Michael Wendt on tue 5 jul 11
I mine the clay I use. I grind it, screen it and then mix
every batch myself. Why?
First, where we are in Idaho is clay country... vast
deposits of high purity Kaolin, Halloysite and many colored
clays which fire beautifully to cone 10 right out of the
ground.
Second, we are not near any large cities with clay
suppliers, the nearest being in Portland OR, Tacoma and
Seattle WA.
Third, by preparing my own clay from scratch, I assumed
control of the process and eliminated troublesome variations
that arise from commercial
clay production constrints such as only having one or two
mixing
trains to prepare 20 or thirty clay bodies. The result is
changeover
clay is not one body or the other but gradually transitions
over time.
So I mix my own.
This does not make me better than you. If you have a good
clay
source that is working for you, then it makes way more sense
to buy clay than to mix it yourself unless you also like the
control factor the way I do.
I like doing all these different things that's all.
See a photo gallery of some of the process equipment I had
to build
in order to process the clay and you will see why it is not
for
everyone.
copy the entire like below and past into your browser:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=3Da.114131788680171.21884.1000025005=
20502&l=3D553285b7a1
Regards,
Michael Wendt
Jeff Brown on thu 7 jul 11
This "do you dig your own clay " rhetoric pops up frequently here in=3D20
Seagrove...not just from other potters but it gets passed on through=3D20
customers too. A lot of potters in Seagrove dig and mix their own clay ..=
=3D
.I=3D20
don't... We are lucky enough to have two clay suppliers near by, and one =
=3D
of=3D20
them mixes a few local clay bodies, so I get to use local clay and still =
=3D
spend=3D20
more time making pots...what I think I do best. Plus I get the bonus of h=
=3D
aving=3D20
access to a wide veriety of Highwater clay or Miller/Laguna clay.
I do dig local clay for my ash glazes...and like to spend the extra effo=
=3D
rt to=3D20
wood firie when I can.
Jeff Brown
1423 Pottery Highway 705
Seagrove, NC 27341
336-873-1001
cell 603-731-7056
http://www.jeffbrownpottery.com
http://jeffbrownpottery.blogspot.com/
http://meeshspottery.blogspot.com/=3D20
On Tue, 5 Jul 2011 18:59:46 -0700, Michael Wendt =3D20
wrote:
>I mine the clay I use. I grind it, screen it and then mix every batch=3D20=
=3D
>myself. Why? First, where we are in Idaho is clay country... vast
>deposits of high purity Kaolin, Halloysite and many colored
>clays which fire beautifully to cone 10 right out of the
>ground.
>Second, we are not near any large cities with clay
>suppliers, the nearest being in Portland OR, Tacoma and
>Seattle WA.
>Third, by preparing my own clay from scratch, I assumed
>control of the process and eliminated troublesome variations
>that arise from commercial
>clay production
(snip)
>So I mix my own.
>This does not make me better than you. If you have a good
>clay source that is working for you, then it makes way more sense to=3D20
>buy clay than to mix it yourself unless you also like the control=3D20
>factor the way I do.
>
>Regards,
>Michael Wendt
Lee on thu 7 jul 11
The quarry for my Mashiko clay was 15 minutes from my house. Clay came
out of a pond. Had water added, was blundged, screened, dried and
then pugmilled. Nothing added. Most potters in Mashiko didn't use
that clay. They used clay from the Co-op that had more refractory
and plastic Shigaraki clay added to it. Mashiko clay was mature
fired to cone 8.
Bought bags of dry Helmer's on Tuesday, at Continental. Came in a
new Sunflower Seed bag. I am mixing it with lower temp Ohio Fireclay
and also with the tableware clay I use from Continental, to find a
serviceable Mogusa type clay for shino. Mogusa is used with Shino
glaze stays unverified at high temperature. The Tea Masters liked it
because of the soft sound the tea whisk made in it, just like Raku.
The hand-built Raku form is also what inspired the form of the Shino
teabowl. One thing I am testing is using a lower temp slip Hakeme
slip in the inside. Superwhite is a white stoneware that fires cone
6 to cone 9 but has the same shrinkage as fireclay body. It might
help keep moisture out of the clay body when the teabowl is used, but
still retain the soft sound of bisqueware.
