Simple question

[yappystudent]

Do you wash new canvas fabric before you start using it for rolling slabs?

Cotton tends to shrink so IDK if it's a good idea to start putting wet clay on it without washing and drying it first...

[Magnolia Mud Research]

I have never washed canvas prior to using the canvas for rolling slabs.    (never washed the canvas after using the canvas for rolling slabs either. ).  I just take the fresh canvas and start using it between the slab roller and the clay (if I don't have either foam or other smooth materials).  

Since  I dislike the texture imprinted on a clay slab by the canvas, I avoid using canvas next to the clay.  My preferred material is craft foam; second best is tightly woven silk or nylon cloth.   

  My slab roller stack is:  canvas against the slab roller table,  then a foam sheet,  the clay ,  a foam sheet,  top layer is canvas.    

LT

[Denice]

I have purchase two canvas rolls for my Bailey slab roller,  they are about a inch too wide for my roller when I get them.   I just hose them in the drive way and leave them there until they dry.  I also clean them this way when they get clogged up with clay.   They fit much better with a little shrinkage,  I have one canvas for red clay and one for white.   I use a plastic rib to take out the canvas texture and find any hidden air bubbles.   Canvas you buy at a fabric store probably wouldn't need any washing.     I rinse them on nice warm days so they will get dry in one day.   The canvas that is used on the Bailey slab roller is heavy and slow to dry.    Denice

[yappystudent]

TY for the ideas. I hadn't thought about drying it flat outdoors. 

[Rae Reich]

Instead of canvas, I use outdoor awning/furniture fabric. I traded a pot with a local awning maker for scraps large enough to use in my slab roller. The texture is much less obtrusive than canvas and the weave is so dense that it doesn't trap a lot of clay. Also doesn't shrink and holds its shape well when damp.  

[Roberta12]

I love the printer blankets I received from Old Lady so very much, I got another set from our local newspaper right before they were set to start printing in another town!  Clean up very easily.  No texture.

Roberta

[LeeU]

Thanks to Old Lady's suggestion, probably a year or so ago, I located printer blankets from a nearby print shop, and cut them to fit my Bailey table top-they are great, plus I have a few Slab Mats as well, which I use especially for porcelain. I never use canvas anymore, except for some pieces that I use a rolling pin on where I actually like the bit of subtle texture.