Jerry Crimmins on fri 24 sep 99
Ok
Speed tip for burnishing
Burnishing Pottery, especially useful with grogged 60 mesh clay, reduces
burnishing time and providing a nice burnished surface for pit fires or raku
carbonization even on 60 grogged clay. It speeds up burnishing for non
grogged clays too. Try this on a small piece first you wont regret it
After making your pot by throwing or coiling or what ever...I usually throw
my pieces to be burnished so I will describe that process.
I smooth the ridges and patch the dings on surface of the pot with a flexible
rubber rib and sometimes a wooden negative curvature wooden rib or a flat
wooden rib. Then I use a haki brush or any wide brush and dip it in the slip
in my splash pan and with the wheel turning I brush the slip on like paint
down to about two-thirds of the pot or to where I think I will start
trimming. After the brushed on coat has had a chance to stiffen up a bit I
use a flexible rubber rib and smooth out the brush strokes. Sometimes I wait
for that first coat to dry and do another if I can still see some ridges.
After the pot is stiff enough to trim, I do the same procedure to the upside
down piece after trimming right on the wheel to the areas that I trimmed. Rib
with a flexible rubber rib, brush on slip, let it stiffen up, rib it down
again. etc.
When the pot is dry enough to burnish (just before being completely dry as
others have mentioned) begin burnishing the regular way. You will find that
your burnish goes easier and much faster. I can save about 2/3 rds of the
time for burnishing by putting this coat of brushed on slip from the splash
pan.
If you aren't throwing your pots just mix some slip from your clay of choice
and put it in a slip pot and brush with this and rib it down after it
stiffens. Then Burnish.
Otter
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