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Does Temperature Of Clay Matter When Throwing?


hershey8

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Does it matter what temperature clay is when throwing. I'm not talking about frozen clay, here.

But does clay tend to stiffen when it is cold? Is there a good temperature range to stay in . My basement shop gets down in to the high 40's at night, and some of my clay (right out of the bag) seems a little hard. OK, another dumb question:  If I DO need to warm it a bit, can I nuke it? I don't mean on high for  an hour, but just for real short intervals? Should I wear a helmet?

 

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Does it matter what temperature clay is when throwing. I'm not talking about frozen clay, here.

But does clay tend to stiffen when it is cold? Is there a good temperature range to stay in . My basement shop gets down in to the high 40's at night, and some of my clay (right out of the bag) seems a little hard. OK, another dumb question:  If I DO need to warm it a bit, can I nuke it? I don't mean on high for  an hour, but just for real short intervals? Should I wear a helmet?

Yes, I think you should wear a helmet, rubber gloves, and flippers.Just kidding. It's more comfortable to throw clay that is room temperature, but if the room is freezing, and the clay is cold, it can be pretty miserable. Never heard of putting it in a microwave or oven. This seems like a lot of work.

TJR.

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I keep my clay in 5 gallon buckets. I have placed a 40 watt light bulb in the bucket I plan on using the next day. It warms the clay without melting the bucket. I hate cold clay! I guess I should clarify that the light bulb is in a socket and turned on....

 

Jed

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Does it matter what temperature clay is when throwing. I'm not talking about frozen clay, here.

But does clay tend to stiffen when it is cold? Is there a good temperature range to stay in . My basement shop gets down in to the high 40's at night, and some of my clay (right out of the bag) seems a little hard. OK, another dumb question:  If I DO need to warm it a bit, can I nuke it? I don't mean on high for  an hour, but just for real short intervals? Should I wear a helmet?

Yes, I think you should wear a helmet, rubber gloves, and flippers.Just kidding. It's more comfortable to throw clay that is room temperature, but if the room is freezing, and the clay is cold, it can be pretty miserable. Never heard of putting it in a microwave or oven. This seems like a lot of work.

TJR.

 

Ok I get the helmet is for safety  when the roof falls and the rubber gloves for sanitary reasons, but the flippers? maybe you are thinking the basement will flood and you can swim out faster??

Mark

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I have mostly frozen clay, as it is stored outside. When working in the shop I usually bring a few boxes inside the night before or two nights before working it. I throw with hot water, I find that cold water and cold clay make my fingers too stiff. The studio is a brick garage-unattached to the house. Electric heat, and even then if I turn the heat off to save electric once the bricks chill it takes forever to get in back up to temp.

The older I get, the more I want to stay warm, or look to the South for a future venue. I used to not be so, but after losing 25# I find I get cold easier.

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Does it matter what temperature clay is when throwing. I'm not talking about frozen clay, here.

But does clay tend to stiffen when it is cold? Is there a good temperature range to stay in . My basement shop gets down in to the high 40's at night, and some of my clay (right out of the bag) seems a little hard. OK, another dumb question:  If I DO need to warm it a bit, can I nuke it? I don't mean on high for  an hour, but just for real short intervals? Should I wear a helmet?

Yes, I think you should wear a helmet, rubber gloves, and flippers.Just kidding. It's more comfortable to throw clay that is room temperature, but if the room is freezing, and the clay is cold, it can be pretty miserable. Never heard of putting it in a microwave or oven. This seems like a lot of work.

TJR.

 

Ok I get the helmet is for safety  when the roof falls and the rubber gloves for sanitary reasons, but the flippers? maybe you are thinking the basement will flood and you can swim out faster??

Mark

 

Mark;

You can never be too careful! No, the entire statement was a leg puller. Sorry about that.

TJR.

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I keep my clay in 5 gallon buckets. I have placed a 40 watt light bulb in the bucket I plan on using the next day. It warms the clay without melting the bucket. I hate cold clay! I guess I should clarify that the light bulb is in a socket and turned on....

 

Jed

I tried your idea today.  IT WORKS !!  We have been in the 20's this past week , and I only heat my shop when I am in it.  Will post some pics of what I built later. 

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40's is shorts and flip flop weather for of the snow birds here

I can hear some saying 40. That's down right warm

 

Keep a bag or two of clay upstairs where it's warmer, why fight the cold clay.. Easy solution

Even if it doesn't affect the clay it sure will affect your hands

 

I can't vouch for nuking it. But putting a bunch of dirt where your food goes doesn't appeal to me.

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I keep my clay in 5 gallon buckets. I have placed a 40 watt light bulb in the bucket I plan on using the next day. It warms the clay without melting the bucket. I hate cold clay! I guess I should clarify that the light bulb is in a socket and turned on....

