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Your Favorite Clay To Throw


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I have sampled my way through Sheffield Pottery's cone six offerings. They have a wonderful policy of letting you try 25 lbs of any clay for $15.00 and giving you a $15.00 coupon good on a future purchase. I find I like their 4DS best. It starts out gray and fires to a nice brown. Warm like a red clay without the iron staining. It throws well and fits my glazes nicely.

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I don't use a bathtub of water to throw, just a medium size wash basin....

 

In regards to S-cracks, compression is definitely the key.  For forms, with flatter bottom, I use the short side of a wood rib.  For more curved bottoms, I just use a good stiff rib to compress.  As others have stated, I also do some compression, with a rib, when I trim the bottom as well.

 

I teach my high school students this, and they rarely have issues either.  And that's even considering, they tend to make their work a bit thicker, and are more impatient.

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I was taught to compress using the "short side of a wooden rib" .   The last year I have been using the little yellow Sherrill rib.   And more Bee Mix.  So my current research is going back to the wooden rib to see if that makes a difference with the cracking.  Like I said, this really is a new issue for me.  I cannot imagine that the type of rib would be the problem, but that's what I am trying.  No, I don't use a lot of water. Mostly slip.  And my apologies to Old Lady!  It is a good question, because I know what you mean about watching some of the potters on you tube.  Lots and lots of water!   And I apologize for high jacking the thread!!  :D 

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Guest JBaymore

My favorite clay of all time is the mix I use at Kanayamayaki in Japan. The pottery processes all the clay on-site. The main clay is dug once a year with heavy equipment from the bottom of a pond that is used to flood the local rice fields. That pond is withing easy sight of the pottery.  That clay is mixed with a bit of a clay from Shigaraki. It is wet blunged thru 3 seperate blunging/ screening processes, filter pressed, then mixed in a blade type mixer with some fine chammote, and then pugged.

 

That main clay deposit has been identified by the regional ceramic institute (a state sponsored support for ceramists) to be the same deposit used by the Sueki potters there 1000 years ago,...and also by Jomon potters. What a piece of history.

 

Fantastic stuff.

 

For favorite commercial bodies here Stateside..... Sheffield Pottery Supply's #42 and Clay Planet's "Grogzilla". Most like some of the Japanese clays I've used. #42 has great tooth and color. Grogzilla,....... well..... the name alone makes it worth using! ;)

 

best,

 

.................john

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i just got laguna #45 and It seems nice to throw with. I compared it to the brownstone from ART that i currently use and it is amazing how much wetter/ softer it is. My shoulders and back are going to thank me.  Somebody I know said that she gets lots of S cracks with it but I have not fired it to know if that is the case for me. Does anybody have experience with it? I was pretty bold and just ordered a lot of it to stock up for the winter. I hope I didn't make a big mistake. 

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My local supplier has a great buff white stoneware called Jackpot. It works great and no shipping costs! Ive done pinch pots, hand building and throwing with this and just got another 200lbs. Even the reclaimed clay works wonderfully. It is supposed to fire to a cool grey with white speckle but I have only fired to cone 6.

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My favorite clay of all time is the mix I use at Kanayamayaki in Japan. The pottery processes all the clay on-site. The main clay is dug once a year with heavy equipment from the bottom of a pond that is used to flood the local rice fields. That pond is withing easy sight of the pottery.  That clay is mixed with a bit of a clay from Shigaraki. It is wet blunged thru 3 seperate blunging/ screening processes, filter pressed, then mixed in a blade type mixer with some fine chammote, and then pugged.

 

That main clay deposit has been identified by the regional ceramic institute (a state sponsored support for ceramists) to be the same deposit used by the Sueki potters there 1000 years ago,...and also by Jomon potters. What a piece of history.

 

Fantastic stuff.

 

For favorite commercial bodies here Stateside..... Sheffield Pottery Supply's #42 and Clay Planet's "Grogzilla". Most like some of the Japanese clays I've used. #42 has great tooth and color. Grogzilla,....... well..... the name alone makes it worth using! ;)

 

best,

 

.................john

 

Is it called that, because it's heavily grogged, and that's just a clever name, because it mimics a Japanese clay, the country that is synonymous with Godzilla, or both?

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Guest JBaymore

Is it called that, because it's heavily grogged, and that's just a clever name, because it mimics a Japanese clay, the country that is synonymous with Godzilla, or both?

 

 

Yes....... It is heavily grogged (and rock chunked), it is a clever name, it mimics a Japanese clay (Shigaraki), and Godzilla is of course Japanese. ;)

 

best,

 

......................john

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  • 3 weeks later...

Standard 365 porcelain & Standard 112 stoneware, because they both throw very well, with no warping issues. There are other great clay bodies out there, but I can buy these locally.

 

I just threw standard 365 today for the first time. It was also the first time i ever threw porcelain. Man, talk about a dream come true. I never knew it was so plastic like. It was super nice to throw. Made a huge bowl with a large foot like Lucy Rie. I also threw highwaters helios, and I feel like it will be my creative clay in the future cause man it gets wonky fast.

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