Earl Brunner on fri 10 dec 04
One of two things, Make enough, so that it can "rest" for a few days, which
usually helps. Even two days will help, especially if you wedge, rest and
wedge again. If your students are washing out a lot of "finer" particles in
your reclaim, you can compensate a bit by adding some ball clay.
Earl Brunner
Las Vegas, NV
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of Brian Bosworth
Sent: Friday, December 10, 2004 5:45 PM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Short Clay
I'm highschool ceramics teacher and need some advice.
I use a pug mill to mix and reclaim large amounts of
clay daily. Doing this really stretches my budget.
What doesn't stretch is the clay. My students use the
clay so quickly it has no chance to age, and has very
little plasticity.
The clay I use is a pre mixed dry powder of a clay my
local supplier also sells in a wet form.
Where do I begin? What can I do to increase my clay's
plasticity?
Brian Bosworth on fri 10 dec 04
I'm highschool ceramics teacher and need some advice.
I use a pug mill to mix and reclaim large amounts of
clay daily. Doing this really stretches my budget.
What doesn't stretch is the clay. My students use the
clay so quickly it has no chance to age, and has very
little plasticity.
The clay I use is a pre mixed dry powder of a clay my
local supplier also sells in a wet form.
Where do I begin? What can I do to increase my clay's
plasticity?
Thank you
Brian Bosworth -not the football player
=====
Brian Bosworth
__________________________________
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Charles on sat 11 dec 04
Brian, what you need to do is make more! When I was a student at PSU they suggested that all of the students make their clay for the following semester and let it age. Perhaps for now you could just do some double batches and start saving a bag or 2 at a time. BUT when the end of the year comes around and no one is allowed to use clay...start cranking it out and wrapping it up.. keep going for a month and you'll have a great head start on next year.
To save your clay for years without it drying out, lay a garbage bag out across the table, opening nearest to you and lay pug logs across it (just sit them on the top near the opening, one end on the left, one end on the right), I can usually get about 40 or 50 lbs across the opening, then start to roll the logs up in the bag. Roll across the top layer of the bag first and when you get to the bottom of the bag, roll it back up to the top. You end up with about 8-10 layers of plastic over your clay.
I'd also mix it up a little soft..a bit too much water, but still pugable. I think one of the biggest problems with new clay is that the clay hasn't been thoroughly moistened...aging allows the water to soak through all the available particles and a solid week will be good enough for that.
Best of Luck,
Charles
Visit me on the web www.hughespottery.com
Interested in lesson? www.thecreativeoasis.com
Michael Wendt on sat 11 dec 04
Brian,
One of the best ways to increase plasticity in any clay is mixing it by the
fluid method where it is slowly added to a bucket of water so that it
settles and has time to slake, then stir it with a jiffy mixer or other stir
prop. This slaked slip is used in place of the regular water to mix the
actual clay body. Careful weighing of the water and slaked clay makes the
process repeatable.
A second method that results in huge increases in plasticity immediately is
mixing in deairing equipment for a longer time than usual. The Peter Pugger
machines do all their work in a vacuum and so can be run longer to improve
the plasticity of your clay body.
If you don't have the room or equipment to do either of these, adding ball
clay to a body can increase plasticity at a price: the more plastic clay
added to a body, the higher the drying shrinkage with its attendant
problems.
Good luck!
Regards,
Michael Wendt
Wendt Pottery
2729 Clearwater Ave
Lewiston, Idaho 83501
USA
wendtpot@lewiston.com
www.wendtpottery.com
Anne Wellings on sun 12 dec 04
Brian,
You are probably already doing this, but make sure your students clean
their splashpans into their throwing buckets and then empty the entire
contents of the buckets into the reclaim container. This way, all the finer
particles that are rinsed away from the clay during throwing get put into
the reclaimed clay and increase it's plasticity. I have been reclaiming
this way for years and get good results without necessarily aging the clay,
although that helps. It's a lot better than letting those fine particles go
down the drain!
Anne
Marek & Pauline Drzazga-Donaldson on sun 12 dec 04
Dear Brian,
the very best method that I know of reducing "shortness" is to use =
"Stinky Water", that is water that has been used time and time again for =
rinseing your hands before washing properly. The water is kept in a =
large bucket and when ripe will smell somewhat, but it sours the clay =
immediately and prevents shortness, use your throwing water as well.
