Pamela Jo Stamper on wed 22 apr 98
---Original message-------------My favorite myth is "you can't make work
out of two different clay bodies, they will crack apart in firing"
Cara Moczygemba gleefully mixing claybodies in New Orleans
Cara,
I had a friend who used two different clays for mugs. Handles were
different than cup...They didn't crack in firing...BUT, they later cracked
in use! My two cents is that I wouldn't do it. What do you experts say?
Pamela Jo stamps@seasurf.com
Tyler Hannigan on thu 23 apr 98
To Cara, Pamala & all clay Artist with an adventurous spirit,
Mixing different colored clays is a fascinating area of ceramics. Techniques
had been developed hundreds of years ago in Asia. New ideas are being explored
today. The difficulty is similar to the problem of fitting a glaze to your clay
body. You need to experiment a little, finding clay bodies that have similar
shrinkage rates is the key. Also, the moisture content should be similar. You
don't have to be a rocket scientist. Take a handful of this and a handful of
that clay, squeeze them together, fold it a few times and make a pinch pot or
try throwing it on the wheel. If it works great. If not try another mix. The
handling process tends to smear the surface which will require scraping or
sanding.. I make colored porcelain beads and after firing I put them into a
rock tumbler which cleans the surface and makes for a wonderful smooth feeling.
Another way to explore this area is to add oxides or stains to a base clay or
porcelain.
If you have ever been envious of the way glass blowers manipulate there
material you can find all kinds of way to mix clays in similar ways.
Another hint to add intensity is to use more than 2 colors.
three web sites to check out:
Hedi Beinhert - colored porcelain -
http://www.silverhawk.com/crafts/beinert.html
Mary Gegunde - Mixed stoneware _ http://www.silverhawk.com/crafts/gegunde.html
Me - colored porcelain - http://www.silverhawk.com/tssa/cm/thann/
Enjoy your exploration,
Tyler Hannigan
silverhawk@silverhawk.com
Pamela Jo Stamper wrote:
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> ---Original message-------------My favorite myth is "you can't make work
> out of two different clay bodies, they will crack apart in firing"
> Cara Moczygemba gleefully mixing claybodies in New Orleans
>
> Cara,
> I had a friend who used two different clays for mugs. Handles were
> different than cup...They didn't crack in firing...BUT, they later cracked
> in use! My two cents is that I wouldn't do it. What do you experts say?
> Pamela Jo stamps@seasurf.com
CaraMox on sat 25 apr 98
Tyler, Pamela, etal:
I use multiple clay bodies in single pieces. I am not doing this for color,
but for technical reasons. I use a sculpture clay, and sculpt a figure, or
whatever, and apply lowfire, slipcast pieces to the surface, a "collage". My
clays do not have a similar shrinkage rate, they don't even have a similar
firing range. Some who I gave cards to at NCECA (and I felt like I gave them
to anyone who came within arms reach) asked what they were looking at, what
was earthenware, what was stoneware. It was through claims about paperclay
(that one can put bisque pieces into wet paperclay and fire them together, and
vice versa) that lead me to a way to get many clay bodies to fire together.
Sometimes they seperate, but usually they hold together. I don't suggest it
for functional ware, unless maybe you're Louis Katz ;-)
Cara Moczygemba
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