Carole Fox on fri 21 jul 00
Dear Clayart friends,
Some time ago I bought some Phoenix clay. My supplier recommended it =
to me when I told him I was looking for a cone 6 white stoneware clay. I =
was told by my supplier that even though the clay was rated cone 8-10, =
other potters had found it to be suitable for functional ware at cone 6. =
I was leery but I bought it. I threw it . I bisqued it. And for months =
it has sat on the shelf because I keep wondering why Highwater would =
rate it at cone 8 if it was beginning to vitrify at cone 6.=20
Does anyone out there use this clay at cone 6 for functional ware? =
Or, is there a reliable commercial white cone 6 stoneware that you can =
recommend to me? I live in the upper northeast corner of Maryland. My =
local suppliers (that I know of) are CSI in Baltimore, MD, Philadelphia, =
PA and Del Val in PA . I am not in the position to pick up a load of =
clay so I would need to be in the delivery area of any supplier you =
might suggest. Thanks in advance!
Carole- in Elkton, MD , finally done teaching clay camp for kids and =
ready to concentrate on my own work!
=20
taube wilson on fri 21 jul 00
Carole,
I really like Standard 181, which is very smooth, fires white
(just a little more yellowed than porcelain) and is rated cone 6-8.
According to Standard's web site(http://www.standardceramic.com/clay/)
it is carried by both Del Val and CSI.
I've thought the same thing about Highwater clays - they all have
really wide firing ranges, and at the studio I teach at people have
used Phoenix at ^6 and ^10, but I've really wondered whether to
trust them at the lower temps. I LOVE throwing them, and they fire
to beautiful colors. I just hesitate to use them at ^6.
Can anyone else out there address the issue of firing clay bodies
to the low end of their range?
Thanks!
Taube Wilson
Annandale,Va.
tpottery@hotmail.com
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amy parker on sat 22 jul 00
I have used Highwater's cone 10 clays Loafer's Glory, Half and Half, and
Wonder White, but not Phoenix. I mostly use their cone 6 P5 porcelain & red
stone, but have thrown several hundred pounds of the others. I fire to cone
6, maybe 6 and a half, after bisque firing to cone 04. I have been pleased
with the results at this "hard 6". I do feel like the clay could vitrify
more, but it is not not unacceptably porous. I have fired Kickwheel's cone
10 porcelain at cone 6, and I noticed that a bowl at a show that sat in a
rain puddle had noticably soaked up water thru the unglazed bottom. I have
used Standard 181 at both cone 6 and cone 10, although it is not "rated" for
10, and find that it works fine in both cases.
My work is primarily food-functional, so I am concerned that repeated
immersion in water will eventually have an effect on the clay that is still
porous when fired. Glaze will protect the food surfaces, but putting these
away before the bottoms get thoroughly dry has caused mildew to set in.
Try firing it to ^6 with the inside glazed with clear, then set it in some
shallow water for a while & see if you can tell if it has been absorbed. If
water absorption will not be a problem for you, I think you would be happy
with the clay at this range.
Your Mileage May Vary
Amy
At 10:17 PM 7/21/00 GMT, you wrote:
>Carole,
> I've thought the same thing about Highwater clays - they all have
>really wide firing ranges, and at the studio I teach at people have
>used Phoenix at ^6 and ^10, but I've really wondered whether to
>trust them at the lower temps. I LOVE throwing them, and they fire
>to beautiful colors. I just hesitate to use them at ^6.
>
> Can anyone else out there address the issue of firing clay bodies
>to the low end of their range?
>
> Thanks!
> Taube Wilson
amy parker Lithonia, GA
amyp@sd-software.com
Norman van der Sluys on sat 22 jul 00
We have used Minnesota Clay's Northern Light with Iron, listed as a ^8 - 10 clay
for years, firing it at ^6 - 7. The ware holds up very well and has good thermal
shock resistance. This body throws like a dream and is very forgiving. It has
enough grog in it to have good wet strength without being hard on the hands to
throw. I have used it, covered with a white slip, for pit firing and raku with
good results. I don't know that I would trust it outdoors in areas that freeze, or
where there is a lot of salt in the air, but I use dishes made from it daily and
have never had one break in the oven or microwave.
taube wilson wrote:
> Can anyone else out there address the issue of firing clay bodies
> to the low end of their range?
>
> Thanks!
> Taube Wilson
> Annandale,Va.
> tpottery@hotmail.com
> ________________________________________________________________________
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--
Norman van der Sluys
by the shore of Lake Michigan
Lynne at The Pottery Web on sat 22 jul 00
I fire Highwater's Phoenix at ^6 for functional ware. For anything that is
not going to hold water for an extended period of time, it works great. I
have had problems when I use it for vases it I'm leaving water in it for an
extended period of time. I love this clay! I also use it for raku and it
holds up as well as any raku clay I have used. One note, my boxes from
Highwater rate this clay from 7-10.
Lynne in Atlanta
The Buchanans on sun 23 jul 00
I also fire at cone 6 and have used Phoenix for its thermal shock properties
but after trying Highwater's Buncombe White I'll never go back. My first
full glaze load of Buncombe amazed me. I raised the lid and there was not
a sound. No ping ! No tinkle ! No crackle! I can now use glazes on
functional ware that I had discarded because of micro-crackle.
I haven't tried all Highwater's mid range clays but speckled brownstone was
just as good. Then I tried Axner's cone 6 Rae's Smooth.Hurrah, another
goody! Why use a high fire stoneware when suppliers now have such great
mid range clay? (usual disclaimers of affiliation apply) Judi Buchanan
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