Ned Ludd on thu 27 mar 03
Michael Wendt wrote:
>Three weeks ago, I forgot to put some pitchers
>away that were ordered and on short deadline. I got out the spray bottle and
>lightly sprayed the surfaces with a fine mist, left the pitchers and came
>back for the next hour every 5-10 minutes, each time lightly misting the dry
>pots. In about and hour, they were reasonably uniform in moisture, took
>handles beautifully and took far less time to mist than it would have taken
>to make new ones. They went through bisque and glaze fine and the handles
>were flawless too, so I have added this rescue option to my repertoire.
>Try it, you have nothing to lose.
>Regards,
>Michael Wendt wendtpot@lewiston.com
Whoa. I'm impressed. That is some claybody you have, Michael ;->
Home grown, I'll bet.
When a too-dry pot is rewetted, as you describe, and gives no problem
with handles subsequently, it's a clay from heaven. Hosanna! It has
passed one of the harder tests a mudman can give it. Many American
commercial clays, in my experience, will give handle headaches if
less than optimal conditions apply, such as the pot just that little
bit too hard at handle application, or the drying too fast and not
even enough, etc etc. By headaches I mean not blatant failures like
separation from the pot, as much as the appearance of hairline cracks
at the handle/pot join. They don't even weaken the bond - as I see
when I break a fired pot - but they make it unsellable save as a
second. Seconds suck! It can get so discouraging as to put you off
wanting to make handled pots. I'm referring to pulled handles. Accept
no substitutes!
That's not even mentioning luting slip. I refuse to mention luting
slip as I know from gruelling experience that umpteen clayarters with
_that_ gleam in their eye will lunge for their keyboards and swamp us
all with Lana Wilson's Magic Water. Again.
Now hear this! I got a beef about claybody descriptions. They almost
never mention handle-friendliness. Try ordering a clay you plan to
make lots of handled pots with,from a company catalog with woefully
short descriptions of their clays, and you'll see what I mean: no
help at all. I get the impression that those formulating these clays
and selling them are not concerned with handle performance but focus
on throwability. Two different things.
Jon Pacini and other potters in charge at clay companies - have you
personally pulled handles from all your throwing clays? And joined
them to pots and checked the results? Some of your customers would
like to know - it is information that makes a big difference.
best wishes,
Ned in northern california, soon to make as many of his
pulled-handled pots as he can, while temperate spring weather is here
and before summer's grilling heat arrives - no friend to handles.
I've already noticed fewer hassles with pulled handles using Tom
Coleman porcelain than the commercial fine stoneware-porcelain I used
till now.
I gladly second Earl in applauding Tom's impressive porcelain: first
rate throwability and good translucency at cone ten. Cheers to you,
Tom!
Michael Wendt on thu 27 mar 03
Ned wrote:
"Now hear this! I got a beef about claybody descriptions. They almost
never mention handle-friendliness. Try ordering a clay you plan to
make lots of handled pots with,from a company catalog with woefully
short descriptions of their clays, and you'll see what I mean: no
help at all. I get the impression that those formulating these clays
and selling them are not concerned with handle performance but focus
on throwability. Two different things."
Ned,
I think most of the commercial clay bodies I have heard of are more than 50%
plastic clay by weight. My body throws and pulls handles fine. It is 39%
Helmer with the rest non plastic materials ( 28% spar, 9% Neph Sye, 15% 125
mesh silica, 9% 200 mesh silica). Shrinkage is 11.1% from wet to cone 10,
and handles are forgiving but are still a problem unless you make what I
call interference cuts on the joint surface. If you normally experience
cracks at the top of the joint, carve the handle so that part of the joint
contacts the pot while the rest of the handle does not. We dip the handle
joint in deflocculated slip of the same clay and attach very lightly making
sure to get slip on the projected contact area on the cup, let stand a few
seconds, then agitate the joint (wiggle is more like it) until the gap is
completely closed. A quick wipe with a well wrung out damp sponge followed
by a day under wraps to let the joint normalize works wonders. We lose less
than 1% of the cups to joint failure and when people bring back broken cups,
it has never been because a handle joint failed, not even when they drop
them.
Regards,
Michael Wendt
Wendt Pottery
2729 Clearwater Avenue
Lewiston, Idaho 83501
1-208-746-3724
wendtpottery.com
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