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can i make slip for casting

updated wed 2 jul 03

 

Marcia Selsor on tue 1 jul 03


Dear Sam,
I have only made casting slip from dry ingredients not scrap. I have
used the desription in Kenny's ancient book on "Complete Book on
Potterymaking". It took ten days it mixing it several times per day. I
made up a garbage can full of slip and cast some very large pieces.
If you can get your scraps into a lump free slurry and add the correct
percentage of deflocculent, it should work. Look up methods of making
casting slip. I think they required something like sodium silicate or
darvon 7. (It has been 20 years since I did this) Check the info on the
ceramics web or the acers archives. It isn't that hard to do. The slip I
made up worked really well. It was the same recipe as the body I was
using. I was making large thrown pieces and adding elaborate segments
which needed to be light weight to extend out as far as they did.
The slip and the clay body worked perfect together.
Marcia Selsor








I have been thinking about slip casting a few pottery pieces as a
experiment (never done it before). I have my own original piece(s) and I
know now to make plaster molds.
>However I don't have any store-bought slip/clay for the clay pour. But
I have at least 200 lbs of various cone 6 clay trimmings sitting in a
slurry /mud to reconstitute - (normally I dry it out some and wedge and
use over).
>My question to the clay art community is: can I use this
clay/trimmings for a clay/slip pour and/or what do I have to do to it to
make it ok to use - or do I need to go buy some clay slip. Help
appreciated. Thanks in advance, Sam in Daly City, CA. (where it was 100
degrees yesterday (and thelast three days) and 59 degrees today + plus
heavy fog).
>
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