Happy potting Marek www.moley.uk.com www.no9uk.com
j e motzkin on sun 12 dec 04
Are you mixing the reclaim in with the new powdered clay? Increase the proportion of wet clay to dry. Also, try mixing the dry clay to a slurry, dry it a bit, then pug. It takes time for dry powdered clay to wet fully.
j
Subject:
I'm highschool ceramics teacher and need some advice.
I use a pug mill to mix and reclaim large amounts of
clay daily. Doing this really stretches my budget.
What doesn't stretch is the clay. My students use the
clay so quickly it has no chance to age, and has very
little plasticity.
The clay I use is a pre mixed dry powder of a clay my
local supplier also sells in a wet form.
Where do I begin? What can I do to increase my clay's
plasticity?
---------------------------------
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Darnie Sizemore on mon 13 dec 04
Another thing you might try is to add yogurt, beer or
something of that nature to promote bacterial growth
which can add elasticity.
Darnie
--- j e motzkin wrote:
> Are you mixing the reclaim in with the new powdered
> clay? Increase the proportion of wet clay to dry.
> Also, try mixing the dry clay to a slurry, dry it a
> bit, then pug. It takes time for dry powdered clay
> to wet fully.
> j
>
>
> Subject:
>
> I'm highschool ceramics teacher and need some
> advice.
> I use a pug mill to mix and reclaim large amounts of
> clay daily. Doing this really stretches my budget.
> What doesn't stretch is the clay. My students use
> the
> clay so quickly it has no chance to age, and has
> very
> little plasticity.
>
> The clay I use is a pre mixed dry powder of a clay
> my
> local supplier also sells in a wet form.
>
> Where do I begin? What can I do to increase my
> clay's
> plasticity?
>
>
>
>
> ---------------------------------
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Brian Bosworth on mon 13 dec 04
I have a 55 gal plastic can on wheels that I soak down
old greenware to slurry. After a day or so I shovel
it into the pug mill and mix with dry powder of the
same claybody. I mix this to a consistency that
allows me to press into the clay leaving fingermarks
but does not stick to my finger. This mixing stage
may take 5 - 15 mins.
I could put some additives in it like Darnie suggests
but sometime the clay might 'age' 5 mins before it is
used. I think it sounds like my best option is to
just mix it a bit more wet. What do you think?
Brian
=====
Brian Bosworth
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Brian on mon 13 dec 04
Thanks for all your great ideas. I want to address another topic
quickly. I have been watching Clay Art archive for some time. Reading
past articles but never accessing through the Ceramics.org website. WOW!
Now I know how to reply in a thread and now I know where to go for current
topics. What a great resource.
Now! You all have given me some great suggestions...I teach about 120
students a day and so aging and storage at this point and time are really
impractical. However, reusing the throwing water and saving to a 'sour'
bucket is really a simple and immediate suggestion. I'll try that and
post the results.
THanks all!
Louis Katz on thu 30 dec 04
I took High School classes in 1972-74. We slaked clay in big metal
garbage cans and dried it out on plaster tables. This limited the size
and amount of stuff we made. Claymaking was a good physical activity
but did require constant "motivation" from the teacher.
I also worked at a summer camp where we layered dry materials into
trash cans slaked it and then pugged it with dry powder. This was very
dusty, I don't recommend this without good dust collection and
respirators. If you slake your clay in garbage cans way ahead of time,
and take the water off the top, and then wait for the top of the
barrel to dry until stiff but workable it will only take a little dry
mix to add to it and it will be much more plastic. WE stored the clay
in an old freezer like container on its side.
Mixing clay from dry powder directly into a pugmill is probably the
worst way to get plasticity and will require long aging. Slaking most
of it first is almost the best. Slaking it and drying it without adding
powder is even better.
Pugging leatherhard clay with wet clay also does not seem to produce
good clay.
My highs school ceramics class was one of the most important
experiences of my life.
Louis
On Dec 10, 2004, at 7:45 PM, Brian Bosworth wrote:
> I'm highschool ceramics teacher and need some advice.
> I use a pug mill to mix and reclaim large amounts of
> clay daily. Doing this really stretches my budget.
