Antoinette Badenhorst on thu 23 mar 06
I've noticed the birch wood surface that I have on my tables in my =
studio
start showing tiny little cracks. With my goal to work very translucent =
and
white, this is a flaw on my work surface, since it will gather stuff =
that
will color my clay. In my very beginners' day as a potter, I worked on
concrete that was smoothed but we lived in an area that was cool in the
winter and hot in summer. Cement is also expensive. I am hoping to get
advice from one of you of something that I can paint on the surface that
will seal and never come off and will still leave the surface porous. I =
can
not think that there will be such thing available on the market. I am =
also
thinking about a piece of marble (which is way expensive) or pouring a =
very
hard plaster box. The simplest might be to replace the wood. Any advice
will be so much appreciated. Don't laugh, don't criticize, but I work =
all
over my studio on 3 wheels at a time, with large tables covered with =
pots in
process all the time and another bunch under plastic containers all the
time. Once a month (or is it every second month..tongue in cheek!) I =
clean
up and glaze or pit fire. I say this so that you know that whatever I =
will
do, will have to be on big scale to suit my clay life style. Thanks =
guys.
=20
Do you need sharp trimming tools that will not wear out quickly? Contact =
me
for information.=20
Antoinette Badenhorst
105 Westwood Circle
Saltillo MS, 38866
662 869 1651
www.clayandcanvas.com
www.southernartistry.org
=20
=20
Craig Clark on thu 23 mar 06
Antoinette, a coupla suggestions. If you are so disposed get
yourself a bag of Quickcrete from your local supplier for this type of
material. It will cost less than five dollars. You can cast your very
own concrete surface just like the pros. All you need to do is start out
small and work up to the size of the surface that you want. The "secret"
to getting that really baby butt smooth surface is to put something very
smooth under the form into which your conrete is poured. You can use
plexyglass, glass, or really well polished stainless. Just be sure to
apply a healthy amount of a seperating compound to the surface or the
conrete will adhere to it. Try a small twelve by twelve size to begin
and go from there.Really work mix with a gently "plunging" type of
motion and then a nice final screed across the top to facilitate this.
You will most likely need to try it several times before you get the
hang of it. Just experiment, pay attention to what you are doing, take
notes, and try and repeat what works and doesn't. It is difficult to
explain exactly what to do. One premade solution is the "hardi type"
backer board which is made of cement. It is less than ten dollars a
sheet but the surface may not be smooth enough for what you are looking for.
Alternatively, you can do precisely the same thing with either
plaster, hydrocal or hydrostone. I would recommend the hydrocal or the
hydrostone because they set up to a much higher strength than the
regular plaster does. The folks at US Gypsum are really forth coming
with info if you just give them a call and ask to speak with one of
their tech folks. A 50lb bag can be had for less than twenty bucks.
If you want to try and keep the wood then first give it a light
sanding with a 200 grit paper and then down to whatever smoother grit
you need to get the feel of the surface you are after. A palm sander
will expedite this job exponentially. If you want to get rid of all the
tiny cracks start out with about a 120 grit and work down progressively
from there.
After you have achieved the quality of the surface that you are
after you can do one of serveral things. I don't know of anything that
will literally seal the surface but still keep it pourous. My
understanding is that most products seal a surface by clogging those
very pours so that things are not absorbed by the material.
What you can try is to get yourself some Tung Oil. A can will cost
you less than ten dollars. Apply it liberally to the sanded surface. It
will soak it quickly if the material is dry. After it has soaked in
apply another coat. Just use one of those really cheap sponge
applicators. They work great.
You will notice that the grain of the wood will raise up a bit. Just
use like a 200 or finer grit of paper to gently knock it down between
coats. If you try this on a small section of what you have you won't
spend as much time determining whether or not this is a solution.
Hope this helps
Craig Dunn Clark
619 East 11 1/2 St
Houston, Texas 77008
(713)861-2083
mudman@hal-pc.org
.Antoinette Badenhorst wrote:
>I've noticed the birch wood surface that I have on my tables in my studio
>start showing tiny little cracks. With my goal to work very translucent and
>white, this is a flaw on my work surface, since it will gather stuff that
>will color my clay. In my very beginners' day as a potter, I worked on
>concrete that was smoothed but we lived in an area that was cool in the
>winter and hot in summer. Cement is also expensive. I am hoping to get
>advice from one of you of something that I can paint on the surface that
>will seal and never come off and will still leave the surface porous. I can
>not think that there will be such thing available on the market. I am also
>thinking about a piece of marble (which is way expensive) or pouring a very
>hard plaster box. The simplest might be to replace the wood. Any advice
>will be so much appreciated. Don't laugh, don't criticize, but I work all
>over my studio on 3 wheels at a time, with large tables covered with pots in
>process all the time and another bunch under plastic containers all the
>time. Once a month (or is it every second month..tongue in cheek!) I clean
>up and glaze or pit fire. I say this so that you know that whatever I will
>do, will have to be on big scale to suit my clay life style. Thanks guys.
>
>
>
>Do you need sharp trimming tools that will not wear out quickly? Contact me
>for information.
