clay such as Tenn 10 or Kyom4
800 grams water (3 ½ Cups)
10 grams Calgone*

ALBANY SIG
50 grams Albany slip
50 grams KYOM4
400 grams water
10 grams Calgone*

RED ART SIG
200 grams Cedar Heights Red Art Clay
800 grams Water (3 ½ Cups)
20 grams Calgone*

SALMON SIG
50 grams Red Art
50 grams Ball clay
400 grams water
5 grams Calgone*

TEA ROSE SIG (an alternative to Red Art sig)
300 grams Red Art
100 grams KYOM4
7 cups water (1600 grams)
25 grams Calgone*

OCHRE SIG by Weiser
1663 grams Cedar Heights Gold Art
66 grams Yellow Ochre

Add to a mixture of:
8 grams soda ash
16 grams Calgone*
1 gallon water

This sig produces a nice golden peach at cone 06-04 and yields a darker more golden finish when fired to cone 6. It looks very similar to Albany Sig and is a good replacement for it. The Weiser Ochre sig decants much faster than the other sig recipes and its thinner (more translucent) consistency works really well, buffing to a beautiful sheen. It does leave a lot more bottom sludge.
I have also allowed it to sit an additional 2 – 3 weeks after the initial siphoning and removed more of the top water layer to thicken up the mix and make it less transparent.

Gloria Singer’s BASIC SIG
14 cups hot water
2 tsp Calgone*
8 ½ cups KYOM4
2 cups EPK
¼ cup Bentonite

I also like this as a basic sig recipe. I seem to get less color settling with it and have only tested the sig colored with Onyx Mason stain fired up to cone 10.

FEDERIGHI Terra Sigillata Recipes Cone 010 – 02

Light Red Terra Sigillata
800 grams hot water
200 grams OM4 ball clay
20 grams Red Iron Oxide
10 grams Calgone*

Black Terra Sigillata
800 grams hot water
200 grams Cedar Heights Red Art
10 grams black copper oxide
10 grams Manganese
10 grams Calgone*

Note: I prefer to color my sig after I have decanted the clay, Calgone* and water. This can also be colored with Mason 6600 stain instead of the Black copper oxide & manganese.

White Terra Sigillata
1000 grams hot water
200 grams OM4 ball clay
75 grams EPK
150 grams Talc
50 grams Zircopax
25 grams Calgone*

Bernadette Curran’s FAUX SIG
750 grams EPK
1500 grams Ball Clay (OM4, Tenn 10, etc.)
14 cups water
45 grams soda ash

Add the soda ash to the water and whisk to blend well. THEN add the EPK and ball clay, whisk to blend then allow to stand for 2 to 3 days. Do not siphon; use the entire mixture. Apply thin on greenware or bisque. This faux sig fires from cone 04 – 6 and can be colored successfully with Mason stains.

Michael Wisner’s Painting Sig
1 heaping teaspoon Calgone*
1 gallon water
2 lbs. KYOM 4 ball clay
Decant for several days, siphon off middle layer.

NOTE: Adding a dash of commercial underglaze to color this sig will make it easier to see when applying to the same color pot but will not affect the final color after firing.

Cheryl Tall’s ^010-2 Terra Sig
(Modified from Judy Moonelis Recipe)
500 grams OM4 Ball clay
1000 grams Red Art or EPK (to duplicate Judy’s recipe)
14 Cups Water
7.5 grams tri-sodium phosphate

For certain colors, Cheryl does the following –
OCHRE – To 1 ¼ cups Basic sig, add 3 Tblsp. Rutile & 2 Tblsp. Gerstley.
PINK – To 1 ¼ cups Basic sig, add ¼ c. 6020 Mason & 2 Tblsp. Gerstley.

Busch White Terra Sigillata
40 grams Borax
200 grams Ferro Frit 3134
1800 grams Cedar Heights Gold Art
Add to a mixture of:

20 grams Calgone*
1 gallon water
Ball mill for 24 hours then decant. After decanting, colorants may be added. To achieve a smoother finish, ball mill again after adding colorants.

Deb LeAir Painting Sig
1/3 cup of terra sigillata base
2 Tblsp stain
1/4 tsp of frit 3134
If using oxide or carbonates, skip the frit altogether.

Floche Sig
19% Ball clay
77% China clay
0.5% Bentonite
0.5% Sodium hexametaphosphate (Calgone)

**Andy Clift** · 06-09-2010, 05:37 PM

Hi Barbara,
Do you mind if I promote you Terra Sigillata posts into an article. It will would be presented in next weeks Claystation Connection newsletter.
Thanks,
Andy

**BHClaysmith** · 06-10-2010, 06:35 AM

Not at all! Ever since discovering 'sig' through my classes with Sandi Pierantozzi (initially) and Jimmy Clark, I have been collecting and testing different terra sigillata recipes and their firing range. 90% of my clay beads are finished with terra sigillata and fired anywhere from cone 4 (electric) to cone 10 (in a gas kiln). The results are earthy and allow the clay beads to remain "open" enough to absorb the essence of the wearer or serve as carriers for essential oils.

**Leonhard Bartolomeus** · 07-10-2010, 11:29 AM

mmm..i'm sorry, i can't find that CALGONE thing in Indonesia, is there any posibilities to substitute that with another materials?

**BHClaysmith** · 07-10-2010, 01:39 PM

CALGONE IS Sodium Hexametaphosphate.

**juliettegw** · 08-13-2011, 08:15 AM

Hi Barbara, Since you have posted these recipies, I'm hoping you can give me your opinion on something. I used I believe black iron oxide (milled for two weeks) in a white TS and when painted on the surface of bone dry clay, it was dark and very dark gray (almost black). After firing in a bisque kiln, it was almost glowing orange with just a hint of gray. Do you think it will be dark after firing in a cone 7 gas kiln? If I use a clear glaze over it, will the black TS be dark? Thank you.

**BHClaysmith** · 08-16-2011, 01:01 PM

See if you can find SODIUM HEXAMETAPHOSPHATE - that is the chemical name for Calgone!

**BHClaysmith** · 08-16-2011, 01:06 PM

Black Iron Oxide is still IRON and is not designed to fire black, it will always look like Iron. You need to use a black Mason stain such as 6600 to obtain a nice cobalt black when you color terra sigillata. As far as what it will do in a gas kiln at 7, I haven't got a clue - try it and let me know!