mel jacobson on mon 3 nov 03
one of the best arguments for owning your own
pug mill is having clay/just right/soft as you like/
every time you sit at a wheel.
when i have boxed clay, i just toss it into the
old walker and add a half cup of water if needed.
churn it through, then test it....and make
into balls for throwing.
i can still remember kids dashing into the
clay room...walking past the pug mill and
touching the clay with the end of their
finger. `hey, a bit firm, or, sloppy today`.
they could, just like me..touch it with a finger
and know.
i save my thumbs, use a perfect for me, soft clay.
if i am making very round teapots, well then i use a
bit firmer clay. for plates, bowls, stuff like that, well
soft is better. plates never get the great aged clay.
that is for tall things.
mel
i am thinking of mounting some `texas long horns` on my
wheel. i have a set above my wheel, thinking of dropping
them down. if not the cow horns, then i am going to
add the last set of buck horns...8 points.
and yes, it was me that got it.
yum yum, venison. just a couple more weeks, and
off i go to the farm. stalk the whillly prey.
From:
Minnetonka, Minnesota, U.S.A.
web site: my.pclink.com/~melpots
or try: http://www.pclink.com/melpots
new/ http://www.rid-a-tick.com
ASHPOTS@AOL.COM on tue 4 nov 03
After all the years ive be Whining and wineing about stiff clay coming from
Highwater i made a phonecall to them. Ive been buying Wonder White and its
always too stiff for me to throw. I would spend all the time running the clay thru
my Venco. It makes a mess and i want to throw pots not mix clay.
Well it turns out for a few dollars more you can have the clay mixed to your
favorite softness.I now have Wonder White mixed at 51/2 softness. Its perfect
for me. If i want it firmer i just pull it out of the bag and let it sit on my
plaster tables.
It seems im not the only , i had gone to see Dennis Pitter , Pitter the
Potter in Maggie Valley and he is doing the same with his clay from Highwater. He
said the young ones like stiff clay , us older potters like it softer.
Also its like a special blend so you have to buy atleast 1,000 lbs. I
usaually buy a ton at a time . Love driving to Ashville for the day.
On my way to Rome Georgia this morning ,delivering bowls for a soup-bowl
thing that Tesa Dupre has put together
Mark
www.lookoutmountainpottery.com
Norman van der Sluys on tue 4 nov 03
Me, I'm going with a gun rack just behind my seat at the wheel :>)
mel jacobson wrote:
> i am thinking of mounting some `texas long horns` on my
> wheel. i have a set above my wheel, thinking of dropping
> them down.
--
Norman van der Sluys
Benona Pottery
Near the shore of Lake Michigan, Thinking about fixing up that 40'
cement sailboat hull in the back yard, fitting it out as an ark. More
rain, and now thunder storms, yet. They say it will hit 70 for a minute
and then drop back into the 40's. (That's 21 and 5 to 9 for those of you
smart enough to use rational measures.)
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