>
>Antoinette Badenhorst
>
>105 Westwood Circle
>
>Saltillo MS, 38866
>
>662 869 1651
>
> www.clayandcanvas.com
>
> www.southernartistry.org
>
>
>
>
>
>______________________________________________________________________________
>Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
>You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
>settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
>Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
>
>
>
info@flatrockclay.com on thu 23 mar 06
Antoinette My favorite worksurface for my porcelain in an old science lab table with the slate top. It is a great height and has wheels too. The surface is porus and works like dense plaster but without the risks. I have also used slate from an old pool table (without the felt). Hope these ideas help. Kelley
Flat Rock Clay
Supplies & Gallery
2002 S School Ave
Fayetteville, AR 72701
479-521-3181
Leave a message, our hands may be in mud!
www.flatrockclay.com
Anne Webb on thu 23 mar 06
Hey antoinette...
I am not sure what you can paint on your table surface, but I know you can
certainly stretch canvas over what you already have. not as easy to damp
sponge it as a wood table top but.. would be porous and wouldnt cost you
much. i have it over 2 of my work tables and it works great. i havent found
it got mouldy, even in the southern climate.
another solution could be look for old slate chalk boards. I had a slate
wedging table when i was up in canada from a school they were renovating,
and it was beautifully smooth and worked well. ..a little tougher to find
though. ..and heavy.
another potter i know who works in porcelain uses wide ware boards wrapped
in canvas so when he needs the table top for glazing or something that would
require wiping down, he can just move the boards out of the way. he found it
lead to less contamination in the clay as well.
another surface that i have worked on is that blue polyextruded insulating
foam board. ..you know the stuff for walls. comes in blue and pink and in
various thicknesses. take the plastic wrap off. wipes off like a dream. can
even take them outside and hose them off.. great surface for glazing as
well. if it gets a nick in it, its relatively inexpensive to replace and
readily available. would work great in conjuntion with a table or those ware
boards i mentioned above, for added strength. ...and you can cut it to any
size you want. I use that blue foam for many things. tiles and a general
multipurpose work surface.
well best of luck.
anne
>From: Antoinette Badenhorst
>Date: Thu, 23 Mar 2006 08:45:32 -0600
>
>I've noticed the birch wood surface that I have on my tables in my studio
>start showing tiny little cracks. With my goal to work very translucent and
>white, this is a flaw on my work surface, since it will gather stuff that
>will color my clay.
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Gayle Bair on thu 23 mar 06
Antoinette and Craig,
I just bought a product called Fiberrock at Lowes.
It's made by the Unites State Gypsum Co.
OMG.... something is still made in the USA?????
It's similar to the Hardibacker I usually get except
one side is mostly smooth and the other is fabulously smooth.
Two 3x5 sheets cost me $14.50. I won't go on and on about how
great I think it is to use for ware boards, wedging surfaces, mosaics etc.
I've already done that (see archives).
I really like the very smooth surface. My pieces glide right onto it if I
wet the surface lightly. The surface is porous and dries quickly if
saturated.
It's easy to score and break into exactly the sizes you need.
Usual disclaimer... but if my dad had stayed in the concrete business he
had when I was a baby I'd be a millionaire now! No such luck!
Gayle Bair
Bainbridge Island, WA
Tucson, AZ
www.claybair.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Craig Clark.
Antoinette, a coupla suggestions. If you are so disposed get
yourself a bag of Quickcrete from your local supplier for this type of
material. snip>
.Antoinette Badenhorst wrote:
>I've noticed the birch wood surface that I have on my tables in my studio
>start showing tiny little cracks. With my goal to work very translucent and
>white, this is a flaw on my work surface, since it will gather stuff that
>will color my clay. In my very beginners' day as a potter, I worked on
>concrete that was smoothed but we lived in an area that was cool in the
>winter and hot in summer. Cement is also expensive. I am hoping to get
>advice from one of you of something that I can paint on the surface that
>will seal and never come off and will still leave the surface porous.
Anne Webb on fri 24 mar 06
Hey antoinette...
I'll send this info again as it didnt appear to make it through to the list
when i sent it last night..
I suggested three things:
1. you can cover your existing tables with canvas - cheap. great if you only
use the surface for clay.
2. in my old studio i had an old slate chalk board from a school which was
going under renovation. great for wedging, easy to clean up.. only drawback
is it was heavy to transport and get there in one piece. slate pavers u get
at a rock place dont work as well as bits flake off and the surface isnt as
smooth
3. blue/pink polyextruded insulation foam board. Works great for putting
pots on, and is actually a great multipurpose surface. cleans up in a snap.
can be wiped down or, better yet, easily taken outside and hosed off (i like
that part). if it gets a nick in it, no prob. its really relatively
inexpensive and readily available at any home/reno center should you need to
replace it. and its light weight easy to transport. even if you get a knick
in it, hosing it off and still get the bits of debris off successfully.
i use it for many purposes including making and drying tiles on, surface for
tables outside when i glaze (but, like buckets, it will break down in the
sun over time if you leave it out), etc etc. additionally it can be cut
into smaller sizes easily.
can go right over your existing table top. peel the plastic wrap off of it
for best results
a friend of mine in toronto has boards he uses specifically for porcelain..
canvas covered ware boards. uses them for a work surface and also where he
puts porcelain pots after they come off the wheel head. he finds having them
on a board which he can move, reduces the amount of direct handling he has
to put the pots through and prevents chances of contamination when he
switches back to stoneware. instead of canvas, you can cover them with that
blue board as well.
>From: Antoinette Badenhorst
>Subject: Surface suitable for porcelain.
>Date: Thu, 23 Mar 2006 08:45:32 -0600
>
>I've noticed the birch wood surface that I have on my tables in my studio
>start showing tiny little cracks. With my goal to work very translucent and
>, this is a flaw on my work surface, since it will gather stuff that
>will color my clay.
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