Llewellyn Kouba on sat 8 jan 00
Readers: a short time ago I saw a post which seemed to indicate that if you
have a clay body that is not very plastic you could add a bit of empsom salt
to the batch and this would help(improve elasticity) but if you add too much
it would deflocculate the clay. So does this work in practice and
approximately what amount of epsom might be tried?
I have a clay body that is very nice but seems to lack a bit of elasticity
and I don't want to change the clay type but wonder if epsom could be a help
here?
Question- RE: seeking to improve elasticity
Llewellyn Kouba
ABBEY POTTERY
http://www.assumptionabbey.com/Pottery
Dannon Rhudy on sun 9 jan 00
At 02:28 PM 01/08/2000 EST, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Readers: a short time ago I saw a post which seemed to indicate that if you
>you could add a bit of empsom salt
>to the batch..............
Yes, you can do that. I do that for a 25/25/25/25 porcelain body that
I use, and it helps a bit with an otherwise squishy clay body. Try adding
about 1/4 cup (dry) epsom salts to 100 pounds of clay. I dissolve the
epsom salts in warm water, add to the water for mixing. It helps in
my case, in that small amount.
regards
Dannon Rhudy
potter@koyote.com
Llewellyn Kouba on mon 10 jan 00
Dear Dannon,
Thanks for the info on the claybody. You say your porcelain is 'squishy'
and after you put the Epsom in the batch what does the clay react like?
This particularly troublesome body is beautiful and handles nice but I can't
get the walls as thin as I normally do with my other stoneware and would
like to get (more elasticity). Is that what you would say it does? I don't
want to dry it out. Does it sound like it might work for me? thanks
Llewellyn
ABBEY POTTERY
http://www.assumptionabbey.com/Pottery
----- Original Message -----
From: "Dannon Rhudy"
To:
Sent: January 09, 2000 8:50 AM
Subject: Re: Does Epsom salt improve elasticity in a claybody?
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> At 02:28 PM 01/08/2000 EST, you wrote:
> >----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> >Readers: a short time ago I saw a post which seemed to indicate that if
you
> >you could add a bit of empsom salt
> >to the batch..............
>
> Yes, you can do that. I do that for a 25/25/25/25 porcelain body that
> I use, and it helps a bit with an otherwise squishy clay body. Try adding
> about 1/4 cup (dry) epsom salts to 100 pounds of clay. I dissolve the
> epsom salts in warm water, add to the water for mixing. It helps in
> my case, in that small amount.
>
> regards
>
> Dannon Rhudy
> potter@koyote.com
Dannon Rhudy on tue 11 jan 00
Well, I merely meant that the clay body is not very plastic. I note that
John Tilton uses a lot more than I do, by the way.
The point, no doubt, is that the epsom salts increase
the plasticity of the clay. Make a small amount to test, and try a range
between what I use and what he uses, and see what works best with
your clay. I believe you'll find some improvement, though in my
experience the porcelains still won't throw as easily/thinly as the
stonewares. But they'll be a lot better. You'll note a difference
in the "touch" of the clay almost immediately, and if you can give
it a bit of aging time, it will be even better.
regards,
Dannon Rhudy
potter@koyote.com
At 04:01 PM 01/10/2000 EST, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Dear Dannon,
>
>Thanks for the info on the claybody. You say your porcelain is 'squishy'
>and after you put the Epsom in the batch what does the clay react like?
Carolyn Nygren Curran on wed 12 jan 00
Thanks for idea about epsom salts in aiding plasticity. I have printed
out the posting and posted it above my clay mixer. So many useful ideas
coming out of Clayart...
My turn to contribute as well as benefit, although I'm in January cleanup
phase and can't answer those waiting for answers of recent glaze
experimentation...... Cleanup and re-arranging studio brings
thoughts of all those things used in studio which allowed me to start a
studio on a shoestring, and so I'll share a few of those with you guys:
*a friends' hand me down metal kitchen cabinets with doors taken off used
for glaze ingredient storage.
*2 metal kitchen corner cabinets, doors off again and placed together so
diagonal sides meet--I use top for test kilns, shelves for storage.
*garage sale bookshelves with door on top, then bricks at either end with
another door on top: Result, a workspace adjacent to wheel at good
height, shelf underneath for bats, ware shelves and "stuff".
*Homosote bulletin board on wall - comes in 4 by 8 foot sheets, enough
room for inspirational posters as well as orders, info, informational
Clayart postings, favorite glaze recipes, etc.
*clay, equipment catalogs have lots of free useful info to cut out and put
on bulletin board...frit composition, feldspars, etc. Clay suppliers may
also have more info to hand out if you ask.
*sugar maple gathering galvanized pail: great for dip glazing tall,
skinny pots. KIddy plastic pails (75% off at close of summer in
supermarket) for glazes. Some nice and tall, tres cheap as well.
*those great 5 gallon pails available free from supermarket bakeries.
(Can you imagine frosting "homemade" doughnuts with frosting from 5 gallon
pail? Ugh.)
*3 for a dollar graduated plastic seives from a dollar store - great for
small glaze batches.
*Dollar, odds and ends, discount, Wal-mart type stores for sundries: I do
a fair amt of glaze experimentation, like the plastic lidded juice pitchers
I can get for a $1 which allow a decent 700 or 800 gr. batch as I recall.
All those plastic beer glasses- about 100 in pkg. - I got for princely sum
of 33 cents/pkg.
*wedging board of hand-me-down lumber base, pour yer own plaster top 3
inches or so thick.
*Cone 10 test kiln for small items a great way to learn glazing by making
your own mistakes if you can't afford a big kiln to start off.
That's all I can think of now... CNC the scrounger
*
Veena Raghavan on thu 13 jan 00
Message text written by Ceramic Arts Discussion List
> Cleanup and re-arranging studio brings
thoughts of all those things used in studio which allowed me to start a
studio on a shoestring, and so I'll share a few of those with you guys<
Hi Carolyn,
Thanks for sharing all that information. I am storing it away for
future use. Hope to have my own studio in the not to distant future, and it
is going to be on a shoestring with all the money going towards a good
wheel and a reliable kiln. So, all your tips will help a great deal.
All the best.
Veena
Veena Raghavan
75124.2520@compuserve.com
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