Kathy Maves on sun 13 jan 02
Hi Jonathan,
I've a few notes on your post, and a few questions.
> In theory this is a solution that can work. While I
> don't think a hand full
> of ball clay per 200# of reclaim will have a
> negative effect, note that most
> ball clays are highly silicious, eg high in silica
> and could influence the
> expansion of the body vis a vsi glaze fit if used in
> excess.
Good point. Gotta be careful, it's powerful stuff.
> Another way to dry out reclaim is to build a large
> plaster "tub" and cast
> into it a heat tape. Fill the tub with slop, plug in
> the heat tape, and the
> reclaim will be ready overnite. We used quite a
> large tub for sometime and
> because of its weight, put it on wheels. Fit
> comfortably under the table and
> out of the way.
My husband explained to me what heat tape is. Did
you cast it beneath the surface of the plaster? I'm
not familiar with these myself, but if left on the
surface it could be replaced if damaged/worn out. Do
you think that would work? I'm exploring new reclaim
options.
Also, do you have a plaster preference? I
sometimes see big potteries using Ceramical for all
plaster work, though it may be because it's on hand
from the presses. I've had some losses from plaster
explosions and don't want to learn the lesson twice.
The losses, I think, were caused by plaster that was
over-saturated for too long. I'll defiantly be
hitting the archives on this one.
> There are certainly many methods to process reclaim.
> I would not add dry mix
> to the pug mill.
Totally. I cannot think of anything, offhand, I would
want to add dry to a pug, no matter how many times you
pug. Not only would it leave dry/drier chunks, but I
can imagine it would be a real mess to clean out the
pug mill. Hope nobody ran out and followed my
ambiguous advice!
Still, the ball clay, if used very conservatively
and carefully, can work. Lots of people alter bodies
for different purposes. When I was in college we made
a raku body by adding talc to the regular stoneware
reclaim, in a Soldner mixer. Talc increases thermal
shock abilities (Note: it also lowers firing range,
significantly. Careful.) Peter King discusses
altering a throwing body to create a body for
architectural ceramics in his book, Architectural
Ceramics for the Studio Potter.
You're right on with the specifics. When the
process is right, experimenting with altering an
existing body can be an easy, cheap way to explore
vastly disparate pottery concepts. Beyond process,
it's important for me to know the possible behavior of
what I'm adding and what sort of chemical changes it
may cause. More homework? Yipee!
Kathy
Barronett, WI
kathymaves@yahoo.com
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