SydneyGee Posted November 4, 2016 Report Share Posted November 4, 2016 sydney the day i worked out how soft i like my clay my throwing improved dramatically. i discovered i like throwing very soft clay, almost on the edge of too soft. in fact it WAS too sticky, but wedging on plaster took out just enough water to not make it sticky. at first not knowing any better i was attempting to throw with a bag of hard clay that even wedged hard. i learnt my lesson. it just isnt worth it to use hard clay for me. waste of time and frustrating. also if your clay is too groggy do you have access to some ball clay? i use recycled clay a lot at school. when i feel it is short i add some ball clay and that really helps. were you throwing with bmix or bmix with grog. that's the clay i started on. bmix with grog. at the beginning of this semester i tried without grog and OMG. i couldnt do anything. everything kept collapsing and melting away. since then i've worked with a few other clays. maybe next semester i'll give bmix without grog another try. my first 12 inches i threw with bmix with grog. i am amazed at the beating that clay would take. how stretched out multiple times it could get and yet back to the narrow form i wanted its neck to be. If only I could just take my time.... then all my clay would be soft and ready for use! I am at the mercy of what we have in stock at any one time, it is quite difficult for me to do quality control. I like to use recycled clay as well, it is usually very soft when fresh because it is mostly porcelain and a red clay with no grog just sand. I am sure if I asked I could add some ball clay, but I am not sure how I would mix it myself, I believe they add some to every new mix of recycled though. The b-mix I used was with sand. It was the absolute perfect whiteness, consistency, softness, and pulled high walls with almost no effort. I was only able to get one bag until we ran out till next semester, sadly. The biggest problem I had with it was warping when I mishandled it off the wheel to a board. Easy fix is to just buy my own batts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted November 4, 2016 Report Share Posted November 4, 2016 It is my right middle finger under that sponge. I updated that in above post. I thought it was index but its the middle I use under sponge on flat work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glazenerd Posted November 8, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 8, 2016 First taller form I have been able to throw. I mixed a porcelain clay with the same COE as my stoneware; and used it as an engobe. Nerd What is considered a normal wall thickness? What is a normal base/foot thickness? I have been using 5/8 or so because I trim out a 1/4 for a raised foot ring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Min Posted November 8, 2016 Report Share Posted November 8, 2016 Depends what you are making as to how thick the walls and floor should be. You will learn to throw thinner, I would just be working on getting an even thickness of walls for now. Base and walls should be of equal thickness when trimmed, footring will be whatever height fits the pot. Generally speaking I also try and aim for the thickness of the footring to be about the same as rim thickness but again it depends on the pot also. If when the pot is finished it feels too heavy when you pick it up then you have your answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glazenerd Posted November 9, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2016 Actually min: think I am throwing to thin now. 3/16 to 1/4 Nerd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted November 9, 2016 Report Share Posted November 9, 2016 ( If when the pot is finished it feels too heavy when you pick it up then you have your answer.) exactly Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glazenerd Posted November 9, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2016 Min-Mark: I understand what you are saying and have noticed the differences. However, being mechanically minded knowing a general rule of thickness helps me comprehend the goal. Nerd Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SydneyGee Posted November 9, 2016 Report Share Posted November 9, 2016 Page 6 http://ceramicartsdaily.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/cadbg10.pdfThey say the even wall thickness should be around 3/16" for smaller forms, and 1/4 for larger. Right now I am happy to get 1/4 on any medium-small forms, all though some of the really little stuff I have made is quite light now. But is depends on many factors, of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted November 9, 2016 Report Share Posted November 9, 2016 nerd, i bet you have not yet done the very simple test of cutting through your thrown pot. it is a first step and you will be able to see immediately what you need to do. what do you have to lose? someone who experiments so much should not be afraid to cut up a few pots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted November 9, 2016 Report Share Posted November 9, 2016 True, Old lady! I had my student do that on their first 10 cylinders out of 2 pounds of clay. I think it speeds up the learning curve. Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glazenerd Posted November 9, 2016 Author Report Share Posted November 9, 2016 GlazeNerd posted on Nov.1 Pulled a total of six cylinders today: got as high as 14". Collapsed four of them, and cut two of them open. Got some serious learning to do, top half was roughly a 1/4" thick walls, and the bottom half nearly a 1/2". ...posted on page 4 Have cut several more since then. Lady: you said "bet".. you owe me how much? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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