Oh my GOODNESS! My child visited Conner Prairie on a field trip a couple years ago... I had NO idea the extent of what is taught there! I will def need to plan a fam trip down to take it all in!
I wish what the salt does had been better explained. I was curious about it (because that was one I never remember learning about in pottery class), so I looked it up: When it vaporizes, the sodium reacts with the silica in the clay to form a glass-like coating of sodium silicate. It's glossy, translucent and has an orange-peel like texture.
Faizal F . it is more likely that a bag or pot of salt felt into the process of making the clay for the pottery. and since the solt will not harm the clay and the effort put into is likely not to be wasted. they will have noticed the change to the glace after the burning.
When you look at all the different kinds of clay used, the glazes, the different chemicals used for coloring and painting, there must have been an immense amount of experimenting done to figure it all out. But then people have been making pottery for 8000 years.
I think it was the German potters (700+ years ago) who discovered salt glazing. They noticed that when they used driftwood and other salt soaked wood (from barrels and crates) to fuel their kiln, it caused the pots to become glossy.
Yeah Wikipedia sais they had salt glazing in the Rhineland back in 1400 but in an article about a museum exhibition in Bonn it states they display there chloride vessels dating back 2500-3000BC from Iran.
I wish I had money and time to build a workshop where I could bounce around between all my craftsman interests. Pottery, baking, gunsmithing, jewelry making, leathercraft, blacksmithing, ammo reloading, wood carving, painting, boat making, bow making, 3D design/printing, engineering, architecture, hunting, cooking, building aircraft, crafting tea blends, etc., it all interests me. The torturous part is I'm intelligent enough and have the natural aptitude to do it all, but don't have the funds to do most of it, and I hate asking people for money. Feels like my potential is being wasted. I guess I should pick one and just go for it. While I somewhat envy people like you being able to pursue your passions, I also feel really happy that you're achieving your passions. It brings a smile to my face seeing people living the dream. Gives me both hope and motivation. Keep up the great work!
Start off the poor man's way. How did people do it before your time? Hand tools are cheaper than power tools. Can't afford something? Then you find out how to make that item. Something like fire bricks come to mind. If a savage from 2,000 years ago can do it you can to. If you are smart then show it o/
I REALLY love this format for videos. Anything you can capture on the trades, that's what I absolutely live for. I could watch hours of this stuff. Potter, brickmaker, collier, blacksmith, farrier, foundryman, shoemaker, dressmaker, printer, bookbinder, woodworker, tanner, leathercrafter, gunsmith, wheelwright, housewright, I love it all so much. Nice to hear some new music on this. I've always been a fan of the hammer dulcimer.
I came here from reddit when your fried chicken episode blew up. I stayed because the passion you guys have for preservation of history is unparalleled. The interviews with living historians and the videos at various historical locations are great videos. I've yet to see you guys do a bad video. Great work!
My mom got me into thrown pottery. It took me so long to learn to center the clay on the wheel. I have done it enough (successfully and unsuccessfully) to appreciate the talent and skill necessary to do this day after day. It is so cool to watch the potters and look at the glazes and see how they come out.
Hey there folks, my wife and I are doing ceramics at my family's old construction shop now that everyone else has passed, I fully believe we can do well with traditional ceramic vessels pots and containers, and I sure appreciate all your work sharing and teaching the rest of us so much. I love your videos, presentations, and lessons from history. Thank you all so much for all your hard work and love of the topic, the biggest crime I see in this day and age is the forgetting of the old ways. Bless you all and yours.
I especially liked the music track on this video. The subject matter and the speaker were good too, but that track really topped it off and fit extremely well with the video.
I would like to thank Jon for brining this up on my radar. I plan on doing an Indiana tour this summer with First American Axe and Forge, Jas. Townsend, Conner Prairie, and Self Reliance Outfitters as my stopping points.
Here 3 weeks ago, My mom and sister went down to Connor Prairie, along with a bus load of others. All of a sudden, I got the brainstorm, to show some of your videos. This being one of those. They immediately recognized Larry, and showed me the pieces of pottery they purchased while there. Mom got a 1 pint salt crock. My sister got a coffee mug. They were very intrigued with Larry's work.
ant - Well I wasn't going to, but now that you've told me I can't, I feel like I must... I'm thinking up a pottery punchline, so I'll just need a minute...
Another superbly made video, John. What an awesome guy this potter is! It makes me happy there's someone like this teaching visitors about history who's so passionate about his work.
Pottery always amaze on how diverse they are according to geography, soil quality and content, and techniques. While in US potters use salt to glaze their wares in Japan they use certain iron rich clay to do that. Also clay from vulcanic area will give different result of colour and texture compared to clay from other area.
Ooh! O love salt-glazed work! One of my favorite cups is salt-glazed! I really like how durable it is, and how easy it is to clean. And it has such a nice clean look to it, too. One of my apprentices is learning some pottery, mostly 14th-15th century forms. It's one of those things that you can pick up the basics pretty easily, and she says that you can get middling-good with a little effort. But real skill takes a lot of work- she figures that much work will have to wait until her kids are a little older and she's not spending all of her time driving the van to Scouts and t-ball and all that. In the meantime though, she did make me a couple of lovely small glasses- about 4oz. Very good for those night when you're sitting around the fire, drinking. :-)
This channel is extraordinary. The quality of the content and the production values are sensational. I am a Brit who likes real history, and seeing how our better part took themselves off and made a great nation is fascinating.
