mel jacobson on sun 15 jul 01
for example.
here is a clay recipe that any clay company
could make, stamp the box with the recipe
and sell all they could make.
famous.
no patent.
Hawthorn Bond fire clay ---- 50
Goldart --------------------- 50
OM-4 ball clay ------------- 25
Fine silica sand ------------- 25
Custer or G-200 feldspar -- 12
Yellow ochre ---------------- 1 (optional - for color)
this is the old mackenzie clay body.
been around for years.
still one of the finest bodies one can use.
i use a variation, and have forever.
mel
what is the secret?
fire clay
ball clay
goldart
sand
silica.
boy, better not let anyone know what
is in this baby.
silliness...and old tradition.
if a company makes a good product,
gives great service and takes care of
the client, like pots, production is the problem,
not sales.
it is the close to vest, not tell the story,
give false answers. that is what people
are tired of.
mel
From:
Minnetonka, Minnesota, U.S.A.
web site: http://www.pclink.com/melpots
Marjorie Beynon on tue 17 jul 01
Mel - This appears to be a fine clay body.
BUT - we have all heard of problems with the first three ingredients. The
potter orders enough of these components to make up a batch of clay but
encounters problems such as the ones that started this discussion. Now, to
track down which of the suspect ingredients is causing the problem. If a
replacement ingredient is found or another run of the same fireclay/ball
clay does the fix, can the potter track down enough of that run of
fireclay/ball clay so that they don't face this same problem the next time
they mix their clay body?
The clay suppliers are also faced with this problem. They receive changed
raw materials and if they run a testing program they will catch it and
change the recipe before shipping the clay. I suspect that only a few of
the clay suppliers do this and the potters become the test program.
I am willing to pay more for clay that has been "tested" before shipped to
me. I have neither the space or the back/elbow reserves to start mixing my
own claybody. I have gone through the exercise of developing a clay body to
have custom mixed but without consistent raw materials or testing of raw
materials there is no "comfort level" in this solution, no matter if I mix
it or my supplier mixes it.
Suppliers should listen to potters and not tell them " no one else is having
this problem" and cooperate to find the problems and solutions. I don't
need to know how much ball clay/fireclay is in the recipe but I would like
to know which is being used and if a substitution of another ball/fire clay
will correct the problem at an increase in price, I for one, am willing to
pay.
Been down this road too many times...MarjB
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