I.Lewis on sun 16 jan 00
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Recent questions and advice about paper clay are interesting. I have no =
doubt
that pots which are every bit as good as any others can be thrown from paper
clay. It is, after all, a plastic medium.
So, if it is used for throwing, what are the advantages, what are the
disadvantages. It=92s that old SWAT analysis again, strengths, weaknesses,
opportunities, threats and drawbacks.
I can see that lower final weight can be an advantage and that reducing the
thermal mass of a pot gives better financial advantages when firing. Are =
there
design advantages because the material is lighter, volume for volume =
enabling
taller pots to be made. Does it fire to a porous vitreous structure or does
vitrification expel the air and cause excessive shrinkage. What have the =
users
got to say on these points
Inquisitive as usual.
Ivor Lewis.
Nikom Chimnok on mon 17 jan 00
I don't know if the paperclay I've made is special or not; I've never seen
any commercial paperclay. In any event, when firing it, I've found it to be
different from non-paper clay.
1. It doesn't seem to be as strong while firing, but it's flexible. I fired
a bowl-like thing leaning against the side of the kiln once, and it folded
completely in half, without cracking. I've used this weakness to advantage
when doing slabs forms--just lie them on a flat surface, and no matter how
they may have warped while drying, they'll flatten themselves out during the
firing.
2. Once fired terra sigged pieces tend to come out reduced. Makes sense.
3. On thick pieces fired to vitrification, I've gotten the most spectacular
bubbling. Obiously they were fired too fast--the paper hadn't all burned
before the surface had gotten soft and viscous, so it blew bubbles. Thinner
pieces I've fired to vitrification without that problem, but they did shrink
a lot.
Just a few observations. Perhaps irrelevant, because I think I've generally
used too much paper.
Nikom
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At 21:24 16/1/00 EST, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>------------------
>Recent questions and advice about paper clay are interesting. I have no doubt
>that pots which are every bit as good as any others can be thrown from paper
>clay. It is, after all, a plastic medium.
>
>So, if it is used for throwing, what are the advantages, what are the
>disadvantages. It's that old SWAT analysis again, strengths, weaknesses,
>opportunities, threats and drawbacks.
>
>I can see that lower final weight can be an advantage and that reducing the
>thermal mass of a pot gives better financial advantages when firing. Are there
>design advantages because the material is lighter, volume for volume enabling
>taller pots to be made. Does it fire to a porous vitreous structure or does
>vitrification expel the air and cause excessive shrinkage. What have the users
>got to say on these points
>
>Inquisitive as usual.
>
>Ivor Lewis.
>
>
Dannon Rhudy on mon 17 jan 00
At 09:24 PM 01/16/2000 EST, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>------------------
>Recent questions and advice about paper clay are interesting. I have no doubt
>.......So, if it is used for throwing, what are the advantages, what are the
>disadvantages........
I have found advantages to be that the clay can be stretched more,
making it possible to more easily make small-footed, wide vase
forms. BUT - a major disadvantage is that the paper quickly absorbes
water from throwing, and the paperclay can and does suddenly collapse,
with little warning that it is about to happen. Another disadvantage
is that if there are any chunks of paper whatsoever, they are a real
nuisance to throwing. The biggest drawback, however, is that paper
clay is a bear to trim. It clogs trimming tools immediately, constantly,
incessantly. Dulls them quickly. Not worth it, in my view.
regards,
Dannon Rhudy
potter@koyote.com
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