Craig Clark on tue 17 oct 06
Snail, I have never used paper for drying, though I do not doubt the
veracity of what has been said. What kind of paper are ya'll using? Are
you using paper bags? Making a "tent" type of structure out of
newspaper? Are you primarily using this technique for large coil and/or
slab built pieces?
Thank you for any and all info
Craig Dunn Clark
619 East 11 1/2 St
Houston, Texas 77008
(713)861-2083
mudman@hal-pc.org
Snail Scott wrote:
> On Oct 16, 2006, at 9:10 AM, Marek Drzazga wrote:
>
>> I disagree with snail in that slip does Bond, read some of Ivors
>> messages on that one.
>> This all came about as I saw absolutely no reason to score and slip
>> freshly thrown clay.
>
>
> Most wet clay will join without scoring, because
> it is soft enough to interlock with just the friction
> between the two parts. Some clay bodies won't
> allow for this even when fresh, and need special
> effort always. If your clay doesn't need scoring,
> though, then it doesn't - that's exactly what I meant
> by knowing your clay.
>
> Simply putting soft clay together won't make a
> joint, as you know. When you lute or squish the
> clay, though, you ARE essentially scoring it, as
> the particles scrape against each other and
> intermingle.
>
> Most of my work is coiled, and I seldom score
> between rows. The only time I score is between
> one day's work and the next, or after an extended
> break, when I can't rely on equal moisture content.
>
> Scoring can become critical when joining leather-
> hard sections, or when moisture levels are not
> quite equal. Slab work in particular requires
> excellent joining techniques, including scoring,
> since luting is often not feasible with stiffer clay.
>
> When I previously said that 'slip is not glue', I was
> oversimplifying for the sake of making the point -
> that just applying the stuff does not make a joint.
> Further, more slip does not produce a better joint.
> 'Just enough' slip produces a better joint. (It IS like
> glue in that way.) And a 'shimmy' as parts are put
> into place does wonders for strength, as it forces
> out the excess slip and air bubbles, leaving a good
> tight bond of mostly clay.
>
> Slip may have molecular-level bonding capability;
> I'm not qualified to say, but water is amazing stuff.
> Ivor may well be right on the microscopic level.
> Slip does have physical properties on the macro-
> level, too, though, which are not negated by any
> other properties it might possess. Its water-lubricated
> particles can slide right up against the clay and fill
> any waiting interstices. (Smooth clay is kinda rough
> already; scored clay just improves on that - and
> remember, scoring is a surface process, not an
> excavation. Even shallow scoring involves zillions
> of clay particles.)
>
> This goes for all the 'souped-up' slips
> like spooze, too. Vinegar, sodium silicate, sugar
> syrup, and such all contribute useful properties,
> but the slip still contains clay. 'Magic water'
> is not a miracle cure, either, if you don't pay
> attention to the properties of your materials.
>
> No, not all joints require scoring, or slipping, and
> that's exactly my point - to consider your process
> as a thinking being, not an automaton, repeating
> the score-and-slip ritual.
>
> -Snail
>
> p.s. I second Marek's advocacy of paper as a
> cover during controlled drying. No condensation,
> gradual evaporation, improved evenness of drying
> and good protection from drafts. I do believe that
> the plastic bag is the single greatest new ceramics
> tool of the last millennium, but it's not always
> the right tool for the job.
>
> -S.
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
>
> 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.
>
Marek & Pauline Drzazga-Donaldson on tue 17 oct 06
Dear Craig,
you can use Newspaper Sheets to even out moisture throughout a clay =
structure by wrapping it tightly. You can also dampen the Newspaper to =
rejuvenate fully dried out clay to make it workable. You can wrap a =
freshly made piece and put it into your drier and have a brilliant =
sucess rate, if it were to be placed unwrapped into the drier it would =
crack and break due to rapid drying, the Newspaper takes out the =
stresses fantastically.
I use a variety, but some Newspapers are better (stronger paper) than =
others - quality Newspapers are not necessarily better paper. Try it and =
see.
Happy potting Marek
Hand made Architectural Ceramics from No9 Studio UK www.no9uk.com
Fully Residential Pottery Courses and more at Mole Cottage =
www.moleys.com
"Tips and Time Travel from a Vernacular Potter" reviews on =
www.keramix.com
an irreverent point of view after 35 years in the game Marek =
Drzazga-Donaldson =20
Assemble a dragon finial at www.dragonfinials.co.uk
Free Works and Mole Cottage DVD's and Video content on all the sites
Ellen Currans on tue 17 oct 06
Snail and Marek recommend paper for drying. Craig asks what kind of
paper and how. I just want to add that I use paper also. I use it
basically on my slab work which are various low tray, plate and bowl
forms pressed into plastic, wood, metal and ceramic found forms.
My studio is heated with a wood stove in the winter which means that
the heat radiates out from one off-center area of the room.
The shelves I place my newly formed work on are away from the heat but
the edges of the work on the open side of the shelve are affected by
the dry air sooner than the back side against the wall. Ditto in the
summer time if I have a fan blowing. I want the pieces to firm up over
night but not dry on one side sooner than the other, which will cause
warping. I cover each shelf of pots with newspapers as I fill the
shelf. I use old "The Crafts Reports" from when they were printed on
quite heavy news print and are just the right size for my shelves. I
keep them flat on the very top shelf (that I can't really reach easily
for pots), and just pull them down and put them back when I remove the
pots. They have lasted for years. If the pots reach the stage where
they are ready to turn and finish the bottoms, and I can't get to them,
I remove the paper and cover with plastic. I used dry cleaner bags for
years, but I no longer get anything dry cleaned. So, I buy the very
lightest weight plastic drop cloths and cut them to fit the shelves.
I also use some old sheeting cut to fit my ware boards and shelves.
This works better than newspaper on taller pieces, since it drapes down
around the forms.
After finishing the bottoms, adding handles, etc, I put all the slab
pieces into a plastic enclosed shelving unit for a few days to continue
drying. Mine is a metal Bailey rolling cart, which has three sides
covered with heavy plastic (taped on). The side open to the room is
covered with a sheet of heavy plastic taped to the top of the cart
which I can roll up on a dowel when I want to put in or remove pots.
When it is down I fasten the sides to the metal cart with magnets every
foot or so.
Ellen Currans
Dundee, Oregon
________________________________________________________________________
Check out the new AOL. Most comprehensive set of free safety and
security tools, free access to millions of high-quality videos from
across the web, free AOL Mail and more.
Snail Scott on wed 18 oct 06
On Oct 17, 2006, at 4:12 PM, Craig Clark wrote:
> Snail, I have never used paper for drying, though I do not doubt the
> veracity of what has been said. What kind of paper are ya'll using? Are
> you using paper bags? Making a "tent" type of structure out of
> newspaper? Are you primarily using this technique for large coil and/or
> slab built pieces?
Yep. I use newspaper, taping the sheets
into a tent. It allows for more controlled
drying than sitting in open air, without the
tending needed to dry clay evenly under
plastic. Well-wrapped plastic can be too
tight, requiring 'airing' or replacement of
rags and such to get the clay dried, and
loosely-wrapped plastic can be too
uneven. Paper is a useful 'semi-sealed'
form of drying, sort of halfway between
plastic and open-air...
The effect is a bit like having a not-too-wet
damp room, to ease the clay fairly quickly
but evenly to fire-able dryness. It works by
excluding drafts, slowing the drying process
a bit while still allowing gradual, even
evaporation.
-Snail
| |
|
