Quickie Question – What Weight Of Clay To Make A Large Bread Crock?

[PottaFella]

Anyone ever thrown a good big bread crock? Like a sort of tall lidded casserole?

 

Prob needs to be something like 10 inches wide x 14 inches high – not too sure but it needs to take at least a big bloomer loaf. A nice domed lid with a handle too. no need for anything fancy to the foot.

 

Or anyone care to guesstimate how much stoneware clay to use?

[Magnolia Mud Research]

Good question.  Been there, done that, got the tee-shirt and ball cap.

 

On a new project like a tall crock, I estimate the volume of the clay by first making a sketch.  A crock is essentially a cylinder  about so-so in diameter, about yay-yay in height, and the wall will be about duh-duh thick, all in WET clay dimensions. 

 

The cylinder volume =  yay-yay x 3.16 x so-so x duh-duh. 

If the bottom is un-hunh thick, its volume  =  yay-yay x yay-yay x 3.16/4 x un-hunh.  

Add the two volumes.

that is a good estimate of the volume of trimmed wet clay to make the crock. 

Add 10-15% extra volume for contingency. 

Then cut off that amount of clay. 

 

I do the measurements in cm to keep the arithmetic simple but any set of units will work - just use the same units for lengths and volume.

 

A cube of wet clay that is such-and-such on a side will have a volume equal to such-and-such x such-and-such x such-and-such. 

 

LT

[Marcia Selsor]

for a 10 x 14 cylinder are you throwing, hand building or combination.

Throwing needs depend largely on your ability but I estimate about 12 pounds.

lid about 5

 

You could use less clay by hand building a cylinder and adding a thrown galley for the lid.

 

Marcia

[PottaFella]

for a 10 x 14 cylinder are you throwing, hand building or combination.

Throwing needs depend largely on your ability but I estimate about 12 pounds.

lid about 5

 

You could use less clay by hand building a cylinder and adding a thrown galley for the lid.

 

Marcia

 

Many thanks Marcia, it will be thrown on wheel, prob use a basic medium-grogged stoneware clay.

[Marcia Selsor]

If you throw it without the bottom and add a slab later, it could be easier. Depends on how well you have that much clay.

Marcia

[Denice]

If you can't throw that large, I know it would be a problem for me you can always use the added coil method.  Throw it as large as you can and then add coils to the top and throw them smooth.  I usually live the walls extra thick for this method and trim the top level before adding another coil.   Denice

[preeta]

my hats off to you. probably a green 14 inch cylinder?

[oldlady]

marcia, a 5 pound lid???????

[Min]

I use 6lbs of clay (porcelain that shrinks 14%) to make my fermentation crocks, finished size of base is 8" tall X 7" wide so I would guesstimate yours to take double that so Marcia's figures seem spot on to me. The lid takes 3lb 4oz but a lot of that gets trimmed away. (no trimming on the base) If you use a groggy or sandy clay would likely take a bit less.

(excuse my mess on the work counter!)

 

edit: I was at a Robin Hopper demo years ago and one of the things he made was an enormous bread crock, it was large enough to hold 3 or 4 loaves of bread. Can't remember ever seeing one over on this side of the pond, maybe they are a British thing?

[PottaFella]

I use 6lbs of clay (porcelain that shrinks 14%) to make my fermentation crocks, finished size of base is 8" tall X 7" wide so I would guesstimate yours to take double that so Marcia's figures seem spot on to me. The lid takes 3lb 4oz but a lot of that gets trimmed away. (no trimming on the base) If you use a groggy or sandy clay would likely take a bit less.

(excuse my mess on the work counter!)

 

edit: I was at a Robin Hopper demo years ago and one of the things he made was an enormous bread crock, it was large enough to hold 3 or 4 loaves of bread. Can't remember ever seeing one over on this side of the pond, maybe they are a British thing?

 

That's just the type of thing I was thinking of, prob with a loop type handle on the lid.  From what you've all said, I'm going to aim for 10 to 12ibs of clay for the crock  â€“ I'll post a pic when I've got something done - cheers!

[ayjay]

A guy where I learnt to throw quite often used to make large stuff like bread crocks and hand washing bowls - he was a very experienced thrower and to me at the time, the amount of clay he was throwing looked almost monumental.

 

..........BUT, he had a lot of problems with S cracks in his bottoms, so make sure you compress your bottom well and maybe also take the precaution of firing it on something that will allow some movement.

[Mark C.]

What do you do with that much bread?

[oldlady]

i have a british bread crock.  i can tell you that bringing it home on a 10 hour flight, followed by a long trip to the next means of transportation, a third trip with me carrying it again and finally getting it safely installed in front of the fireplace made it seem like it weighed 10 tons.  it is about 20 inches high and a foot across the wide part.

 

 do not ask why the lid has glue across the crack.   but a lid without a flange is asking to fly when bumped.

[Mark C.]

Oldlady

now what are you doing with that much bread?

or is this like my 40 gallon redwing crock outside on the porch?A decoration

[Babs]

ANd make two lids, one will be dropped,  chipped etc, Murphy's law.

Easier when the crock is still wet!

[oldlady]

never has had bread in it.  it is salt glazed and just sits there looking good.

[Marcia Selsor]

marcia, a 5 pound lid???????

10" diameter is like a dinner plate plus it needs to be domed to avoid warping so, it would need to be trimmed. I think 5 pounds would do it easily..

Marcia

[preeta]

wow didnt think of a lid being like a dinner plate. but for a 10 inch crock that is true. that is if 10 inch is the finished size or the greenware size. 

 

making me hungry for sauerkraut.

 

min when you make your fermentation crocks do you made a 2nd 'lid' for the weight inside?

[Min]

 

 

min when you make your fermentation crocks do you made a 2nd 'lid' for the weight inside?

 

Hi Preeta, I used to sell a flat round slab piece separately but they didn't sell well, most just said they would use a couple saucers for a weight. Nowadays most people say they will be using it for a kitchen counter green waste bin.

[Marcia Selsor]

so Oly, give us an update. How is the bread crack progressing?

Marcia

[preeta]

 

 

 

min when you make your fermentation crocks do you made a 2nd 'lid' for the weight inside?

 

Hi Preeta, I used to sell a flat round slab piece separately but they didn't sell well, most just said they would use a couple saucers for a weight. Nowadays most people say they will be using it for a kitchen counter green waste bin.

 

yeah. i think they are no longer fermenting. sad. i cant imagine making sauerkraut without that extra weight. its soo good homemade compared to the bottled stuff. 

 

that was smart of you selling the flat round slab seperately.