Smith, Judy on wed 26 sep 07
The handles on my coffee cups almost always crack along the seam where
it attaches to near the rim of the cup. This happens more often when I
use B-mix or porcelain clay. I attach my handles with spooze, paint the
handle and the seam with wax, and cover the cup lightly with plastic.
Can anyone suggest a way to fix this problem?
=20
Thanks,
Judy Smith
Nashville, TN
Marcia Selsor on wed 26 sep 07
Try drying the mugs updise down after pulling the handles on them.
Cover with plastic and dry slowly.
Marcia Selsor
http://marciaselsor.com
On Sep 26, 2007, at 7:11 AM, Smith, Judy wrote:
> The handles on my coffee cups almost always crack along the seam where
> it attaches to near the rim of the cup. This happens more often
> when I
> use B-mix or porcelain clay. I attach my handles with spooze,
> paint the
> handle and the seam with wax, and cover the cup lightly with plastic.
> Can anyone suggest a way to fix this problem?
>
>
>
> Thanks,
>
> Judy Smith
>
> Nashville, TN
>
> ______________________________________________________________________
> ________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
> melpots2@visi.com
>
Dale Neese on wed 26 sep 07
Judy,
attach the handles soon after throwing as possible. Keep the cup bodies
covered to prevent moisture loss. Porcelain and B-Mix dry rather quickly. It
is the difference in moisture of the cup and the handle that cause the
cracking. Use porcelain-B-mix clay in your spooze. Press the handle on the
cup firmly and work the handle back towards the cup. Then cover and dry
slowly. Waxing is a time waster.
Dale Tex
"across the alley from the Alamo"
San Antonio, Texas USA
Michael Wendt on wed 26 sep 07
Judy,
With clays like this, do a crude experiment:
Take a freshly thrown series of cups all
kept wet as possible to make that the
control element and place some in a top
down airstream for 15-20 minutes to form
a stiffer but not dry rim.
Create a label for each experiment saying
what was done to each. A few ideas...
Attach and pull a handle from some.
pull and set handles on a board and
mount some wetter, some medium,
some dryer. (as you mount dryer handles
to dryer cups, the carved fit becomes
critical).
try different drying schedules from slow
to fast... you get the idea.
So often, method and timing are the key
to a particular clay body and these are
related closely to what you do so an outside
solution may not work for you and you need
a scientific approach to attacking and solving
the problem.
Here, we work with Helmer Clay which is
very much like porcelain (vitreous, translucent
when thin and very fine grained but not pure
white) so what we do might help.
We let our item dry in a damp box
until it is firm enough to trim. The handle is
pulled and bent to shape on a board and
placed on the fan setup at:
http://www.wendtpottery.com/clayart.htm
while we trim. It is monitored and they
are wrapped up when they a near to the
same moisture as the mugs while the trimming
is finished. Then they are carved to fit the
shape of the body closely so that only a few
drops of water at each mount point are used.
Contact is immediate, followed by a few wiggle
twists while pressing. You can feel the handle
grab and become immovable. The bottom
mount we peen ( pound hard enough to deform)
with the handle of the fettling knife.
Joints are cleared of any wet sheen immediately
to avoid drying cracks and the cups go back into
the damp box to dry, mostly to avoid the handles
getting dry quicker than the cup bodies.
Good Luck with your quest,
Regards,
Michael Wendt
Wendt Pottery
2729 Clearwater Ave.
Lewiston, Id 83501
U.S.A.
208-746-3724
wendtpot@lewiston.com
http://www.wendtpottery.com
http://UniquePorcelainDesigns.com
Gayle Bair on wed 26 sep 07
Judy,
I had battled these issues with B-Mix for years.
Finally I decided it was me not the B-Mix. I was trying to make
do what it clearly didn't want to do. I was working too fast, letting it
get too dry & not keeping pieces & attachments an even moisture content.
After doing several handbuilding workshops the virtual 2x4 finally hit me in
the right spot!
So now (especially with B-Mix) I make all the parts, let them firm up a few
hours then
place them all in a tub (spouts placed inside the teapot) cover lightly with
plastic
then place the lid on the tub overnight. After trimming and attaching they
go back into the tub.
for a day or 2 then out to dry. My last 2 teapots came out perfectly and
took less time than
my previous methods. I use magic water, claybody and a bit of toilet paper
for joins.
My last 2 teapots came out flawless. I was pleased.