> What doesn't stretch is the clay. My students use the
> clay so quickly it has no chance to age, and has very
> little plasticity.
>
> The clay I use is a pre mixed dry powder of a clay my
> local supplier also sells in a wet form.
>
> Where do I begin? What can I do to increase my clay's
> plasticity?
>
> Thank you
> Brian Bosworth -not the football player
>
> =====
> Brian Bosworth
>
>
>
> __________________________________
> Do you Yahoo!?
> Read only the mail you want - Yahoo! Mail SpamGuard.
> http://promotions.yahoo.com/new_mail
>
> _______________________________________________________________________
> _______
> 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.
>
>
Louis Katz
Flamin Pipe Organ (needs Quicktime and high speed acess):
http://www.tamucc.edu/~lkatz/cs/
David Woof on wed 6 apr 05
i'm sure that we are or will be getting all the tech info on short clay,
this is good. read, apply, learn and do. however after knowing this
information, how much productive time can one afford on twenty five dollars
worth of clay, fussing to change it? when you have really soft clay,
throw plates and low ware, when it is short, roll it out and let it stiffen
up for clay carpentry, try boxes and hand built forms, abstract wall
hangers or tiles.....murals...
always let the clay have a say in what will happen, much to learn, new
directions discovered. blind dates can be great if we leave all
expectations at home.
again though, it's good and necessary to learn all one can about the
physical properties of all the materials one uses. that knowlege translates
to confidence which leaves the print of the sure hand in the work. it can't
be substituted or faked.
David Woof
peering over the edge, reverently taking an irreverent look at everything.
Gene Arnold on wed 6 apr 05
I have some clay that has been recycled that seems to be what has been
described as being short.
I ran the clay through the pug mill and cut off a piece about 18 inches long
and bent it into a u shape and it just breaks in half. My other clay (new
not recycled) when bent in a u shape does not break or crack.
I searched through the archives and saw a post that recommended adding
bentonite to the clay would bring it back to where it should be. So as I ran
it thorough the pug mill again I sprinkled bentonite in with each ball
(about 2 lbs each) of clay that was put into the hopper and I also added a
little water each time. Ran the clay through a couple of times using this
method.
But the clay still breaks in half when bent and is a bear to throw.
So is there a way to save this clay (only about 100 lbs.) or should I just
trash it and move on??
Gene & Latonna
mudduck@mudduckpottery.com
www.mudduckpottery.com
Graeme Anderson on wed 6 apr 05
When I first started using local clay. it was very short. Putting Additive
A (used in the brick industry) in the water when mixing the clay helped.
But I found leaving the clay in a moist condition for about 3 months
improved the plasticity for throwing, and it improved with further aging.
After pugging I wrapped the clay in plastic for storage. As you only have
a small amount, why not try the aging method?
Cheers. Graeme.
Cindy in SD on thu 7 apr 05
Dear Gene,
Since you have only a small amount of this clay, I would recommend
bagging it up and storing it in a corner for a while. In a couple of
months, it will probably be better. If you want to accelerate things,
you could add some organic matter. Vinegar is a favorite. Yeast will
work, if you add some nutrients for it--sugar, urea, etc. This will make
the clay smell really, really bad, though. Time alone will usually do
the job if the clay is any good at all to begin with.
Bentonite, BTW, can take a long time to hydrate, so if you just
sprinkled it into the clay while pugging, it could take a couple of days
or longer to make a difference.
Good luck with your experiments,
Cindy in SD
Marek & Pauline Drzazga-Donaldson on thu 7 apr 05
Dear Gene,
a little deeper into the archives would have produced "stinky water". =
Water in a bucket for rinsing your hands and not renewed, alsoi slops =
from throwing water remains, use this when reconstituting and within ( I =
have recycled dried clay within 24 hours) a very short (no pun intented) =
period of time perfectly usable clay. If you add a little of the short =
clay to fresh you will be worsening the good clay. Use stinky water.
Happy potting Marek www.no9uk.com www.moley.uk.com
Taylor Hendrix on tue 8 nov 11
Will someone tell me what it feels like to throw with short clay.
