Janet Kaiser on sun 3 sep 00
Vince said:
>> Tribal coil potters do not bother to score
and slurry between coils. They smear their
coils together very aggressively (and often very
quickly!), using fresh, sticky clay, and they
get a vessel as strong as any thrown pot.
Yes, what Vince says is true... Many of these
vessels are incredibly strong. Today, tribal and
native makers (usually women) often work in a
particular rhythm applying coils and walking
around the pot.
According to a British potter I talked to, who
had been out in Africa, the women in the village
she stayed in, coiled so incredibly quickly,
they could make the pots before the clay dried.
She was out there on a mission to help "improve"
the native production methods, but was unable to
throw pots, because the clay dried before she
could finish! A case of trying to teach your
grandmother to suck eggs if ever there was
one...
Janet Kaiser
The Chapel of Art . Capel Celfyddyd
HOME OF THE INTERNATIONAL POTTERS' PATH
Criccieth LL52 0EA, GB-Wales Tel: (01766) 523570
E-mail: postbox@the-coa.org.uk
WEBSITE: http://www.the-coa.org.uk
Khaimraj Seepersad on sun 3 sep 00
Good Day to All ,
Vince and Janet ,
might it be that the strength of these pots is based
on the quality of the Earthenware Clay and maybe
the grogging material .
I too work in surface clays [ sticky earthenwares ] ,
and use a fine grog at 70 to 40 % . The coils are
kept very soft and grab tightly the moment they
touch each other . The wetter or softer the clay , the
better .
Our surface clays will vitrify around 1130 deg.c
and bloat near 1180 deg.c .
I had a friend try to throw on the wheel , with this
clay mix , it was an extremely thirsty clay , drying
very rapidly .
Tony Hansen has information on the strength of
earthenware clays when correctly and at their
optimum temperature .
Khaimraj
-----Original Message-----
From: Janet Kaiser
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Date: 03 September 2000 17:22
Subject: Re: Quick Coil Pots (was Coils Showing)
>Vince said:
>
>>> Tribal coil potters do not bother to score
>and slurry between coils. They smear their
>coils together very aggressively (and often very
>quickly!), using fresh, sticky clay, and they
>get a vessel as strong as any thrown pot.
>
>Yes, what Vince says is true... Many of these
>vessels are incredibly strong. Today, tribal and
>native makers (usually women) often work in a
>particular rhythm applying coils and walking
>around the pot.
>
>According to a British potter I talked to, who
>had been out in Africa, the women in the village
>she stayed in, coiled so incredibly quickly,
>they could make the pots before the clay dried.
>
>She was out there on a mission to help "improve"
>the native production methods, but was unable to
>throw pots, because the clay dried before she
>could finish! A case of trying to teach your
>grandmother to suck eggs if ever there was
>one...
>
>Janet Kaiser
>The Chapel of Art . Capel Celfyddyd
>HOME OF THE INTERNATIONAL POTTERS' PATH
>Criccieth LL52 0EA, GB-Wales Tel: (01766) 523570
>E-mail: postbox@the-coa.org.uk
>WEBSITE: http://www.the-coa.org.uk
>
>___________________________________________________________________________
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melpots@pclink.com.
>
vince pitelka on mon 4 sep 00
> I too work in surface clays [ sticky earthenwares ] ,
> and use a fine grog at 70 to 40 % . The coils are
> kept very soft and grab tightly the moment they
> touch each other . The wetter or softer the clay , the
> better .
Khaimraj -
You make a good point, in that very wet, sticky coils will aggressively
attach, much the same way freshly thrown components can be attached without
scoring or slurry. But what you suggest could be counter-productive when
making large coil vessels quickly, where very wet clay is not an option. In
that case it is necessary to use stiffer clay and aggressively smear the
coils together to get a strong form.
Best wishes -
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Home - vpitelka@dekalb.net
615/597-5376
Work - wpitelka@tntech.edu
615/597-6801 ext. 111, fax 615/597-6803
Appalachian Center for Crafts
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
http://www.craftcenter.tntech.edu/
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