Saggar

[4] Saggars are still used in the production of ceramics to shield ware from the direct contact of flames and from damage by kiln debris.

[13] The manufacturer of saggars in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries occupied a large proportion of space, labour and material (fuel and clay) at the imperial manufactury, and there were more kilns devoted to creating them than to firing the final product.

A saggar maker's bottom knocker[16] was a job title considered sufficiently amusing for it to be featured on the television panel show What's My Line?.

[18] In this use saggars are used to create a localised reducing atmosphere,[18] or concentrate the effects of salts, metal oxides and other materials on the surface of their ware.

One method creates a smooth surface covered with clay slip, terra sigillata, which responds particularly well to the saggar technique.

These materials ignite or fume during firing, leaving the pot buried in layers of fine ash.

In addition to the use of saggars, some studio potters bundle pots and burnable materials within a heavy wrapping of metal foil.