One For Glazenerd........ How To "fix" A Commercial Clay Body

[Guest JBaymore]

This photo is for GlazeNerd.......... showing how I "ruin" a nice commercial clay body for woodfiring.    Putting some "tsuchi aji" into it (literal ..... "clay taste" or "clay flavor"). 

 

 

Included above........ coarse grog, granite dust (fines up to 1/4" bits), silica sand, and a tad of molochite grog.  Done "by eye" the same way that I cook.

 

And yes, this is for throwing.

 

best,

 

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

 

PS:  Hope your heart can take this heresy.       

[Joseph Fireborn]

Looks beautiful to me! 

[Magnolia Mud Research]

It needs wedging

[Guest JBaymore]

It needs wedging

 

I knew I was forgetting something............

[glazenerd]

" clutches chest"

[glazenerd]

And by the way......your lifetime membership to " clay association of purists & snobs" (caps) has been revoked.

[Joseph Fireborn]

John, 

 

I would love to see the process from this point to the end with photos between. So like right after you threw it, glazed before firing, and then after firing. 

 

Would be neat to see the journey. 

[Denice]

This reminds me of the clay we experimented with in high school that had broken florescent tubes in it.  Everyone in the class has to find a bad tube and we were told how to break it up safely.   Our teacher mixed in a batch of clay and we each made small pot, I was hand building and ended up with a few cuts the people who were throwing had fine cuts all over there hands.  It was fire at a low temp and the glass melted down the sides of the pot.  It worked  but unimpressive.  Denice

[Guest JBaymore]

This reminds me of the clay we experimented with in high school that had broken florescent tubes in it. 

 

I hope this is "tongue-in-cheek" about how nasty this stuff might be to throw with (it really isn't) .... because most florescent tube light contain mercury compounds.  (Not to mention the obvious risk of the cuts.)

 

best,

 

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

[High Bridge Pottery]

At least you don't belong to the clay union of never testing stuff 

[Guest JBaymore]

John, 

 

I would love to see the process from this point to the end with photos between. So like right after you threw it, glazed before firing, and then after firing. 

 

Would be neat to see the journey. 

 

Joseph,

 

OK... here are a couple of pieces thrown out of that clay.......................

 

A bottle form:

 

 

 

A vase form:

 

 

They will get a liner glaze for sure.

 

It'll be a few weeks before I can get finished pictures up of them when done (or ones like them in case these don't survive (the always present dangers of anagama firing).

 

best,

 

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

[Guest JBaymore]

Here are more pots made with the same general blend of the clay body modification as seen in the image at the start of this thread.  Drying in the sun as I get ready for the anagama firing.  About the same amount more to make in the next 2 days.

 

 

best,

 

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

[Joseph Fireborn]

Absolutely fantastic.Thanks for sharing.!

[Guest JBaymore]

OK>... more "in-process" shots to give context to the clay body and the fired results..........

 

Here's the last front step and the main front firebox area of the kiln all loaded and ready to brick up the door.  Cones are 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13.  We'll put the 13's down.

 

 

 

 

Here is the kiln early in the firing when we are still running the fire below the main grate area (front still below 1000F).

 

 

 

Here is a shot into the second step's side stoke port a bit later in the firing.

 

 

Off to do another 8 hour stoking shift in a few minutes.  We are on day 3 of 4 days of firing.

 

 

best,

 

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

[Joseph Fireborn]

This is fantastic. I can't wait to see the results.

[curt]

Yes, very enjoyable to see a wood kiln ready to go. Also intersting to see how you have loaded/wadded some things in this firing.

 

Cone 13 down!! Woot! No wonder your clay body has enjoyed some, er, "modifications"...

[Marko]

This reminds me of the clay we experimented with in high school that had broken florescent tubes in it.  Everyone in the class has to find a bad tube and we were told how to break it up safely.   Our teacher mixed in a batch of clay and we each made small pot, I was hand building and ended up with a few cuts the people who were throwing had fine cuts all over there hands.  It was fire at a low temp and the glass melted down the sides of the pot.  It worked  but unimpressive.  Denice

OMG, your teacher wasn't Dr. Hannibal Lecter by chance?  

[glazenerd]

First you throw a bunch of crap in the clay, then you fire the crap out of it. This is clay abuse I tell ya!! I am calling Dr. Phil. Guess I will start a Go Fund Me page to start the National Clay Abuse Hotline. My sense tells me your Play Dough dried up in the can when you were a child, and you have been plotting revenge for 50 years. Maybe you should talk to my shrink: Dr. Feldspar of Aluminosilicate & Associates.

 

Nerd

[Guest JBaymore]

Woodfirers really work with clay .... so we can ....... play with FIRE!!!!!!!!

 

http://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/gallery/image/9358-pyromania/

 

best,

 

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

 

PS:  Note- color temperature is off due to the camera making it so that it could "see" the image.  Temperature here at the point is about 2100 F..... so much hotter than it appears.

[Mark C.]

Love those advancers John

[preeta]

John did you purposely make a crackled body to test out the clay (yes you had smoother necks)?

 

in other words did the "spices" play a role in the surface treatment?

 

Really enjoying the process pictures.

[Guest JBaymore]

In keeping up with the "process" pictures ...... here you can see the process of burying all of the work on the third step of the anagama in hardwood charcoal just before we seal up the kiln.  This produces heavy reduction cooling in this area.

 

http://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/gallery/image/9376-charcoaling-rear-step-of-fushigigama/

 

best,

 

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

[Guest JBaymore]

John did you purposely make a crackled body to test out the clay (yes you had smoother necks)?

 

in other words did the "spices" play a role in the surface treatment?

 

Really enjoying the process pictures.

 

This is part of a 'body of work' I'm preparing for an exhibition.  The nature of the clay surfaces is inherent to my work.  And yes... the "spices" have a great influence in how the sodium silicate cracking and the forming techniques work.

 

best,

 

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

[Joseph Fireborn]

John. That was super interesting. Thanks so much for sharing that. Really enjoyable. I am loving this whole start to finish thing. Can't wait to see the unloading of the pots and the work. Remarkable. 

[Guest JBaymore]

Continuing the thread...........

 

Here is one piece made from the modified clay body at the start of the thread.  The first picture shows the piece sitting in the anagama before firing.  You can see the partial coating of an Oribe-type glaze.  I know the kiln and the firing process well, so the glaze is deliberately put on thickly at the top of the form, and the coating does not go to the bottom.  I plan that it will run down the form.  I "seed" the runs in places by thickening the application of the glaze right near the bottom of the coating.

 

 

Here is the same bottle form just after unloading on Sunday.  You can see how much the glaze has moved.  The run effect is precisely what I am looking to exploit on these pieces.  And working the contrast to the textured unglazed wood-fired body with its warm toasty quality.  You can also see some of the qualities of the clay body itself that add character both under the glaze and in the unglazed areas.

 

 

Close up detail shots on this piece to follow ASAP.

 

best,

 

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