Do You Use Highwater's White Clays?

[clay lover]

I am shopping for a new supplier of white stoneware. I have tried Highwater's P5 and Little Loafer's long ago and remember that one of them was sort of slimey and as green ware was dusty and fragile. And advice on choosing between these?

[Pam S]

I've been using their Buncombe White for several years. As green ware it can be a bit fragile if very thin. I like the plasticity and it doesn't require much water to work it. I recently purchased their C5-6 porcelain. I haven't tried it yet. I've been lazy as far as cleaning equipment and so forth to make the transition.

[OffCenter]

I know you asked about Highwater Clays but you may want to consider Laguna Clay. A lot of potters use Laguna's B-Mix. It's a good white stoneware. You can throw large forms with it even without grog. For something whiter and incredibly translucent Frost porcelain can't be beat.

 

Jim

[deborah.]

They both feel pretty similar to me and throw about the same. I liked how they both threw. I prefer throwing with less groggy, smoother stoneware (as you said, slimy) as well as porcelain. I liked how my glazes came out on both, but a few were more variegated and had more interest on P5. However, I have had issues with P5 bloating. The P5 batch that was over fired (went to cone 7) really bloated, and the next firing was a perfect cone 6, but there were still a few spots of bloating (not nearly as bad). Using pieces I made in little loafers around my house, they seemed more susceptible to getting grungy (moldy?) on the bottom which to me suggested that it wasn't as vitrified as I would want in a functional piece. Long story short, I blended them and both problems seemed to be solved.

[neilestrick]

We really like Standard's 240.

[clay lover]

Thanks, all. my problem with other clays is getting to them. I can drive to Highwater. Where do I get Standard or Laguna in the SE?

[neilestrick]

Standard Distributors

[AtomicAxe]

Whenever I went to Tampa, I picked up Hestia but that was also when I fired salt and wood frequently ... worked great and was mature at cone 10 but didn't bloat with overfiring (wood).  Otherwise, Loafers Glory is nice ... sort of like an impure porcelain.  if you're looking for mid-range ... sorry, wasn't my firing range when I could get that clay.

[Diane Puckett]

Where are you located? Clay Connection in Charlotte, NC which has Laguna, Standard, and Highwater. I love B-mix and Frost and will drive to Charlotte to get them.

 

www.carolinaclay.com

[GEP]

We use Little Loafers at my teaching studio. I don't think it is slimy, but some folks think it requires more water to throw it than other clays, and it is very smooth. It does not seem fragile or dusty when green. I personally think it's a really nice clay. 

[Pugaboo]

I use Little Loafers exclusively but I don't throw it, at least not yet. I like it for what I do which is hand building with coils, slabs and pinch. I really like the texture of it, it feels smooth and not gritty when you roll out a coil or shape it with your fingers. I also do a lot of surface decoration and it gives me a beautiful smooth leatherhard and bone dry surface to work on. Listening to the others in the group studio talking you do need to take your time drying pieces since it sounds like if you push the drying cycle you can run the risk of more cracking. I have had no issues with this though since I use a cabinet to slowly dry mine and have learned to have several pieces under construction at the same time. I have not had any issues working with pieces when they are bone dry which is when it is at its most fragile. Little loafers is high waters Loafers Glory mid fire white clay so have been told if you like one you will like the other. I haven't done dish ware yet so can't speak to any issues of vitrification.

 

Terry

[oldlady]

have used little loafers for years to throw and to handbuild with slabs.  i use a sponge to throw and use very little water.  do not have a splashpan or even a sponge to catch water.  never experienced "slimy" anything.

 

it is a great clay if it has been made correctly.  last year i bought some in florida and it was made wrong, touching the bagged clay was like stepping into a muddy river bed and my hands were completely covered with gunk.  had to scrape it off.

 

normally i use it straight out of the bag for slabs after "waking it up" by flinging it onto a printers blanket on the concrete floor.  this initial stretching makes it more thixotropic and easier to use.  for throwing, i use the scraps after they have been through the pugmill.  (a Bailey's)

 

never tried the other clay.

[MMB]

I have purchased a white stone ware from a clay depot in Athens GA for a year or so. I havent be as regularly working with much over that time until recently. Im not even sure what the clay was called, thats how bad its been. Yet this past year Iv amped up my productivity and with that Ive decided to delve into different clays. What ever the stone ware body Ive purchased in the past was from High water. Recently I picked up Loafers Glory and Orange Stone. I have begun to like the not so heavily groged clay. Loafers Glory, which was so silky, yet I was warned to let it dry slow. Great clay at that. I have spent 5 years away from the wheel and recently this year purchased a new brent wheel. I had difficulties with other clays but Orange stone has really got me excited for throwing again. I threw better with Orange Stone Now than I ever did in college. I really liked this thread popping up because it showed a little insight into a clay  producer I knew nothing about.