peb Posted January 19, 2012 Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 I have only worked in stoneware, firing to ^10 in gas reduction. I am interested in making a series of birdhouses (to be used by real birds) and wondered if terra cotta is considered better for this and why? Is a more porous clay considered better for outdoor use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peb Posted January 19, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 19, 2012 Oops, this is probably a better question for the Clay/Glaze topic. I didn't realize where I was... so I'll pose it there as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcia Selsor Posted January 20, 2012 Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 Probably any clay you use should have an absorbency rate between 1.5 -3.5% in order to survive freezing. This precise % has been debated and is very subjective..some believe a bit of porosity is good others think it should be minimal. Read Hamer and Hamer then decide for yourself. I would recommend firing terra cotta to maturity depending on the terra cotta, that could be as high as ^2. Alligator Clay in Baton Rouge has a ^2 terra cotta. Some suppliers sell Terra Cotta for ^04 but it can be fired hotter to ^02 maybe ^01...you have to test. Do absorption test... process has been discussed in the past. Check archives. Marcia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peb Posted January 20, 2012 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2012 Probably any clay you use should have an absorbency rate between 1.5 -3.5% in order to survive freezing. This precise % has been debated and is very subjective..some believe a bit of porosity is good others think it should be minimal. Read Hamer and Hamer then decide for yourself. I would recommend firing terra cotta to maturity depending on the terra cotta, that could be as high as ^2. Alligator Clay in Baton Rouge has a ^2 terra cotta. Some suppliers sell Terra Cotta for ^04 but it can be fired hotter to ^02 maybe ^01...you have to test. Do absorption test... process has been discussed in the past. Check archives. Marcia Thanks for those tips Marcia. I'm not familiar with Hamer & Hamer, but I'll look into it. ~p Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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