--
=3DA0Lee Love in Minneapolis
http://mingeisota.blogspot.com/
=3DA0"Ta tIr na n-=3DF3g ar chul an tI=3D97tIr dlainn trina ch=3DE9ile"=3D9=
7that is, =3D
"The
land of eternal youth is behind the house, a beautiful land fluent
within itself." -- John O'Donohue
Eric Hansen on sat 9 jul 11
The clay in my backyard is mature at cone 8 - reddish brown, real
pretty color - it has bits of feldspathic and micaeous material - I
mixed some with an Ohio clay (gold art or Rosehill stoneware?) and the
bisque came out with this really interesting color; will be nice with
ash glaze. Recently I have been using Kentucky Stone, grog, spar. I
think the backyard clay and the KY Stone will go good together seeing
as they both mature about cone 8, the backyard clay supplies some
spar, and one is too coarse and the other too fine. Just a conjecture
of course, the proof is in the testing. Oh yeah - the backyard clay
becomes a satin metallic black when wood fired. I recycle clay anyhow
- more of it than is usually done - so invariably there is room to add
dry clay to the wet slurry and to allow for such experiments. If I had
the facilities I would make all my own clay as most commercial clay I
find to be too plastic and shrink too much.
- h -
On Thu, Jul 7, 2011 at 1:07 PM, Lee wrote:
> The quarry for my Mashiko clay was 15 minutes from my house. Clay came
> out of a pond. =3DA0Had water added, was blundged, screened, dried and
> then pugmilled. =3DA0Nothing added. =3DA0 =3DA0Most potters in Mashiko di=
dn't u=3D
se
> that clay. =3DA0They used clay from the Co-op that had more refractory
> and plastic Shigaraki clay added to it. =3DA0 Mashiko clay was mature
> fired to cone 8.
>
> Bought bags of dry Helmer's on Tuesday, at Continental. =3DA0 Came in a
> new Sunflower Seed bag. =3DA0I am mixing it with lower temp Ohio Fireclay
> and also with the tableware clay I use from Continental, to find a
> serviceable Mogusa type clay for shino. =3DA0 =3DA0Mogusa is used with Sh=
ino
> glaze stays unverified at high temperature. The Tea Masters liked it
> because of the soft sound the tea whisk made in it, just like Raku.
> The hand-built Raku form is also what inspired the form of the Shino
> teabowl. =3DA0 One thing I am testing is using a lower temp slip Hakeme
> slip in the inside. =3DA0 Superwhite is a white stoneware that fires cone
> 6 to cone 9 but has the same shrinkage as fireclay body. =3DA0 It might
> help keep moisture out of the clay body when the teabowl is used, but
> still retain the soft sound of bisqueware.
> --
> =3DA0Lee Love in Minneapolis
> http://mingeisota.blogspot.com/
>
> =3DA0"Ta tIr na n-=3DF3g ar chul an tI=3D97tIr dlainn trina ch=3DE9ile"=
=3D97that is=3D
, "The
> land of eternal youth is behind the house, a beautiful land fluent
> within itself." -- John O'Donohue
>
--=3D20
Eric Alan Hansen
Stonehouse Studio Pottery
Alexandria, Virginia
americanpotter.blogspot.com
thesuddenschool.blogspot.com
hansencookbook.blogspot.com
"Simplify, simplify, simplify" - Thoreau
Eric Hansen on sat 9 jul 11
Zeller showed us an easy way to measure shrinkage - roll out a slab
about 1/2" or 5/8" or 8mm and using a 10cm scale notch 11 marks at 1cm
each. Cut away the excess. After firing the test gives you a shrinkage
accurate to better than 1mm, which is less than 1%. Warpage bars are
similar but have legs from them.
On Sat, Jul 9, 2011 at 12:41 PM, Eric Hansen
wrote:
> The clay in my backyard is mature at cone 8 - reddish brown, real
> pretty color - it has bits of feldspathic and micaeous material - I
> mixed some with an Ohio clay (gold art or Rosehill stoneware?) and the
> bisque came out with this really interesting color; will be nice with
> ash glaze. Recently I have been using Kentucky Stone, grog, spar. I
> think the backyard clay and the KY Stone will go good together seeing
> as they both mature about cone 8, the backyard clay supplies some
> spar, and one is too coarse and the other too fine. Just a conjecture
> of course, the proof is in the testing. Oh yeah - the backyard clay
> becomes a satin metallic black when wood fired. I recycle clay anyhow
> - more of it than is usually done - so invariably there is room to add
> dry clay to the wet slurry and to allow for such experiments. If I had
> the facilities I would make all my own clay as most commercial clay I
> find to be too plastic and shrink too much.
