Burnishing Question

[Guest]

I've seen a few videos where the potter burnishes there pots to get a smoother surface but I can't tell exactly when they are burnishing.

 

While its still wet on the wheel, while they are leather hard or anytime in between?

[Marcia Selsor]

It depends on your technique. Some people burnish with a spoon or stone. I think the clay needs to be damp. I burnish using terra sig applied to bone dry surface. I polish with a soft sponge.

Marcia

[LinR]

Try burnishing any piece of leather dry clay with a polished stone or an old spoon.  You'll see that if it is too wet it doesn't burnish and if too dry it scratches.  There is a sweet spot where it takes and keeps the burnish and you often need to burnish over and over again till the burnish stays.  Some clays never seem to keep a high shine while other do.  L

[Guest]

I tried burnishing today with my thumb nail on some leather dry clay, I like what it does. I'll need to sneak a spoon out of the house until I find a poiished stone.

 

I've been playing around with a handled sponge brush for a while, sometimes it works nice, other times it raises the grog to the surface.

 

Thanks

[Marcia Selsor]

Here's how I burnish. Very simple and smooth and shiny.

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwCxP5Hv08g

[Guest]

Lovely, thank you.

 

What is Darvon (narcotic pain reliever?) and what do you do with the clay ball that is left in the bottom of the bottle?

[Marcia Selsor]

Darvon 7 or Darvon 833 are both deflocculents.

Russel Fouts uses the leftover ball clay for slips. I don't use it. I dump it usually.

 

Marcia

[Guest]

Whew! Thanks

[yappystudent]

I made some marbles using Cassius (Fires black, smooth texture) clay. Actually I've been making them out of all 4 clays I bought to see what works best. I burnish them with my t-shirt while  they are still very slightly damp,- the clay not the shirts.

[Blurcharm]

I burnish first at leather hard with polished stone.  I find using a spoon affects the colour of the clay. I then burnish again at bone hard...wet the clay slightly. Sometimes at this stage I rub with vegetable oil and when it turns white I burnish one last time with the stone.