Barbsbus 4 fun Posted May 30, 2020 Report Share Posted May 30, 2020 I am an newbie and would like to make some pie pans and pie birds for Christmas presents. What kind of clay should I use and do I need to glaze them? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kielb Posted May 30, 2020 Report Share Posted May 30, 2020 20 minutes ago, Barbsbus 4 fun said: I am an newbie and would like to make some pie pans and pie birds for Christmas presents. What kind of clay should I use and do I need to glaze them? Your favorite cone six clay fired to maturity glazed with a durable food safe glaze is a place to start. Do you have any experience with any particular clay? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbsbus 4 fun Posted May 30, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2020 I have some cone 5 clay my kids bought me and really do not know what it is but I have been playing with it making pinch pots and yard art figures. I bought a used potters wheel and have been teaching myself off of youtube videos and thought it would be fun to make pie pans and pie birds to go with them. I also bought a used large electric kiln and haven't used it yet. I think I heard someplace you need to use clay that is safe to cook with and want to make sure that is what I will be buying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbsbus 4 fun Posted May 30, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2020 I just looked up cone 6 clay for sale and found Rocky Mountain clay CT3. Is that a good choice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Kielb Posted May 30, 2020 Report Share Posted May 30, 2020 1 hour ago, Barbsbus 4 fun said: I have some cone 5 clay my kids bought me and really do not know what it is but I have been playing with it making pinch pots and yard art figures. I bought a used potters wheel and have been teaching myself off of youtube videos and thought it would be fun to make pie pans and pie birds to go with them. I also bought a used large electric kiln and haven't used it yet. I think I heard someplace you need to use clay that is safe to cook with and want to make sure that is what I will be buying. Those clays may be fine. Cone 5 clay is still a midfire clay. If you are intending to make these as bakeware then a midfire stoneware is likely fine because it will be more thermal shock resistant than porcelain for example. Cone 5 or 6 glazed appropriately with food safe glazes that match the clay cone maturity and have no real defects likely are a minimum suggested requirement. It would be best if you spent as much time as practical learning ceramics. Folks spend years throwing, building and glazing and it’s hard to compress wisdom. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sorcery Posted May 30, 2020 Report Share Posted May 30, 2020 There are specific ovenware bodies, if you're like me, and a bit too nervous to just, "try" something that could burn children's toes, if it cracks upon removal...or worse.... What state are you in? East Coast, Standard makes 762, which is a cone 9 clay specific for ovens. Be aware, there are "flameware" clays, that may cost you a bit more, since they can also take a direct flame. You don't need that, (unless you do!)so don't spend the $, reckon they are a bit harder to work with generally too. IMO...there are specific bodies and glazes, because if you make a casserole, and serve it from it's dish, you can serve someone peices of glaze before noticing. So having them not shiver is required. Many lowfire clays are good for ovenware, some/most traditional earthenware clays were made for open flame. I have Chappell's book of clay and glazes that contains a few ovenware body and glaze recipes. Highly recommended! Sorce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted May 31, 2020 Report Share Posted May 31, 2020 barb, do you know for sure that the gift clay is cone 5 and not cone 05? are you aware of the difference? that is the thing most new potters have trouble with so it is good to be sure of what you actually have. your question including "safe to cook with" makes me wonder if you have been watching videos of people using what is called "clay" but is really not pottery clay. are you learning exclusively from videos or do you have any potters in your area from whom you can learn the practical things you need to know? videos usually show how to make a particular shape but do not cover the basic info you need. it would help if you could include your location in your avatar so appropriate sources can be suggested. i would normally send you off to the public library but with covid 19 restrictions you probably do not have that option. if you would give us the details on your kiln, there are people who know all about the various kinds and what you should look for and how to best wire and use the kiln to fire your work. there is a metal plate somewhere on your kiln that gives the info, manufacturers name, wattage, amps, etc. not the black label on a kiln sitter, if that is what you have. the sitter is just a turn off device. pieplates and pie birds are a great idea for gifts but they are not really easy for beginners unless you are exceptionally skilled . bowls for making the pie fillings might be more realistic for this year, pieplates and birds for next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbsbus 4 fun Posted June 1, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2020 oldlady, The gift clay was purchased from a ceramic studio in Chico, CA and the brand name is Luguna. The plastic bags were marked with a black marker and said cone #5 and the clay feels like the clay I used while taking several classes there. I do know that the firing temperature its quite a difference from 05 and 5 but I am sure the clay I have is 5. I went ahead and ordered the Rocky Mountain CT3 clay the other day and expect to get it in a week or so. I have been watching a lot of videos that I found at this website and I am learning a lot from them and enjoying every minute. So far I have made a few pinch pot piggy banks for the great grandkids, some yard art creatures for my yard and various mugs, bowls and vases that I threw on the potters wheel. One of my sons built a very sturdy stand that we put the wheel on since my 82 year old body has a hard time getting up and down when I sit at the wheel. I am waiting for UPS to deliver a really neat tool called a strongarm centering jig I can attach to my wheel base. I have a hard time centering the clay on the wheel and I am hoping this will help me. So I am looking forward to many relaxing hours playing with my potters wheel and making lots of presents for my family and friends. I purchased a large, older kiln a year ago and another son, who knows what he is doing around electricity, connected it to the power pole in my back yard. I haven't used it yet and I am waiting to find someone who can make sure it is working properly before I try to fire my creations. I left my phone number at the ceramic studio where I took several classes but so no one has called me. Unfortunately I can not find a manufactures name or any information on the kiln itself and do not have any paper work for the kiln. Maybe I should take a picture of it and maybe someone here could let me know what I should do to get it up and running. There is a kiln sitter and a label for it. It has 6 dials and 6 lights but that is all. The party I purchased the kiln as moved and I have no way to locate her. Thanks for taking an interest in my question. Barb Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted June 1, 2020 Report Share Posted June 1, 2020 Post a photo of the kiln and I'm sure someone here will know what brand it is and how to fire it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberta12 Posted June 1, 2020 Report Share Posted June 1, 2020 Another place to go to get answers to your clay questions would be the clay manufacturer. If it is the Rocky Mountain Clay CT3 that is listed on Amazon, it says lowfire. You might want to check further. I have called the clay companies several times over the years. My questions have ranged from is this clay safe for ovenware and why did I have 4 boxes of clay that had big chunks of rocks in it and things like that. Laguna and Aardvark are wonderful folks to work with. Rocky Mountain clay is distributed from Stoneleaf pottery in Denver. They are also awesome people if you have questions. If you are making work that people will use with food, you want to make certain what you are making is safe for people! Good for you for starting the conversation!! Roberta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted June 1, 2020 Report Share Posted June 1, 2020 Rocky Mountain Clay CT3 is a cone 06 low fire body-not good for cone 6-so I would say not its not a good choice unless you fire it to cone 06 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barbsbus 4 fun Posted June 1, 2020 Author Report Share Posted June 1, 2020 Thanks Mark, I called Rocky Mountain clay and ordered the Cone #6 clay from them. Guess I will be making a lot of piggy banks, etc. from the CT3. Live and learn. LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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