Because I have been a slave to another job, I've been having a devil
of a time coordinating my clay reclaiming with my throwing time. I had
some fantastically soft clay that I reclaimed, threw some pots, then
decided it was maybe a bit too soft for my skill level (been quite
awhile since I was at the wheel) so I made the traditional clay arches
to help stiffen them up a bit. Work intervened, and when I was able to
get back to the clay, it was too stiff. I've been softening it with
Lee's damp rag/bag in water trick, but it is taking a bit of time.
Finally last night I just said the heck with it and balled up some
clay to throw. It was pretty stiff. Some funny stuff going on, so I
got to thinking that I have never had the opportunity to be shown what
"short" clay feels like. I've read about it, but I have no real world
experience (that I know of) with working it.
So, what does it FEEL like when you try to throw short clay?
Taylor, in Rockport TX
wirerabbit1 on Skype (-0600 UTC)
http://wirerabbit.blogspot.com
http://wirerabbitpots.blogspot.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wirerabbit/
David Woof on tue 8 nov 11
Hi Taylor=3D2C
Wedge in an excessive amount of 100 mesh mullite grog=3D2C add some calcine=
d =3D
Kaolin for good measure and throw with wheel speed up in the higher range a=
=3D
s you try to convince the clay to expand or turn in another direction A.S.A=
=3D
.P. The rim will crack and cracks and fissures will develop in the side wal=
=3D
ls of the form. This is a quickie example of short clay.=3DA0 (If you throw=
a=3D
nd persuade the form to develop slowly it is possible to throw short clay q=
=3D
uite tall.)
=3DA0
Some folks and cultures made/make great work with short clay=3D2C you must =
ch=3D
ange your handling which in turn changes your wirk.
Another example/indicator: If you roll out short clay=3D2C the slabs will c=
ra=3D
ck when manipulated.
David Woof
______________________________________________
12. Short clay
Posted by: "Taylor Hendrix" wirerabbit2@GMAIL.COM=3D20
Date: Tue Nov 8=3D2C 2011 8:15 am ((PST))
=3D20
Will someone tell me what it feels like to throw with short clay.
Because I have been a slave to another job=3D2C I've been having a devil
of a time coordinating my clay reclaiming with my throwing time. I had
some fantastically soft clay that I reclaimed=3D2C threw some pots=3D2C the=
n
decided it was maybe a bit too soft for my skill level (been quite
awhile since I was at the wheel) so I made the traditional clay arches
to help stiffen them up a bit. Work intervened=3D2C and when I was able to
get back to the clay=3D2C it was too stiff. I've been softening it with
Lee's damp rag/bag in water trick=3D2C but it is taking a bit of time.
Finally last night I just said the heck with it and balled up some
clay to throw. It was pretty stiff. Some funny stuff going on=3D2C so I
got to thinking that I have never had the opportunity to be shown what
"short" clay feels like. I've read about it=3D2C but I have no real world
experience (that I know of) with working it.
=3D20
So=3D2C what does it FEEL like when you try to throw short clay?
=3D20
=3DA0=3DA0=3DA0=3D20
=3D
Steve Mills on tue 8 nov 11
My experience.=3D20
Some years back I was using a mixture of two proprietary clays, a smooth da=
r=3D
k stoneware, and an almost white highly grogged body normally intended for =
b=3D
ig ware. The combination of these two gave me a clay I could throw quickly,=
a=3D
nd fired a light toasted brown.=3D20
One month I collected a quarter ton of each, mixed them together, and sat d=
o=3D
wn to throw a batch of quart jugs. Imagine my horror at finding my hands on=
a=3D
n alien mixture that felt awful and when pulled firmly up left me with a di=
s=3D
c of clay on the wheel, and a ring of clay in my hands!=3D20
Zero plasticity! And I had half a ton of this crap.=3D20
I eventually found the manufacturer had subbed a cheap "builder's" fireclay=
f=3D
or the more expensive highly plastic fireclay they normally used in the big=
w=3D
are body!
I won't go into detail to describe what I had to do to this "stuff" to make=
i=3D
t useable, suffice to say it doubled its cost and still took longer to thro=
w=3D
it was so unforgiving.=3D20
Thank goodness most clay makers take a more honourable approach to their pr=
o=3D
duct these days!
Steve M
Steve Mills
Bath
UK
www.mudslinger.me.uk
Sent from my Ipod touch
On 8 Nov 2011, at 15:22, Taylor Hendrix wrote:
> Will someone tell me what it feels like to throw with short clay.
