agafdesign Posted October 16, 2017 Report Share Posted October 16, 2017 I have a bisque fired ceramic with a large crack in it and have heard many times that 'Paper Clay' is the answer - slip/clay + magic water + toilet paper (c. 30%). I've looked all over but can't seem to find the answer to what state the clay should be in when making the paper clay for a bisque fired piece. One article suggested I needed to bisque fire a piece of the same clay, then grind it down into a powder and then mix/blend it with the paper and magic water. But most articles don't mention the bisque firing part. Do I need to bisque fire a lump of clay or is it OK to make up the paper clay with raw slip/clay and then bisque fire again the whole piece? Many thanks for whoever can give me some clarity on this! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babs Posted October 16, 2017 Report Share Posted October 16, 2017 Search on forums for SPOOZE , it uses unfired clay and paper can be added to that recipe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agafdesign Posted October 16, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2017 3 minutes ago, Babs said: Search on forums for SPOOZE Tried that but only your comment came up! However if SPOOZE is a product I probably won't be able to get it. I'm located in Poland and all these gizmos that seem to be available in the States aren't here so I need a very 'home made' solution Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Beller Diesel Posted October 16, 2017 Report Share Posted October 16, 2017 I think you would spend more time grinding bisqued clay into powder than it would take to re-make the piece, and it wouldn't stick to anything in any case. Repairing any sort of functional piece in this fashion isn't advisable: there will always be a weak point at the repair site. This kind of fix is best used on sculptures. If you want to try fixing your piece with paper clay, I've seen people be moderately successful fixing sculptures using just a paperclay mixed from their existing clay and paper pulp. Be aware that a hairline crack may appear at the joins, though. Spooze or magic water in the mix is going to be of no benefit on an already fired piece, and is kind of overkill when using paper clay anyhow. Edit: If you're looking for a spooze or magic water thread, go to the home page and do a search for magic water. You may have better results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agafdesign Posted October 16, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 16, 2017 Thanks Callie. It 's not functional and it has taken me about a month to make it so looking for solutions, even if they are not perfect ... even if it took me a week to grind down bisque fired clay it would be worth it!! So you are saying I make paper clay from the raw clay, push it into the crack (I have heard it is worth wetting the crack first?), let it dry fully and then bisque fire the entire piece again .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sputty Posted October 16, 2017 Report Share Posted October 16, 2017 . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bciskepottery Posted October 16, 2017 Report Share Posted October 16, 2017 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babs Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 I didn't read that the sculpture was made of paper clay but that a cure was paper clay... Spooze does work, if Benzine is reading he may have a few tips, and I know Marcia has used it sucessfully on sculptures. People have added paper to teh spooze with success also, but you need to make sure it is dried thoroughly before refiring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Beller Diesel Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 6 hours ago, agafdesign said: Thanks Callie. It 's not functional and it has taken me about a month to make it so looking for solutions, even if they are not perfect ... even if it took me a week to grind down bisque fired clay it would be worth it!! So you are saying I make paper clay from the raw clay, push it into the crack (I have heard it is worth wetting the crack first?), let it dry fully and then bisque fire the entire piece again .... Save yourself the grinding for sure! Yes, just make some paper clay by adding some paper pulp to some slip of your clay (so the pulp gets evenly distributed), and dry it out on a plaster slab, and use that as your patch. You could try wetting the bisqued piece so that the patch dries slower, but the paper pulp will hold it in place for the most part, kind of like a structural mesh. Because that mesh burns out, the crack will always be a weak point, and hairline cracks may appear around the patch. You'll likely be able to disguise them, particularly if you're using a non-ceramic finish on your sculpture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Beller Diesel Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 5 minutes ago, Babs said: I didn't read that the sculpture was made of paper clay but that a cure was paper clay... Spooze does work, if Benzine is reading he may have a few tips, and I know Marcia has used it sucessfully on sculptures. People have added paper to teh spooze with success also, but you need to make sure it is dried thoroughly before refiring. Yes, the patch should be well dried before refiring! Thank you. I would agree with the spooze use if the sculpture was still unfired. The vinegar and deflocculants won't work any better than water when used when combining bisque and wet clay, though. I've used the clay/pulp combo for sculpture repairs, and had good results. I don't know if the karo syrup would help. I'd love to hear from Marcia or Ben on that too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agafdesign Posted October 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 On 10/16/2017 at 8:28 PM, Sputty said: But I do want to say that your 'Yes I am a Ceramic Mug' mugs are absolutely brilliant! Thank you <3 - this is not the piece I am trying to fix though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agafdesign Posted October 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 20 hours ago, bciskepottery said: Thanks for the clarity but I'm sunk on 'heavy karo syrup' - another U.S. thing I think! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agafdesign Posted October 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 19 hours ago, Callie Beller Diesel said: Yes, just make some paper clay by adding some paper pulp to some slip of your clay (so the pulp gets evenly distributed), and dry it out on a plaster slab, and use that as your patch. You could try wetting the bisqued piece so that the patch dries slower, but the paper pulp will hold it in place for the most part, kind of like a structural mesh. Because that mesh burns out, the crack will always be a weak point, and hairline cracks may appear around the patch. You'll likely be able to disguise them, particularly if you're using a non-ceramic finish on your sculpture. Quote Thank you so much for your reply and advice <3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
agafdesign Posted October 17, 2017 Author Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 On 10/16/2017 at 8:28 PM, Sputty said: I'll let others more knowledgeable than I about these things answer your question. But I do want to say that your 'Yes I am a Ceramic Mug' mugs are absolutely brilliant! Hope you can sort your current problem. Thank you so much. It took years to achieve that idea but I thought the project deserved it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Beller Diesel Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 Karo syrup is corn syrup. Thick and sticky. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rebekah Krieger Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 I have used a paper clay mixture to repair items that have exploded during bisq fire. Here is your solution: wad up a big handful of single ply toilet paper. Tear it into small pieces and put into about 1/3 cup warm water. In about 15 minutes add 1 tablespoon peroxide, 2 tablespoons of glue , and some thick slurry from the bottom of your throwing tray or bucket. Use a hand mixer to mix up. Should be in between thickness of raw egg and pudding. This is best to use when an item is not yet fired to repair a paper clay sculpture but you can use it to repair a broken sculpture that was bisq fired. Bisq fire it again before glaze firing. Ps: this is not a good solution for repairing cracks or broken handles in functional items. Those Should be done with integrity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babs Posted October 17, 2017 Report Share Posted October 17, 2017 Caro Syrup , I , from another hemishpere, use "golden Syrup, which describes its colour. but the ingreient is cane sugar based, and have used, ex brit, sugar beet based Golden syrup, so in Poland I am sure you will have access to beet syrup, what is used to make toffee, biscuits etc. Thick golden stuff. Provides stick factor. Callie, I had a jar of Spooze made up so just used it, but I would not recommend mending handles on functional ware with anything. Just wouldn't risk a cup of hot liquid landing where it wasn't supposed to... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted October 18, 2017 Report Share Posted October 18, 2017 Before applying the paper clay patching, soak the bisque area with water. otherwise the moisture is sucked out of the patching material too quickly and it flakes off. use the paper clay recipe with Karo, vinegar, toilet paper and clay powder. Then re-bisque before glazing. This is a must. Then there is no problem glazing. Can be used for functional pieces. I repaired a student’s pitcher handle this way and it was fine.Handle was in 4 pieces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Babs Posted October 18, 2017 Report Share Posted October 18, 2017 wow,master fixer! still, beer in lap more comfortable than hot coffee, have you followed this pitcher owner's life:-00000 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.