elizabeth priddy on sat 11 dec 99
These self-destructing pots sound like the
perfect solution for the beginning thrower who
can't bear to not keep every single thing.
They would get their "keeping" jollies and
then the clay would apply the discipline. I
wish I had a special bag of it just to be able to
say: "I told you that pot was no good! Now
do you believe me?!"
Tongue firmly in cheek,
Elizabeth Priddy
email: epriddy@usa.net
http://www.angelfire.com/nc/clayworkshop
Clay: 12,000 yrs and still fresh!
On Fri, 10 Dec 1999 13:44:28 Tasha Olive wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>I too, have a funny ( or maybe not so ) "perfect clay" story (most of us
>probably do!), so here goes.... As the backhoe was digging the hole for our
>new pool we all noticed he had hit some nice creamy stuff in a perfect vein.
>More excited by this find that my future pool I set about finding the right
>spot for the hoe to put all my lovely newfound clay. The operator was
>intrigued and as my husband explained I ran to my studio to throw with
>it....amazing how wonderful it was to work.. I too was in love... eyes
>glazed over, the whole enchilada. Took great chunks to dry, sieve, and remix
>and began two days worth of throwing everything my heart desired. I can
>still feel the elation.... was even thinking about approaching my husband
>about a lot makeover so that I could exploit the entire amount of this
>wonderful stuff.
>Dried the ware as usual, bisqued, and set the pots on my "to glaze" shelf.
>Imagine my shock when my pots started to disintegrate on the shelf. No one
>around here to ask of so tried to research it myself....am guessing too much
>lime in the claybody....but maybe you all will have the real
>explanation,anyway,needless to say, did not tear up our property to dig up
>any more.Tasha
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Marian Morris
>To: CLAYART@LSV.UKY.EDU
>Date: Thursday, December 09, 1999 9:15 AM
>Subject: Re: The Clay that Threw Itself
>
>
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Great story! Reminds me of my first encounter with "indigenous" clay. It was
>on the island of Guam, and the clay is rather legendary since much
>anthropology out there is based on evidence of the shards of early pots.
>Found an unbelievable vein of the sticky stuff, dug it up, cleaned it, and
>it was just great to work with. But- in the kiln- same story as yours. It
>was the richest red I had ever seen, all those little shards. Ahh, the
>ornery clay. I have one shiny pot in my studio that survived. Somehow the
>clay almost glazed itself. It looks like a burnished piece, even though nary
>a burnishing stroke landed on that pot. But it is shiny as all get-out. What
>caused that, you mudly experts?
>
>
>>From: Carolynn Palmer
>>Reply-To: Ceramic Arts Discussion List
>>To: CLAYART@LSV.UKY.EDU
>>Subject: The Clay that Threw Itself
>>Date: Wed, 8 Dec 1999 12:37:35 EST
>>
>>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>>Well, not really.
>>
>>I make my own clay bodies. I experiment quite a bit in my search for the
>>perfect buff colored clay body, and sometimes use the same approach that I
>>use in cooking - "a little bit of this and a little bit of that."
>>
>>I had several 50 lb. bags of Kentucky Stone from K-T Clay Co. lingering
>>around and also some bags of New Foundry Hill Creme that I had purchased
>>under the mistaken impression that it was "Old" Foundry Hill Creme (a clay
>>formerly known as Gizmo from H.C. Spinks.) Anyway, I threw the Kentucky
>>Stone into the mixer - half and half with the NFHC, added water until it
>>looked right and let it mix. Pugged it and made pots with it.
>>
>>(Not very scientific, but didn't potters just dig clay from along river
>>banks, etc and throw with it for years and years?)
>>
>>Never in all my years did I ever work with a clay body that was so easy to
>>throw - tall forms got taller with less clay, thin pots got thinner, and
>>it
>>seemed to actually assist in the throwing process. I pushed the sides out
>>defying gravity and they didn't slump. I was in love!!! I thought I'd
>>found
>>nirvana.
>>
>>I bisqued and glazed these "wonder clay" pots.
>>
>>Then I opened the cooled glaze kiln (I fire to cone 8 in electric kilns)
>>and
>>the first thing I noticed was all of this debris on the shelves - it was
>>the
>>glaze which had thrown itself off the edges and rims of the pots onto the
>>shelves as they cooled. It wasn't melted to the shelves, but was
>>everywhere,
>>like loose, tiny, multicolored confetti.
>>
>>In addition, some pots which appeared perfect when taken out of the kiln,
>>would throw the glaze off their rims and ridges days and weeks after their
>>firing.
>>
>>After trying every glaze recipe I have come across on these pots, I still
>>haven't found one that actually fits this clay body. Except one recipe I
>>concocted myself that has mostly the two clays as a base, but were they
>>ugly!
>> My daughter dubbed them, "snot on a pot."
>>
>>I still have lots of these pots (bisque) on the back of my shelves thinking
>>someday I am going to come across a glaze that actually fits this half and
>>half clay body.
>>
>>Carolynn Palmer, Somerset Center, Michigan
>>
>>
>
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