> Because I have been a slave to another job, I've been having a devil
> of a time coordinating my clay reclaiming with my throwing time. I had
> some fantastically soft clay that I reclaimed, threw some pots, then
> decided it was maybe a bit too soft for my skill level (been quite
> awhile since I was at the wheel) so I made the traditional clay arches
> to help stiffen them up a bit. Work intervened, and when I was able to
> get back to the clay, it was too stiff. I've been softening it with
> Lee's damp rag/bag in water trick, but it is taking a bit of time.
> Finally last night I just said the heck with it and balled up some
> clay to throw. It was pretty stiff. Some funny stuff going on, so I
> got to thinking that I have never had the opportunity to be shown what
> "short" clay feels like. I've read about it, but I have no real world
> experience (that I know of) with working it.
>=3D20
> So, what does it FEEL like when you try to throw short clay?
>=3D20
>=3D20
> Taylor, in Rockport TX
> wirerabbit1 on Skype (-0600 UTC)
> http://wirerabbit.blogspot.com
> http://wirerabbitpots.blogspot.com
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/wirerabbit/
Lee on wed 9 nov 11
On Tue, Nov 8, 2011 at 3:39 PM, Mike wrote:
> HOWEVER, be patient with it and figure it out, and it can make some of
> the most interesting pots.
I sometimes add wholewheat flour to the clay to shorten it.
When clay is too plastic, it is difficult to make good trimming
texture.
When I first put my hands on clay after moving back to Mpls, I
was struck by how "sticky" it felt.
--
=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
J Motzkin on wed 9 nov 11
Taylor,
Commercially prepared class are almost always too stiff out of the bag for
me.
I use this easy and quick method for softening clay.
Stab the clay deeply with a knife on all sides...through the bag.Submerge
the bag and clay in water over night. Pull it out and let the excess water
drip out through the knife holes. Wedge and use. Fast, easy, effective.
All the best.
...judy
jmotzkin
@motzkin.com
Taylor Hendrix on wed 9 nov 11
Thanks everyone. Must just be really really stiff clay and really
really rusty throwing skills. I think I am back in the saddle again.
Trimmed a handful of pots yesterday and remembered that timing is
everything.
I wish I had thrown all the "too soft" clay that day I started. It was
just a little needy. This stiffer stuff is simply bullying me. Thank
goodness I throw small pots.
Good advice Judy. I go soft with all my new bags of clay as well. I
just need to time my reclaiming schedule a little better so I don't
over dry all that wonderful slaked down clay.
bat pin free and loving it,
Taylor, in Rockport TX
wirerabbit1 on Skype (-0600 UTC)
http://wirerabbit.blogspot.com
http://wirerabbitpots.blogspot.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wirerabbit/
On Wed, Nov 9, 2011 at 9:12 AM, J Motzkin wrote:
> Taylor,
> Commercially prepared class are almost always too stiff out of the bag fo=
=3D
r
> me.
> I use this easy and quick method for softening clay.
> Stab the clay=3DC2=3DA0 deeply with a knife on all sides...through the ba=
g.Su=3D
bmerge
> the bag and clay in water over night. Pull it out and let the excess wate=
=3D
r
> drip out through the knife holes. Wedge and use. Fast, easy, effective.
>
> All the best.
>
> ...judy
>
> jmotzkin
> @motzkin.com
jonathan byler on wed 9 nov 11
sometimes slamming the bag on the floor a few times will soften it up
enough for throwing. YMMV.
On Nov 9, 2011, at 9:41 AM, Taylor Hendrix wrote:
> Thanks everyone. Must just be really really stiff clay and really
> really rusty throwing skills. I think I am back in the saddle again.
> Trimmed a handful of pots yesterday and remembered that timing is
> everything.
>
> I wish I had thrown all the "too soft" clay that day I started. It was
> just a little needy. This stiffer stuff is simply bullying me. Thank
> goodness I throw small pots.
>
> Good advice Judy. I go soft with all my new bags of clay as well. I
> just need to time my reclaiming schedule a little better so I don't
> over dry all that wonderful slaked down clay.
