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Clay Body - Reduction Look In Oxidation


Foxden

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I used to make a clay body with 10% Redart and some medium grog which yielded a beautiful brown surface with the grog exposed where left unglazed and fired to Cone 10 in Reduction.

 

I am visiting friends and am in a situation where I can't do any reduction cone 10 firings and am restricted to cone 6 electric and wanted to make some tiles with portions of the clay unglazed.

 

Are there any clay bodies or suggestions that might give similar results in oxidation. It's a small project and I am not really in the mood to do a lot of testing of clay bodies. Lazy, I guess.

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Most suppliers used more locally mixed clays with some exceptions. Where are you? That would be a huge help in pinning down a supplier. If you are doing ^6 Ox. , I like dark clays. But I can't say what is available near you at the moment. If you are in Blowing Rock, NC you are closest to High-water Clays.

http://www.highwaterclays.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=category.display&category_ID=35

Looks like Speckled Brown Stoneware would be what you would want.

If you are near Philadelphia, the Ceramic Shop has over 100 clay bodies to choose from.

http://www.theceramicshop.com/store/department/6/Clay/

 

 

Marcia

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I am familiar with Highwater Clay bodies. They are pretty much the sole supplier at the University here. The colors are too uniform in oxidation. Here is a photo of my own clay body in reduction, cone 9-10 which is what I am after. I don't know if I can achieve anything like it in an electric kiln.

post-20012-0-57467900-1467391416_thumb.jpeg

post-20012-0-57467900-1467391416_thumb.jpeg

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post-2190-0-76591900-1467417664_thumb.jpg

 

A combination of oxide/underglaze washes with a soda ash wash over them might do the trick (literally and figuratively).  The vase above is Highwater's Little Loafers.  I've also used their Red Rock with soda ash wash and ended up with a nice brown result . . . much darker than the normal Red Rock speckled brown.  Unfortunately I can't find a picture.  All cone 6 oxidation. 

post-2190-0-76591900-1467417664_thumb.jpg

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Foxed,

Your stoneware @^10 looks like my clay body at ^6 reduction. Nice texture and groggy.

It is tough to get that in Ox. as you say...uniform..thats is the nature of the beast. I agree with bcisk 

that the soda ash wash will make the clay appear a bit richer.

 

Marcia

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I think I will try using Highwater Brownstone and wedge in some course grog from some light bodied stoneware clay. I'll try the soda wash on a sample to see if I can get something close to what I want. Thanks.

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  • 1 month later...

The course grog added texture which I was pleased with, but the application of a soda ash wash didn't enhance the color. Looked the same as without it. I will try again and use more soda ash. I would like the clay to begin to have a sheen.

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