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dark brown clay bloating - thanks

updated sat 27 jan 01

 

Andie Carpenter on fri 26 jan 01


Many thanks to everyone who wrote off list to tell me their experiences
with the cone 6 Standard Ceramic dark brown clay body. Seems almost
everyone has had the same problems with bloating and/or cracking at cone
5 and 6.

In the meantime, I opened another glaze firing today and am deeply
disappointed - an 18"x10" deep bowl, gorgeous but for one large bloated
spot; a 14" platter, perfect but for a large bloated spot that leads to
a crack right across the center; a 12" tall cookie jar, perfect but for
a large bloat in the lid; a nice little bowl that bloated enough that it
reached out and touched the piece next to it, merging them
forever...enough. Out of a glaze load of about 45 pieces, 3 didn't go
astray. I'm taking everybody's advice, learning my lesson, and
forgetting this clay.

If anyone knows of a great very dark brown or black clay that is
available on the East Coast (I usually order via Baltimore Clayworks),
please let me know. I fire to 04 bisque, 5/6/7 glaze.

: ( Andie Carpenter