HLMass@aol.com on mon 10 aug 98
Hello all,
I just finished a fabulous one week workshop with Steven Hill. It was great
and I am really looking forward to trying his once firing techniques at home.
I liked using the cone 10 B-mix despite all of the comments that were not so
positive coming from the group. Although I did have some cracking we went
from bags of clay on Thursday to unloading finished pots from the gas kiln on
Tuesday so we really rushed the process and thus it is hard for me to tell
what kind of loss rate I would normally have.
Anyhow I fire to cone 6 at home and thought about trying the cone 5 B-mix and
working on some once fired pieces. I just wondered how many of you out in
clayland have used this claybody and what your comments are. Also, any of you
with advice for once firing in an electric kiln, PLEASE EMAIL ME. Steven had
lots of good advice but most of his firing experience is in a reduction
atmosphere and didn't have a lot of information on firing electric. Do you
candle overnight, etc????
Thanks for any help you can give.
Heather Massey
Columbia, CT
Michelle Lowe on tue 11 aug 98
>Anyhow I fire to cone 6 at home and thought about trying the cone 5 B-mix and
>working on some once fired pieces. I just wondered how many of you out in
>clayland have used this claybody and what your comments are.
I have not once-fired but I have used this clay and I have a warning-
In an electric kiln, fired to cone 6 THIS CLAY BLOATS! When they say cone
5, they MEAN cone 5!
Just want to make sure you are aware of this.
Good luck!
Mishy
Michelle Lowe, potter in the Phoenix desert \|/ |
mishlowe@indirect.com -O- | |
mishlowe@aztec.asu.edu /|\ | | |
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Mike Gordon on tue 11 aug 98
hi,
Idon't use B-mix but whatever clay I use I always leave the kiln on
pilot overnight, (gas ) and one level of my electric on low overnight
also.Mike
Caryl W. on tue 11 aug 98
>Date: Mon, 10 Aug 1998 09:45:32 EDT
>Reply-To: Ceramic Arts Discussion List
>From: HLMass@aol.com
>Subject: cone 5 b-mix
>To: CLAYART@LSV.UKY.EDU
>
>----------------------------Original
message----------------------------
>
>Anyhow I fire to cone 6 at home and thought about trying the cone 5
B-mix and
>working on some once fired pieces. I just wondered how many of you out
in
>clayland have used this claybody and what your comments are.
>
>Thanks for any help you can give.
>
>Heather Massey
>Columbia, CT
>
I've used Laguna cone 5 B-Mix for about 3 years,and have been really
happy with it. I find it really nice to throw with,nice and smooth and
easy on the hands;I am able to throw quite thinly with it without
distortion during drying or firing;while I don't throw really large
pieces,I find that with the larger ones I do throw (about 6 to 7 lbs)
the clay is quite co-operative for such items as casseroles,larger
serving platters etc.. I like the way it tends to dry quicker on the
top of the piece then the bottom,so it makes trimming easier without
distorting the rims;I;ve never really had any problems with attaching
handles etc( I attach quite damp,and then cover with plastic at least
overnight).I like the nice white body after firing and it's great with
white or light coloured glazes-they come out nice and true.The bottoms
come really sm-o-o-th just with a light rubbing with emery cloth.The
only problem I've had was because I didn't do carbon soaks during the
bisque and got some small eruptions in the subsequent glaze firing,now I
soak for an hour at 825C (during the bisque-Skutt kilnmaster) and that
seems to have solved the problem.I find it quite easy to rewedge and
reuse,usually during the same throwing session. I also find it forgiving
if I've left a piece too long before trimming- its easy to redampen and
trim away. All in all I'd give it a rating of 9 out of 1O in comparison
to some of the other finicky clays I've tried.I don't once fire though-
I bisque it to ^06 and glaze to^6.Hope this helps.
Caryl
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Don Prey on tue 11 aug 98
In a message dated 08/10/98 6:50:04 AM, you wrote:
<< I just wondered how many of you out in
clayland have used this claybody and what your comments are>>
Heather, I have been using cone 5 B-mix for the last three years.....more so
in the first two; I am now using mostly the cone 10 version for gas reduction
firing. I was very pleased with the cone 5 version and continue to work with
it for the electric firing work. As for once firing....I've never done that
as a regular practice, only the occasional item. I guess I would treat it as
a slow bisque firing and then just continue on to cone 5 or 6.
Don Prey in Oregon
Bacia Edelman on wed 14 oct 98
Jennifer Dubats asked if cone 5 B mix will be o.k. fired to cone 6. Yes,
Jennifer, it will work at cone 6.
I don't use it now, but when in Berkeley, CA for a couple months in '96, I
bought some cone 5 B-mix to work in the Potters' Studio, bisqued it, shipped
the pieces home, and glaze fired to cone 6. No problems at all.
Bacia Edelman Madison, WI
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