> - h -
>
>
> On Thu, Jul 7, 2011 at 1:07 PM, Lee wrote:
>> The quarry for my Mashiko clay was 15 minutes from my house. Clay came
>> out of a pond. =3DA0Had water added, was blundged, screened, dried and
>> then pugmilled. =3DA0Nothing added. =3DA0 =3DA0Most potters in Mashiko d=
idn't =3D
use
>> that clay. =3DA0They used clay from the Co-op that had more refractory
>> and plastic Shigaraki clay added to it. =3DA0 Mashiko clay was mature
>> fired to cone 8.
>>
>> Bought bags of dry Helmer's on Tuesday, at Continental. =3DA0 Came in a
>> new Sunflower Seed bag. =3DA0I am mixing it with lower temp Ohio Firecla=
y
>> and also with the tableware clay I use from Continental, to find a
>> serviceable Mogusa type clay for shino. =3DA0 =3DA0Mogusa is used with S=
hino
>> glaze stays unverified at high temperature. The Tea Masters liked it
>> because of the soft sound the tea whisk made in it, just like Raku.
>> The hand-built Raku form is also what inspired the form of the Shino
>> teabowl. =3DA0 One thing I am testing is using a lower temp slip Hakeme
>> slip in the inside. =3DA0 Superwhite is a white stoneware that fires con=
e
>> 6 to cone 9 but has the same shrinkage as fireclay body. =3DA0 It might
>> help keep moisture out of the clay body when the teabowl is used, but
>> still retain the soft sound of bisqueware.
>> --
>> =3DA0Lee Love in Minneapolis
>> http://mingeisota.blogspot.com/
>>
>> =3DA0"Ta tIr na n-=3DF3g ar chul an tI=3D97tIr dlainn trina ch=3DE9ile"=
=3D97that i=3D
s, "The
>> land of eternal youth is behind the house, a beautiful land fluent
>> within itself." -- John O'Donohue
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Eric Alan Hansen
> Stonehouse Studio Pottery
> Alexandria, Virginia
> americanpotter.blogspot.com
> thesuddenschool.blogspot.com
> hansencookbook.blogspot.com
> "Simplify, simplify, simplify" - Thoreau
>
--=3D20
Eric Alan Hansen
Stonehouse Studio Pottery
Alexandria, Virginia
americanpotter.blogspot.com
thesuddenschool.blogspot.com
hansencookbook.blogspot.com
"Simplify, simplify, simplify" - Thoreau
Michael Wendt on sun 10 jul 11
Grinding your own clay can be cheaper than you suspect.
This year I have sold 3 small hammer mills (1 to Iowa, 1 to
Montana
and 1 to Alaska) that can grind 500-1000 Lbs per hour, are
great for
grinding clay scrap from trims and can also grind bisque
ware into grog.
They are small, portable 120 volt 1/2 horsepower units that
require a
vacuum cleaner as a dust collector and two 15 gallon
barrels, one as a
stand and the other as the collection vessel. As soon as one
barrel is full,
you turn the mill 180 degrees and fill the other.
Current cost is $1500.00 (packing, shipping are extra).
Anyone with welding skills can build these.
They are fun.
I also build drum screening equipment which makes the dry
recycling of
clay practical because it strips out hair, paper and other
debris from the
dry clay, making the reuse reliable.
Regards,
Michael Wendt
www.wendtpottery.com
Eric Hansen on sun 10 jul 11
Tea bowls don't really use much clay so I compensate by experimenting
with clay formulation. I can't promise that this works on a grand
scale - HOWEVER, Louisville Stoneware, a smallish industrial producer,
uses jigger/jolley, slump molds, press molds, and other quick ways to
make crockery and dishes probably has made more wares than ALL of
ClayArt put together and they have always dug from their own clay
mines. So it's not unrealistic. I believe that at least one of the
local moist clay suppliers in this area uses at least a % of
self-mined clay. It might be more common than we suspect.
