vince pitelka on mon 8 jan 01
> I have always disliked the drops of water which collect on the plastic ,
so
> I first drape a lightweight cloth over the piece- my favorites are silk or
> polyester scarves from the thrift shop. I sometimes use 3 or 4, without
> plastic, if I want to retard the drying just a little.
I think Ann Brink really hits the nail on the head here. Porcelain is so
fickle in drying, and problems are drastically aggrivated by any uneven
moisture content. As clays go the particles in a porcelain are very coarse,
with a narrow distribution of particle sizes. That means few contact points
and serious weakness in the dry and bisque-fired wares, and very high firing
shrinkage in the high-fire. Because of the high porosity, water soaks into
porcelain very easily, and can result in very serious problems. So when
drying larger porcelain pieces slowly under plastic it is an excellent idea
to drape cloth over them. I have used old bedsheets for this. Any large
pieces of lightweight absorbent cloth will work fine.
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/
Ann Brink on mon 8 jan 01
Cindy wrote:.
" Let it dry with the plastic on. If your studio is particularly dry, tuck
the plastic in under
the edges of whatever you set the pot on and make sure there aren't any
holes in it."
Just another thought---
I have always disliked the drops of water which collect on the plastic , so
I first drape a lightweight cloth over the piece- my favorites are silk or
polyester scarves from the thrift shop. I sometimes use 3 or 4, without
plastic, if I want to retard the drying just a little.
Ann Brink in CA
Susan Otter on tue 9 jan 01
Thank you thank you thank you to all of you who have taken the time to give
such excellent advice to a neophyte like me!!
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