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what is paper clay?

updated fri 8 jan 99

 

JCJM on tue 5 jan 99

Can you please tell me what paper clay is? Thank You!
j-m

Thonas C. Curran on wed 6 jan 99

JCJM wrote:
>
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Can you please tell me what paper clay is? Thank You!
> j-m
Paper clay is any clay body to which a certain percentage of paper pulp
has been added. This addition permits the breaking of some of the
basic rules of pottery making (it allows melding wet to dry clay, you
don't have to let it dry slowly under plastic, etc.) and is especially
great for ceramic sculptures. Rosette Gault has written "Paper Clay for
Ceramic Sculptors" which I know is available from Axner, and I just
noted a website for her: www.ceramicpclay.com/ncc which I will take a
look at after I leave Clayart. One method for making Paper clay is to
mix one to three units of moist paper pulp (tsp, cups, pails or
whatever) to 10 units of clay SLIP. Then you can use it in slip form or
let it dry on plaster. When I have made my own Pclay, I use a clay mixer
and prepare moist clay, bypassing the slip part, and I eyeball the mix
to give approx. the same % that I would get using slip. It's
fascinating stuff, and although I have made a tea bowl on the wheel,
it's better for sculpture, etc. I did take the dry tea bowl and add wet
additions to the basic pot several days after I threw and trimmed it,
and the additions adhered very well. More another day when I don't have
a deadline for a show application.
Carolyn aka CNC

Paul & Lori Rozman - Lautermilch on wed 6 jan 99

Hi J-M,
Try this site which will more then answer your question:
http://www.paperclayart.com

Have fun,
Paul Rozman
700 Russell Road, RR# 2
Ladysmith, BC, V0R 2E0
Canada
TL. (250) 245-1055

http://www3.bc.sympatico.ca/mtopottery
mtopottery@bc.sympatico.ca




-----Original Message-----
From: JCJM
To: CLAYART@LSV.UKY.EDU
Date: January 5, 1999 9:59 AM
Subject: what is paper clay?


----------------------------Original message----------------------------
Can you please tell me what paper clay is? Thank You!
j-m

Thonas C. Curran on thu 7 jan 99

the Gallaghers wrote:
>
> I know this has been discussed, but I don't remember the answer to the
> question.........
>
> How much smoke results during firing and can paperclay be fired in an
> electric kiln??
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Thonas C. Curran
> To: CLAYART@LSV.UKY.EDU
> Date: Wednesday, January 06, 1999 6:47 AM
> Subject: Re: what is paper clay?
>
> >----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> >JCJM wrote:
> >>
> >> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> >> Can you please tell me what paper clay is? Thank You!
> >> j-m
> >Paper clay is any clay body to which a certain percentage of paper pulp
> >has been added.
I thought of your question after I had sent the posting. I use an
electric kiln, and it is in the basement. So far...which is not a heck
of a lot of trials...I have encountered acrid odor but not appreciable
smoke. So far I have limited paper clay sculptures to a small
percentage of the kiln load. I think I would have to improve present
ventilation if I did a lot, but I don't use the electric kiln much these
days. I would do bisquing of bigger quantities of the stuff outside or
with super ventilation. At any rate, always start small so you can make
mistakes on small scale and thus learn how the material will react.
Another point: I have used clay pulp from a chemist neighbor (this is
paper making country) but good old toilet paper is my preferred paper
since it is made to disintegrate easily. First I dunk the TP in water
(which makes it easy to tear it off the roll into smaller chunks) and
then I pour boiling water over the chunks which are placed a mixing
bowl. I let the stuff sit for a few minutes, then I use a hand mixer to
mix it further. Next step is straining the pulp through a strainer, and
the resulting oatmeal-like glop is your paper pulp raw material for the
P clay.
All this info comes from an old one page CM article on "documents"
made of paper clay, but I've mislaid that. From that one article I made
a porcelain figure 14 inches high on a Friday and Saturday, put it in
kitchen oven to dry a bit, bisqued it with bottom element on low Sat.
night, finished the bisque Sunday, had a completed and glazed sculptural
piece ready for an exhibition entry before leaving for California on
Tuesday. Now you can't do that with regular clay...
Subsequently I purchased Gault's book which is informative and
interesting as to this new medium. I don't know if there are any other
Pclay gurus or not beside Rosette...Clayarters, do you know?
Carolyn aka CNC