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Book Recommendations For Mixing Your Own Clay


hanee

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I'm planning on formulating some clay from a few native deposits and/or mixing from purchased dry materials if that doesn't work out for some reason and am looking for a good book that I might be able to turn to for little questions/tips along the way. I don't really need any coverage on glaze issues, just clay issues — something for people who like to do things themselves and want an understanding of the variables at play. Especially good would be something that had a historical/low-tech orientation.

 

Wouldn't mind finding a book on kiln constructions (especially DIY kilns and historic woodfire kilns) too but that's a bit more of a daydreamy future thing...

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+ 1 for Rhodes book for clay. Maybe add pioneer pottery to list. Thing is clay making book is a very very short

Iist. I ended up studying and reading known recipes. Learning bout ingredients. And slowly began seeing patterns then add to that some experimentation.....

 

Kiln building .... Olsen , Rhodes, kusakabe/lancet, finch,

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Hey,

Go ahead looking for the recommended books but do keep in

mind that the book that specifically fits your needs may

have to be written by you. Start a notebook to keep up

with the experiments.

 

1 part natural clay, 1 part earthenware clay, temper=results

Fired in pit/fired on ground - result

Fired with sticks or fired with grasses or both....results

 

It won't be long til the notebooks are filled up.

 

Look at book titles that begin with "Traditional" .

Traditional pottery of Papua New Guinea

Traditional pottery of Guatemala.... Etc.

Interlibrariàn loans are helpful.

Good luck,

Alabama

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Being of the "do it my own self" mindset, one of my favorite books that is a treasure trove of information is: The Potter's Alternative, by Harry Davis. It covers in depth processing local clay, making wheels, pugmills, ball mills, pyrometric cones, just to name a few. If you enjoy making your own way, this is a must read.

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Thanks to everyone for all the recommendations! (though it appears all the ones I'm most interested in are both out of print and surprisingly pricier than I expected for used, but several seem worth the premium price)

 

And alabama's advice of individual trial, error and analysis is spot on, especially as my needs will probably not run in the needs of most potters, being a figure sculptor.

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The premium priced books can be had for msrp. If you. Know where to look. Do tell which ones are " premium " priced I or someone else here may steer you to better $.

 

Here is my secret ..... Gold art..... It tends to equalize most faults in most of my worse clay

experiments........

 

http://www.amazon.com/Kilns-Construction-Operation-Daniel-Rhodes/dp/0801970644

 

http://www.amazon.com/Kiln-Book-Materials-Specifications-Construction/dp/0801970717

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Kiln-Construction-Brick-Approach/dp/0812219848

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/Japanese-Wood-Fired-Ceramics-Marc-Lancet/dp/0873497422

 

This one I know where to get in $40 range

 

I have this one.

 

http://www.ceramicartslibrary.com/?page=shop/flypage&product_id=698

 

 

But is first saw all of these first in a public library.....

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Hanee.while there are other here that have more expertise in making clay bodies.... ... Please contact me to further discuss. Thanks to some great advice from others here, Some experimentation, some research ..... It has come to this......post-25544-0-50392700-1419837043_thumb.jpg. About 1/2 of last run cone 6... Porcelain- ish. It's basis is cushing cone 6. It was very short time ago, I was a clay making virgin......... ( call it ignorance or call it bliss, but this was approx. a 300# experiment, aka new recipe ..... Still keeping fingers crossed to see how it fires........ I'll post more about this on another thread....... Point is. The advice and support here is prolly more valuable than any book you could read.!!!

post-25544-0-50392700-1419837043_thumb.jpg

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Not sure if you be had time to read any books yet, but try looking for magazine

articles from Ceramic Monthly in the 1970 and 1980s about primitive pottery. But make sure the potters are from Africa and other third world countries, not

Arizona or New Mexico. Books like The Clay Sleeps, by R. Krause and Ceramic

Theory, by I forgot are dry but contain a little information. I think you'll find

that books and magazines written about potters who use the vessel are better than

the potters who make to sell to tourists.

See you later,

Alabama

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