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scoring, slipping, and otherwise...

updated thu 26 may 05

 

Kate Johnson on wed 25 may 05


Roxanne wrote:
"At the Portland OR Showcase last month, Darvan was said to be a
SCORE-NO-MORE wonder. I believe that those who find it to help in their slip
or water when attaching two pieces of clay together, wonder like I do, what
is it that the Darvan does. Some one guessed that it aligns the clay
particles. What else might explain that there is less need for our old score
and slip regime?"

I'm no help here with the Darvan question, Roxanne, but just wondered how
many others here use my primary method--I trust it for my sculptures, with
only one failure in all this time, and have used it as well with great
success for handles, but I don't use it for the bottoms of hand-built
vessels that need to hold liquids.

Instead of scoring and slipping, I just moisten the clay and then gently
press and rub the two pieces together until I feel it catch hold. It's a
very immediate and intimate method, and I like it a lot for the greenman
sculptures I do--no globs of slip to clean up, no seams to clean or smooth,
unless I just want to.

Someone here on Clayart passed that suggestion along years ago--if I could
remember who it was, I'd give them credit!

Best--
Kate Johnson
graphicart@epsi.net
http://www.cathyjohnson.info/

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