Seb Posted February 28, 2018 Report Share Posted February 28, 2018 Hi everyone, I am experimenting with sponges, submerged in slurry/ slip. I have seen a view examples that I am trying to replicate. I have done a view test using natural sponges. I do not want to use any artificial sponge due to unhealthy fumes that might occur wile firing. However, the results so far did not really satisfy me. The remaining structure of the sponge looked interesting but it was very brittle and fell apart easily. I fired it at cone 05. I am wondering if anyone has some experience on that subject and a tip what I could do differently? And do you have any recommendation for natural spongy materials that I could use, alternatively to a sponge? Thank you so much for any advice , best wishes, Seb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeU Posted February 28, 2018 Report Share Posted February 28, 2018 Hard to imagine what you are going for....any pics? My first thought is to go mid-fire using a groggy body as a very thick/stiff slip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seb Posted February 28, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2018 Hi LeeU, Thank you for your quick reply! The technique I am aiming for is something like what Marcel Wanders does with his Spongevase. Here is a link to his work. LINK I unfortunately can only do low firing. Hope the link helps. Thank you! Seb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted February 28, 2018 Report Share Posted February 28, 2018 The key to getting something like that to work is getting the slip on thick enough. It may take multiple layers to build it up so it's not so brittle after firing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seb Posted February 28, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2018 Thank you Neil! I had tried different thicknesses before and found that the slip was either too thin -after firing the structure would easily collapse- or it was too thick and you would not recognize the foam texture anymore. Building up multiple layers, would you let the layers dry in between? Thank you again !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglas Posted March 5, 2018 Report Share Posted March 5, 2018 It might be possible to dip the thin delicate bisque in an engobe to build up the clay thickness and re-bisque the piece. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seb Posted March 7, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2018 Hi Douglas, thank you so much for the tip. So you would dip the piece in slip, fire it and dip it again into more slip? For some reason I was lead to believe that you cannot apply slip to a bisqued piece. However, I will gladly try this method and see what come out of it! I am happy to share the results after Seb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seb Posted March 7, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 7, 2018 On a side note, would it also work to dip the piece in slip, let that layer dry and then dip it again in slip without firing the piece in between? Or would that cause the layers to not properly connect? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
perkolator Posted March 8, 2018 Report Share Posted March 8, 2018 For a project like this I'm thinking you need a slip/engobe that has a much higher than normal tensile strength or to cast it thicker - otherwise it's super fragile like you're experiencing, like look at it wrong and it's going to break, lol. The problem with trying to "layer" your material and gain thickness is that you now lose all the detail you were trying to capture -- such as the texture of fabric, yarn, sponge in this case, etc. The key is to have a very fine particle size and allow it lots of time to wick up into the material you're trying to impregnate with slip. Ceramics tensile strength is simply very very low compared to the incredible compression strength it has and is effected by many factors. To really refine this project I'd imagine you'll have lots of testing to do Some basic examples I can think of that effect this: particle density/porosity/particle size, vitrification level/sintering, crystalline structure/matrix/mullite development Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seb Posted March 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2018 Hi Perkolator, I really appreciate all your comments! I just did another test using thicker slip and the result turned out much better. If the slip is too thick, just like you pointed out, details will get lost. But the density/ viscosity of slip is the initial key to the success of a project like this it seems at this point. I also assume that the additional layer of glaze will give additional strength to the piece. I haven't tested that yet but will let you know how it turned out after. Best wishes, Seb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CNC - Carolyn Posted April 27, 2018 Report Share Posted April 27, 2018 What about trying paper clay slip? Adding paper pulp to your slip. Or else a step further and make casting slip out of your paper clay. Or use a commercial casting slip and add paper pulp... Paper clay is amazing stuff.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seb Posted May 5, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2018 Hi CNC Carolyn, paper clay slip definitely sounds like a great way to experiment with. I haven't tried it out yet and I am not sure this would be a good thing to add when submerging the sponge in the slip since it would be too thick for the sponge, but on different applications, I could image it. Thank you! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seb Posted May 5, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2018 After trying out several ways, I found that first you need to make sure the slip is not too thin! Otherwise, the sponge does not pick up a necessary amount of slip. After firing the new formed sponge-clay structure will be brittle and one should be extra careful when handling the piece. Otherwise, the fine elements of the structure can be easily broken off. However, after glazing the piece, the structure became resistant and sturdy enough to be handled with much less caution. I would suggest trying this yourself as it creates very interesting and fun results! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeU Posted May 5, 2018 Report Share Posted May 5, 2018 Seb--what kind of sponge did you end up using? Got a photo of the piece? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seb Posted May 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 10, 2018 Hi LeeU, I used a natural sponge. Even though the structure of an artificial sponge is more regular, often larger in size and has more density - which I think is actually beneficial for absorbing the slip - my concern was the fumes. I don't have the best ventilation situation and was concerned about the impact of the burning material. On the other hand, the natural sponge has its natural beauty which cannot be replaced. Here is a picture of the result. I used white slip and white glaze as my goal was to figure out the process. I am sure once you move more towards colored slips, interesting glazes, etc. you can cause awesome aesthetic results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rae Reich Posted May 12, 2018 Report Share Posted May 12, 2018 Cool! What cone did you glaze to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benzine Posted May 13, 2018 Report Share Posted May 13, 2018 Those look terrific Seb! I've experimented with some cotton yarn, dipped in slip, and helped a student create a series with the process. They were VERY porous and fragile, afrer the bisque, but were much better after glazing. I would imagine that the porousity led to the glaze penetrating deeply into the structure. I have also fired a slip soaked paper towel, because... Well, just to see what happened. It survived fairly well, and I glazed it, and gave it to a student, who was intrigued by the process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seb Posted May 14, 2018 Author Report Share Posted May 14, 2018 On 5/12/2018 at 5:40 AM, Rae Reich said: Cool! What cone did you glaze to? It was bisque fired to Cone06 and glazed to Cone05 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yappystudent Posted May 14, 2018 Report Share Posted May 14, 2018 Gorgeous, love it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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