BTW I use these tubs in my Tucson garage studio for a lot of work that need
to stay leatherhard.
I kept a casserole leatherhard for a month with just a damp sponge in the
tub. It's a great system.
I do put a hardiboard on the bottom and wet it if I need extra moisture.
Use the clear tubs that can stack so you can see what's in there and not
take up too much space.
Gayle Bair
Bainbridge Island, WA
Tucson, AZ
http://claybair.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG]On Behalf Of Smith, Judy
Sent: Wednesday, September 26, 2007 5:11 AM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: attaching handles
The handles on my coffee cups almost always crack along the seam where
it attaches to near the rim of the cup. This happens more often when I
use B-mix or porcelain clay. I attach my handles with spooze, paint the
handle and the seam with wax, and cover the cup lightly with plastic.
Can anyone suggest a way to fix this problem?
Thanks,
Judy Smith
Nashville, TN
____________________________________________________________________________
__
Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots2@visi.com
No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.488 / Virus Database: 269.13.30/1030 - Release Date: 9/25/2007
8:02 AM
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.488 / Virus Database: 269.13.31/1031 - Release Date: 9/26/2007
12:12 PM
Smith, Judy on wed 26 sep 07
Thanks everyone for your suggestions on how to attach handles. I will
slow down my drying and turn my mugs frequently. I will also try using
a tub to slow down the drying and magic water/toilet paper/claybody for
my joins.
Judy Smith
Tom at Hutchtel.net on wed 26 sep 07
As you attach the handle, are you pushing the two pieces together with a
good wiggle til the clay won't slide? It's the wiggle that works the
particles into each other. For an analogy, put the fingertips of your two
hands together so all the 4 finger tips touch. Your fingers are the clay
particles. Touching like that is like sticking a handle on with a bit of
juice but no wiggle.
Now, push the tips together with a bit of back and forth wiggle. The
fingers will intertwine a bit. That's what the wiggle is doing. Now when
you fire the piece, the interjoined clay will melt together making the join
like a weld, not a glue joint. If you do score, (not necessary) do it on
one side only or you are introducing air pockets into the join.
The smoothing of the joined cloy is purely aesthetic. Oh yes, any joining
juice should be well soaked in. If there is a layer of wet in the joint, it
will help increase the cracking.
Tom Wirt
Ron Roy on wed 26 sep 07
Hi Judy,
I use plain cider vinegar - don't need to score - rub a little on the pot
and a little on the handle and press it on. Dry slowely and attach as soon
as you can hold the mug without deforming it.
RR
>Thanks everyone for your suggestions on how to attach handles. I will
>slow down my drying and turn my mugs frequently. I will also try using
>a tub to slow down the drying and magic water/toilet paper/claybody for
>my joins.
>
>Judy Smith
Ron Roy
RR#4
15084 Little Lake Road
Brighton, Ontario
Canada
K0K 1H0
Dean on thu 27 sep 07
I never liked B mix for that reason, many cracks in
attachments.
Dry your handles out as much as possible before
attaching them. What you stick them on with doesn't
matter much (slip, magic water, etc) I use vinegar.
You stretch the handles pulling them and they shrink a
lot lengthwise, more than the cups, which are
stretched in a spiral not in line with the handles. So
let them dry a bit and keep your cups at soft leather
till you join them. and cover them after joining for a
slow dry. It also helps to come back when they're firm
leather and compress the joint that tends to crack
with a rounded wooden tool.
good luck,
Dean
10,000 cups later and still on Kauai
lightwavepottery.com
____________________________________________________________________________________
Tonight's top picks. What will you watch tonight? Preview the hottest shows on Yahoo! TV.
http://tv.yahoo.com/
Carole Fox on thu 27 sep 07
On Wed, 26 Sep 2007 07:11:16 -0500, Smith, Judy
wrote:
>The handles on my coffee cups almost always crack along the seam where
>it attaches to near the rim of the cup. This happens more often when I
>use B-mix or porcelain clay.
Judy - for my ^5 B-Mix pots, I found by trial and error that what works
best for me is to attach handles without using any slip - I just brush a
little cider vinegar on both surfaces, and wiggle them together firmly.
When I had previously used slip, I got a lot of cracking. I haven't had
any cracks in the handle joints since I switched to vinegar. I also make
sure that the handle and pot are as close to the same degree of wetness as
possible.
