Mug Posted December 5, 2015 Report Share Posted December 5, 2015 Currently I use paper clay for sculpting and it seems to work OK. I have heard some great things about Highwaters Phoenix clay. I live in the North eastern part of Ohio, would anyone know of a local clay supplier with similar characteristics. The thermal shock properties seem to make it sound like a bullet proof clay for functional sculpture. I have even heard it was used for raku. I would be sculpting at various thicknesses. Firing it to a lower cone 6-7 would be my game plan to reduce some of the problems that might occur at cone 10. At 6-7 with a glaze the absorption rate should be acceptable. I gather that the described fine mullite grog is actually pretty coarse. As the mullite gets finer from what I understand it gets weaker and less forgiving. Would anyone know how the mullite compares to standards 630 or compares to 630 in general? All in all it may be worth getting the clay, It is cheaper than standards clays, but it's quite a drive to a supplier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted December 5, 2015 Report Share Posted December 5, 2015 If you're planning on making functional work, don't use a cone 10 clay. There's a very good chance the pieces will weep. Go with a cone 6 clay. Standard 630 is wonderful stuff, very forgiving and easy to work with. I use a ton of it for my beginners and kids because it's so forgiving. If you want something darker, Standard 112 or the non-speckled equivalent 225 are also very nice to work with. Phoenix is my favorite throwing stoneware ever, but Standard's 306/112/225 are a very close second. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mug Posted December 5, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 5, 2015 Hi Neil I like forgiving. Might I ask what clear glaze do you use on the 630 I have had some crazing issues with the Amaco zinc free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted December 5, 2015 Report Share Posted December 5, 2015 I've been using this clear for the past 6 months. It's a low expansion glaze from Digitalfire, and seems to work well on most of our clay bodies. I've revised it to work with the materials I keep in stock, and made it a little more fluid to clear it up. It was a little milky originally. G1214W.pdf G1214W.pdf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mug Posted December 6, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 6, 2015 Sweet, I'll give it a go Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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