- h -
On Sat, Jul 9, 2011 at 12:45 PM, Eric Hansen
wrote:
> Zeller showed us an easy way to measure shrinkage - roll out a slab
> about 1/2" or 5/8" or 8mm and using a 10cm scale notch 11 marks at 1cm
> each. Cut away the excess. After firing the test gives you a shrinkage
> accurate to better than 1mm, which is less than 1%. Warpage bars are
> similar but have legs from them.
>
> On Sat, Jul 9, 2011 at 12:41 PM, Eric Hansen
> wrote:
>> The clay in my backyard is mature at cone 8 - reddish brown, real
>> pretty color - it has bits of feldspathic and micaeous material - I
>> mixed some with an Ohio clay (gold art or Rosehill stoneware?) and the
>> bisque came out with this really interesting color; will be nice with
>> ash glaze. Recently I have been using Kentucky Stone, grog, spar. I
>> think the backyard clay and the KY Stone will go good together seeing
>> as they both mature about cone 8, the backyard clay supplies some
>> spar, and one is too coarse and the other too fine. Just a conjecture
>> of course, the proof is in the testing. Oh yeah - the backyard clay
>> becomes a satin metallic black when wood fired. I recycle clay anyhow
>> - more of it than is usually done - so invariably there is room to add
>> dry clay to the wet slurry and to allow for such experiments. If I had
>> the facilities I would make all my own clay as most commercial clay I
>> find to be too plastic and shrink too much.
>> - h -
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Jul 7, 2011 at 1:07 PM, Lee wrote:
>>> The quarry for my Mashiko clay was 15 minutes from my house. Clay came
>>> out of a pond. =3DA0Had water added, was blundged, screened, dried and
>>> then pugmilled. =3DA0Nothing added. =3DA0 =3DA0Most potters in Mashiko =
didn't=3D
use
>>> that clay. =3DA0They used clay from the Co-op that had more refractory
>>> and plastic Shigaraki clay added to it. =3DA0 Mashiko clay was mature
>>> fired to cone 8.
>>>
>>> Bought bags of dry Helmer's on Tuesday, at Continental. =3DA0 Came in a
>>> new Sunflower Seed bag. =3DA0I am mixing it with lower temp Ohio Firecl=
ay
>>> and also with the tableware clay I use from Continental, to find a
>>> serviceable Mogusa type clay for shino. =3DA0 =3DA0Mogusa is used with =
Shin=3D
o
>>> glaze stays unverified at high temperature. The Tea Masters liked it
>>> because of the soft sound the tea whisk made in it, just like Raku.
>>> The hand-built Raku form is also what inspired the form of the Shino
>>> teabowl. =3DA0 One thing I am testing is using a lower temp slip Hakeme
>>> slip in the inside. =3DA0 Superwhite is a white stoneware that fires co=
ne
>>> 6 to cone 9 but has the same shrinkage as fireclay body. =3DA0 It might
>>> help keep moisture out of the clay body when the teabowl is used, but
>>> still retain the soft sound of bisqueware.
>>> --
>>> =3DA0Lee Love in Minneapolis
>>> http://mingeisota.blogspot.com/
>>>
>>> =3DA0"Ta tIr na n-=3DF3g ar chul an tI=3D97tIr dlainn trina ch=3DE9ile"=
=3D97that =3D
is, "The
>>> land of eternal youth is behind the house, a beautiful land fluent
>>> within itself." -- John O'Donohue
>>>
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Eric Alan Hansen
>> Stonehouse Studio Pottery
>> Alexandria, Virginia
>> americanpotter.blogspot.com
>> thesuddenschool.blogspot.com
>> hansencookbook.blogspot.com
>> "Simplify, simplify, simplify" - Thoreau
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Eric Alan Hansen
> Stonehouse Studio Pottery
> Alexandria, Virginia
> americanpotter.blogspot.com
> thesuddenschool.blogspot.com
> hansencookbook.blogspot.com
> "Simplify, simplify, simplify" - Thoreau
>
--=3D20
Eric Alan Hansen
Stonehouse Studio Pottery
Alexandria, Virginia
americanpotter.blogspot.com
thesuddenschool.blogspot.com
hansencookbook.blogspot.com
"Simplify, simplify, simplify" - Thoreau
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