>
> bat pin free and loving it,
>
> Taylor, in Rockport TX
> wirerabbit1 on Skype (-0600 UTC)
> http://wirerabbit.blogspot.com
> http://wirerabbitpots.blogspot.com
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/wirerabbit/
>
>
>
> On Wed, Nov 9, 2011 at 9:12 AM, J Motzkin wrote:
>> Taylor,
>> Commercially prepared class are almost always too stiff out of the
>> bag for
>> me.
>> I use this easy and quick method for softening clay.
>> Stab the clay deeply with a knife on all sides...through the
>> bag.Submerge
>> the bag and clay in water over night. Pull it out and let the
>> excess water
>> drip out through the knife holes. Wedge and use. Fast, easy,
>> effective.
>>
>> All the best.
>>
>> ...judy
>>
>> jmotzkin
>> @motzkin.com
Bill Merrill on wed 9 nov 11
Just because a clay body is "short" compared to plastic or extremely =3D
plastic clay by no means make it a poor clay body. Most commercial =3D
clays are plastic because many clay companies add bentonite to their =3D
mix. A clay body with clays that are of different particle size make =3D
for good clays bodies. My cone 10 body uses 6 different clays plus grog =
=3D
and flux. All of the clays are coarse to fine in particle size. The =3D
grind or mesh of these clays are also varied. The body may seem "short" =
=3D
right out of a mixer, but ater a couple of days, all the particles and =3D
areas between the particles are more wet and since clays are held =3D
together by a suction action of the particles and can then slide across =3D
one another the clay is more plastic. The body is not mushy or makes =3D
excessive slip as one throws. I alter the ball type clays in the body so =
=3D
that the color can also change in conjunction with Neuman red. Glazes =3D
are very good on this body. What I am saying is when you do clay tests =3D
(water of plasticity, shrink tests etc.) you can develop a body that =3D
suits your needs with regard to color, texture, maturing range etc. =3D20
=3D20
Knowing your clay is a big part of who you are and what you do in the =3D
sceme of things. If you develop a body and know these things, yet have =3D
no way to mix them your local clay business can make your clay to your =3D
specifications...
=3D20
Keep making pots, the best are still in you!!!!
=3D20
Bill Merrill =3D20
http://www.flickr.com/photos/25594880@N04/ =3D
=3D
com/photos/25594880@N04/> =3D20
Mike on wed 9 nov 11
Short clay can be frustrating if you're not ready for it. It doesn't
stretch, and breaks off the hump in your hands, sometimes when you're
still centering. When you open a bowl, you'll get lots of vertical
cracks, and if you don't compress the rim as you pull up the walls, the
rim will split apart. If you apply too much pressure to opening or
raising, the whole pot will sometimes come away from the base leaving a
ring of clay in your hands which quickly falls apart because it doesn't
have enough plasticity to hold together.
Slabs of short clay crack easily, and need extensive paddling.
HOWEVER, be patient with it and figure it out, and it can make some of
the most interesting pots.
Mike
in Taku, Japan
http://karatsupots.com
http://karatsupots.blogspot.com
Workshop in Taku 2012: The Simple Teabowl, May 12 - 18
http://karatsupots.com/workshop2012/2012home.html
http://workshopintaku2012.blogspot.com/
(2011/11/09 0:22), Taylor Hendrix wrote:
> Will someone tell me what it feels like to throw with short clay.
> Because I have been a slave to another job, I've been having a devil
> of a time coordinating my clay reclaiming with my throwing time. I had
> some fantastically soft clay that I reclaimed, threw some pots, then
> decided it was maybe a bit too soft for my skill level (been quite
> awhile since I was at the wheel) so I made the traditional clay arches
> to help stiffen them up a bit. Work intervened, and when I was able to
> get back to the clay, it was too stiff. I've been softening it with
> Lee's damp rag/bag in water trick, but it is taking a bit of time.
> Finally last night I just said the heck with it and balled up some
> clay to throw. It was pretty stiff. Some funny stuff going on, so I
> got to thinking that I have never had the opportunity to be shown what
> "short" clay feels like. I've read about it, but I have no real world
> experience (that I know of) with working it.
>
> So, what does it FEEL like when you try to throw short clay?
>
>
> Taylor, in Rockport TX
> wirerabbit1 on Skype (-0600 UTC)
> http://wirerabbit.blogspot.com
> http://wirerabbitpots.blogspot.com
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/wirerabbit/
>
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