Felicity Rich on thu 15 oct 09
Hello All,
I wanted to thank everyone who contributed to the discussion about wedging =
clay,
plasticity, de- and flocculation and vinegar. I have always been on the
periphery of major clayart discussions, but have trully found this fascinat=
ing.
This is discussion exemplifies why the internet is trully democratic and fo=
sters
the exchange of ideas, and information. Thank you.
Felicity Rich
Bonnie Staffel on sat 17 oct 09
On the discussion of adding materials to clay to make them more plastic,
occasionally I have added Basic H, a wetting agent which allows me to =3D
throw
much taller pots. (Not the case in the tall large pots on my web page
though). My theory is that the wetting agent breaks down the surface =3D
tension
of the clay particles that allows them to become more fluid without =3D
losing
the strength of the clay.=3D20
How does this fit into the other theories of deflocculation? The potter
friend who introduced this material to me many years ago also had a flax
spinner use it in her water and was able to spin finer threads for =3D
linen.=3D20
Basic H was used by farmers to help get rid of surface water in their =3D
fields
as it ultimately opened up the pores (?) of the ground to allow the =3D
water to
drain to the underground. I use it in my plants so that the potting soil
accepts the water more readily.=3D20
It is surface tension that allows water to form into drops, like rain =
=3D
I
remember a test we did in a high school class by sprinkling pepper onto =3D
the
surface of a glass of water. It floated and you couldn't part it with =3D
your
finger. Then the teacher told us to rub our finger outside our nose and =3D
was
able to part the pepper, (oil and water?). Seems like the water =3D
supported a
needle as well. We could go even deeper about acid rain; does that =3D
destroy
the surface tension or just change the chemistry? I am no chemist, but =3D
do
see things working that are fascinating to ponder. =3D20
Bonnie
http://webpages.charter.net/bstaffel/
http://vasefinder.com/bstaffelgallery1.html
DVD=3DA0 Throwing with Coils and Slabs
DVD=3DA0 Introduction to Wheel Work
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