Carole Fox
Dayton, OH
Randall Moody on thu 27 sep 07
I found that not scoring with a serrated rib or one of those god awful wire
brushes helps. For handbuilding in porcelain I use an old toothbrush and a
little vinegar and water. The wiggle thing noted by others helps a great
deal.
Randall
On 9/27/07, Carole Fox wrote:
>
> On Wed, 26 Sep 2007 07:11:16 -0500, Smith, Judy
> wrote:
>
> >The handles on my coffee cups almost always crack along the seam where
> >it attaches to near the rim of the cup. This happens more often when I
> >use B-mix or porcelain clay.
>
Gayle Bair on thu 27 sep 07
Oh yes the wiggle thing really works...I wiggle it
until I can feel the attachment lock onto the piece.
Gayle Bair - ewwww that reads pretty odd.... weirdoes
don't send any responses... except for Wayne!
Bainbridge Island, WA
Tucson, AZ
http://claybair.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Randall Moody
I found that not scoring with a serrated rib or one of those god awful wire
brushes helps. For handbuilding in porcelain I use an old toothbrush and a
little vinegar and water. The wiggle thing noted by others helps a great
deal.
Randall
No virus found in this outgoing message.
Checked by AVG Free Edition.
Version: 7.5.488 / Virus Database: 269.13.31/1031 - Release Date: 9/26/2007
12:12 PM
Rogier Donker on fri 28 sep 07
Wiggling handle attachment....:-)
So I've been throwing for a while ;-) ... Can't remember when I
discovered that handles would stick to mug bodies just by suction....
the important thing is that both mug and handle are in the same state
of dryness. Grab mug in left hand, index finger inside at location
where handle goes, grab handle at thick end between thumb and index
finger of right hand and push and wiggle.... you can FEEL when the
suction attaches the handle,smooth joint with right index finger,
then pull handle some more, bend it over and attach bottom, also
without any addition of water, vinegar etc etc. First time I ever saw
that process done was forty seven years ago when Karl Martz attached
MY pulled handle (an awful attempt!) to MY first thrown pitcher
(also an awful attempt...) Of course I was totally wiped out when
Karl did that.... awesome! No water, no slip, no scoring (causes air
bubbles, hence cracking off of handle...) no nothing! Just clay to
clay! Now forty seven years later of course I realize that it all
comes down to KNOWING your medium, realizing it's properties and
potential and practice, practice, practice.... experience also
helps... ;-)
Ah to be the student again! (no thanks!)
HPC!
Rogier
See us on the web at http://www.donkerstudio.org
Bill Merrill on fri 28 sep 07
Vinegar mixed with your regular clay body will hold the wet handle on
and it can be pulled off the body the immediately. I pull the handles
off of large pitchers that way. I pre pull the handle larger than I
need, attach the first stage handle and the hold the pitcher with the
handle pointing down and the pull the handle again so the handle flows
from the pot and when done gently shake the pitcher as I turn the
pitcher upright, then I attach the base of the handle to the pitcher or
cup. However when using the same slip on large hand builds that you
want to appear seamless, vinegar slip doesn't shrink the same rate as
the clay body and no matter how much you smooth and scrape the seam will
show up as a little ridge. Use regular slip or none at all. Dan Rhodes
used Calgon to mix with his clay body to produce a thick paste like slip
to put his large sculptures together. He also used the slip thinner
when he didn't want a mortar squeezing from the joints. The Calgon melts
with the clay and most stoneware bodies go orange in color when fired in
reduction. He also used fiberglass cloth dipped in the Calgon clay mix
to produce interesting shapes that he attached to his forms. He would
also use chopped up pieces to put in the mix. This works with porcelain
as well.=20
Bill =20
billm@pcadmin.ctc.edu
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of Ron Roy
Sent: Wednesday, September 26, 2007 6:41 PM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Re: attaching handles
Hi Judy,
I use plain cider vinegar - don't need to score - rub a little on the
pot
and a little on the handle and press it on. Dry slowely and attach as
soon
as you can hold the mug without deforming it.
RR
>Thanks everyone for your suggestions on how to attach handles. I will
>slow down my drying and turn my mugs frequently. I will also try using
>a tub to slow down the drying and magic water/toilet paper/claybody for
>my joins.
>
>Judy Smith
Ron Roy
RR#4
15084 Little Lake Road
Brighton, Ontario
Canada
K0K 1H0
________________________________________________________________________
______
Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots2@visi.com
| |
|