Jed

 

I tried your idea today.  IT WORKS !!  We have been in the 20's this past week , and I only heat my shop when I am in it.  Will post some pics of what I built later.

Glad to hear it.

 

Jed

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Clay of high iron content may make the nuking process interesting!  In Australia, we have only, unless one goes digging, globes that are energy efficient and produce , I think, haven't felt them for a while, no heat. so melting honey, warming kids doing homework, warming clay, bread dough and dogs kennels cannot be done by the simple globe any more! How efficient is that.The kids homework trick was to place the light under the desk at the feet of the supposed student, then of course, can't read cos not enough light..... 

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I nuke cone packs on occasion to dry them out. Very carefully, as they can blow quickly.  As to the stiffness of cold clay, it can be deceiving. In the beginning it will seem to have plenty of stiffnes, but as you use it, and it warms, it will become its true nature.  Don't throw bowls with wide openings or overhangs as they will have a tendency to collapse.

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  • 6 months later...

O.K. I am reading this post in June. I know that it is a re-post of an older blog. I am still not getting why you would wear a helmet.

Any ideas?

Don't say for motorcycling.

TJR.

Errr . . . you were the one who suggested wearing a helmet. We're hoping you can tell the rest of us. But, it was a long, cold winter.

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O.K. I am reading this post in June. I know that it is a re-post of an older blog. I am still not getting why you would wear a helmet.

Any ideas?

Don't say for motorcycling.

TJR.

Errr . . . you were the one who suggested wearing a helmet. We're hoping you can tell the rest of us. But, it was a long, cold winter.

 

Actually, the original poster is the one, who mentioned the helmet.  Maybe they were referring to how the clay might explode, when they use the microwave to warm it, and the helmet would protect them from a catastrophic explosion???

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O.K. I am reading this post in June. I know that it is a re-post of an older blog. I am still not getting why you would wear a helmet.

Any ideas?

Don't say for motorcycling.

TJR.

Errr . . . you were the one who suggested wearing a helmet. We're hoping you can tell the rest of us. But, it was a long, cold winter.

 

Actually, the original poster is the one, who mentioned the helmet.  Maybe they were referring to how the clay might explode, when they use the microwave to warm it, and the helmet would protect them from a catastrophic explosion???

 

And you're right. My apologies to TJR.

 

As for the helmet, maybe to protect the noggin from the spouse's frying pan (iron, of course) after finding out you've nuked the microwave with your clay.

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Does it matter what temperature clay is when throwing. I'm not talking about frozen clay, here.

But does clay tend to stiffen when it is cold? Is there a good temperature range to stay in . My basement shop gets down in to the high 40's at night, and some of my clay (right out of the bag) seems a little hard. OK, another dumb question:  If I DO need to warm it a bit, can I nuke it? I don't mean on high for  an hour, but just for real short intervals? Should I wear a helmet?

O.k. This was the original question. "Should I wear a helmet." Would that be for nuking the clay in a micro wave?

I don't usually wear a helmet when I microwave stuff, but I have never microwaved clay. I wouldn't recommend microwaving it-the clay that is.

TJR.

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O.K. I am reading this post in June. I know that it is a re-post of an older blog. I am still not getting why you would wear a helmet.

Any ideas?

Don't say for motorcycling.

TJR.

Errr . . . you were the one who suggested wearing a helmet. We're hoping you can tell the rest of us. But, it was a long, cold winter.

 

Actually, the original poster is the one, who mentioned the helmet.  Maybe they were referring to how the clay might explode, when they use the microwave to warm it, and the helmet would protect them from a catastrophic explosion???

 

And you're right. My apologies to TJR.

 

As for the helmet, maybe to protect the noggin from the spouse's frying pan (iron, of course) after finding out you've nuked the microwave with your clay.

 

No! You have nuked the clay with the microwave!

This is getting silly1

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O.K. I am reading this post in June. I know that it is a re-post of an older blog. I am still not getting why you would wear a helmet.

Any ideas?

Don't say for motorcycling.

TJR.

Errr . . . you were the one who suggested wearing a helmet. We're hoping you can tell the rest of us. But, it was a long, cold winter.

 

Actually, the original poster is the one, who mentioned the helmet.  Maybe they were referring to how the clay might explode, when they use the microwave to warm it, and the helmet would protect them from a catastrophic explosion???

 

And you're right. My apologies to TJR.

 

As for the helmet, maybe to protect the noggin from the spouse's frying pan (iron, of course) after finding out you've nuked the microwave with your clay.

 

No! You have nuked the clay with the microwave!

This is getting silly1

 

I use some very iron and manganese rich clay bodies, Standard 266, Laguna Dark Brown, so my clay would likely nuke the microwave with its metal content. Summer is for silly.

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