Alisa and Claus Clausen on thu 10 aug 00
For about 4 months I have been using exclusively a light grey medium =
range stoneware for throwing.
It is a fine, stable body, throws well (or as well as I can throw) and =
fits my engobes and glazes nicely.
I have have had problems drying it out however. In our damp, seaboard =
climate, it can take up three days for=20
the pots bottoms to dry enough to trim them and then they are still =
actually too wet. The next trip to my supplier,
I bought the same clay's big brother version that has an added 20% grogg =
0-1mm, and is suited to raku. I do not know=20
if grogg is to clay what Viagra is to.. but WHAT an experience. Is this =
legal?=20
This clays throws so fast and strong, and stands up so much better than =
it's non grogged brother. To further the great experience, it collars =
in with enourmous elasticity and it is so stiff (I mean it stands, not =
that it is hard) that I can lift relatively big upright pieces off the =
wheel head with no distortion. I am throwing rows of things with the =
greatest of ease!
A real gain from using this clay is that it dries in half the time than =
the grogg free type. I have fired it now and it takes my=20
glazes very well, with perhaps less running of the runny glazes. I =
think this is a success. I rakued it and if I had not let
the kiln get too hot at the end, I would have had no breakage.
I am excited about this change in a claybody that I alreay like very =
much. It is nice to throw small pieces in the grogg free
variety because, it feels very smooth and that feels good. But this =
grogg addition was such an eyeopener for me. It resembles
the clays I used when I was in school. =20
I am wondering how many of our studio potters use grogged clay and what =
grogg, how much and how fast does it
dry in an indoor studio? In my rather damp studio, the lips get a bit =
dried out if just let to stand after a couple of hours.
Are there any hidden drawbacks or should I just be glad I discovered the =
difference now instead
of being "married" to perhaps the wrong clay much longer?
Best regards,
Alisa in Denmark
Life is good!
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