We have several salt-glazed pieces, from a large pickling jar (with lid), several slightly smaller jars (1 with lid), a large bowl, a butter-churn, and some pieces for the table. All of them have the blue floral painted motifs and have been handed down through the past 5 generations. I use the pickling jar for my flour and the smaller jar with lid for my cornmeal. Except for the churn, we use it all. It's beautiful and part of my family's history.
It's a privilege to watch a passionate, seasoned professional talk so fondly about their art. What a pleasure! Salt-glazing originated in Germany during the Middle Ages, but there's a legend that in New England (Norwich, Connecticut) the technique came into use in 1680 following a cooking accident involving untended salt-pork brine bubbling over earthenware on a fire.
What another fantastic video, thank you so much for sharing this. It gives me a much better appreciation of the old crocks and pottery jugs that I have that have come down through the family to me.
I never learned about salt-glaze in school, either. I was so surprised that it is what makes the glaze as I thought it was used to make mottling in the glaze. The shine is just beautiful and now I want to have a bowl. On another note, I noticed what looked like a small 'lick' of fire coming out the chimney. It reminded me of the horrible Christmas morning we had (new to a fireplace) where we through all the wrapping paper into the fire while cleaning up and immediately a roar sent my husband out the door to get the hose and keep our roof from burning up. We hadn't learned our lesson from the stove pipe in the kitchen that caught fire from the carbon build up! How often did people clean their sooty chimneys and how did they do it? That information could certainly be used today.
From what I've read, they (get ready) grabbed a couple chickens and dropped them down the cold chimney. The flapping dislodged the soot, and the chickens would land unharmed but probably ticked off.
LOve the pots !!! . 50 years at the wheel out here (mostly flowerpots ) .Salt in the 1970's and 80's . I worked at Jugtown in 69 .. Ewenny in Wales after that and Wetheriggs pottery in the lakes after that .. I would love to visit .. ! Yours Guy
I have always felt like I was born in the wrong era. And watching the videos on this channel always make me feel "in the right place" when I imagine life in the 1800's. Thanks Jon, y'all make great content every time.
I'm learning to make pottery, and is a wonderful skill. learning the salt kiln is a wonderful skill.they specialize in different kilns including salt and soda kilns at Utah State University. it is facinating.
@Jon Townsend. It was from the rafters of that pottery kiln that I saw the chicken being hung by a string, being cooked over a fire on the ground. The potter's dinner I guess.That was back in the 70s. I have no idea why that made an impression on me except for the fact that you don't need much to roast a chicken; just a fire and some string!
As a former Hoosier, I am so glad that I found this on your website. I am so grateful to have been a witness to this video. It's a well done production.
I have wanted to learn pottery. We have a neighbor that use to do pottery and has an oven kiln. This would be cool to do a salt kiln. Get all of your pieces done, with me would take a while, then glaze them all at 1 time. A store worth of products done in 1 day, just once every couple of months. That is till I would, as he said, get better at the craft. Thank you for sharing this piece.
I have not been to “Prairie Town” in almost three decades. I should make a trip to the Hoosier Heartlands and see that wonderful piece of Hamilton County once more.
Recently graduated college and looking for a good salaried job, once I get to that point my wife and I are definitely moving into a house and taking up these older crafts for the sake of both self sufficiency and a feeling of connection to people of the past. My great grandparents used to make things they needed from scratch because they were so poor. Sure we have more efficient ways of doing things but I want to feel connected to the past and I want to take pride in traditional activities.
Hope you come back to this topic some time, and actually show some of the most used pottery of the time, perhaps go through how these would be made so some people at home can have a go at it, if they so prefer ... i really like pottery as a skill to learn more about, because creating any vessel that can hold liquids (or keep rodents out) was so important to us as a species, not just in the 1800s century.
I've been half a dozen times, it's one of my favorite places. The tradespeople are tremendous there. I've learned so much from so many of them. I learned to blacksmith watching their former head-smith. If you've got some money to spare, make reservations for the King's Arms Tavern for dinner. It's an amazing experience with authentic food and period entertainment.
I have a question that's not related to the episode at all. I am just curious what types of family games did they play say indoors during rainy weather. Thank You.
Most likely knuckle bones would have been on the list. Older version of jacks. Checkers. By the 18th century playing cards were mostly common though kind of expensive. Some board games are pretty old. Fox & ladders? Hull gull guess how many. Marbles
They did a lot of work. Kids learned from parents by helping do the things that needed doing. Mending tools or clothes or other useful crafts. Possibly a bit of food preservation. But kids had toys to play with too. Different technology but kids are kids.
I remember watching this years ago! Watching it again :) I know they used to sell these but not sure if they sell them online, need to look. I know Townsend's has some drinkware
