Enthonii Posted October 7, 2020 Report Share Posted October 7, 2020 Hi, So I've only worked with stoneware but never porcelain. I want to try it out. I know there's Half & Half, but I feel like I should just jump right into it. What's a good porcelain to work with? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sorcery Posted October 7, 2020 Report Share Posted October 7, 2020 One of the easiest 3 to get your hands on! Sorce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Min Posted October 7, 2020 Report Share Posted October 7, 2020 @Enthonii, there are members here from all over the world so it's hard to give recommendations without knowing roughly where you are and what clay suppliers you have access to. What properties of porcelain are you looking for? Translucent, extremely white, throwability, ball clay or no ball clay ...? Welcome to the forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morgan Posted October 31, 2020 Report Share Posted October 31, 2020 As someone who has taken a 20 year sabbatical from throwing and just getting back into it (story for another time) I have been testing out pretty much every mid range porcelain I can get my hands on and will give you my advice. I have tried and tested the following frost, hagi, 365, Helios, #17 for me so far the clear winner is 365 but Helios is darn close. That said it is a “cone 7-10) clay so that may take it out of the running for me long term but it is a fantastic clay to work with (super firm but comes alive ). End results of frost are wonderful but it just does not do well enough in other areas to beat the formers imo. 365 is honestly hard for me to keep in mind it is a porcelain giving how well it throws along with its makeup, feel, consistency, translucency etc. Lastly, I am not sure how anyone uses #17 full time without wanting to jump out of a window. I am very used to the intricate things that come with porcelain but I have never in my life gotten so frustrated as I did trying to use Lagunas 17 that I had to walk out of the studio haha. hope this helps. I wish I could find a better way to get 365 to me (being in Hawaii is great for a lot but shipping clay is not one of them) I will say that much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark C. Posted October 31, 2020 Report Share Posted October 31, 2020 I make my living with porcelain. Its all cone 10.I use Daves from Laguna as well as Babu and 550 -all porcelains -cone 10 I have zero experience with cone 6 porcelains but do know they are fluxed up a bit to mature at cone 6 . With cone 6 you have less options-find one you like and stick with it. I also have some experience shipping and using clays in Hawaii .All on Molokai 1st Laguna is the closest and cheaper option for you. I know that the clay supplier in Oahu went out of business. There is an Art center under the freeway I read about in Honolulu and you could piggyback onto thier order as a cheaper option-talk story with them-that article was in Ceramics monthly awhile ago. The best option is frieght your own clay to Oahu then frieght it out to the outer islands like Hawaii (I was on Molokai) and thats how the art center got thier clay. I think Tacoma Art center is also an option as they are west coast based which will be your best freight option. You can ship to Kawaihae or Hilo harbors on Hawaii both are feight ports. I lived on Hawaii briefly in 1980 back when its was less crowded Since I was going to build kilns and do workshops I sent my own porcelain via the standard flat rate USPS box which fits 50#s perfectly-cost was $19 per 50# box to ship-I sent 4 boxes for my small event. I have also shipped bricks the same way. So find the clay you like then ship a bunch to save $. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liambesaw Posted October 31, 2020 Report Share Posted October 31, 2020 CKK6 from Seattle pottery supply is a good porcelain for throwing. It took me a while to find, I think I tried it last because of the weird name. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted October 31, 2020 Report Share Posted October 31, 2020 What brands do you have available to you, and what cone do you glaze fire to? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Morgan Posted November 1, 2020 Report Share Posted November 1, 2020 On 10/31/2020 at 6:37 AM, Mark C. said: I make my living with porcelain. Its all cone 10.I use Daves from Laguna as well as Babu and 550 -all porcelains -cone 10 I have zero experience with cone 6 porcelains but do know they are fluxed up a bit to mature at cone 6 . With cone 6 you have less options-find one you like and stick with it. I also have some experience shipping and using clays in Hawaii .All on Molokai 1st Laguna is the closest and cheaper option for you. I know that the clay supplier in Oahu went out of business. There is an Art center under the freeway I read about in Honolulu and you could piggyback onto thier order as a cheaper option-talk story with them-that article was in Ceramics monthly awhile ago. The best option is frieght your own clay to Oahu then frieght it out to the outer islands like Hawaii (I was on Molokai) and thats how the art center got thier clay. I think Tacoma Art center is also an option as they are west coast based which will be your best freight option. You can ship to Kawaihae or Hilo harbors on Hawaii both are feight ports. I lived on Hawaii briefly in 1980 back when its was less crowded Since I was going to build kilns and do workshops I sent my own porcelain via the standard flat rate USPS box which fits 50#s perfectly-cost was $19 per 50# box to ship-I sent 4 boxes for my small event. I have also shipped bricks the same way. So find the clay you like then ship a bunch to save $. Aloha and mahalo for the feedback on shipping. I agree with you freight is the only way to go really. I am on Kauai and the uni here will also sell clay and I am sure I could get in on an order with them. high fire on the big island does not even ship anymore inter island which is a bummer. Anyway, I am still in a testing clay body mode and thank god for flat rate shipping. Wild that I can pay very little to get 50# sent over the pacific...anyway the local post office probably runs when I walk up bulk glaze materials seems like it’s going to be the same issue but at least that is a hopefully once a blue moon thing after a big order. regardless, throwing again feels great I am only a bit sad I did not do it sooner. also I meant to add I did somewhat like hagi it just did not wow me like Helios and 365. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberta12 Posted November 1, 2020 Report Share Posted November 1, 2020 I use Laguna #16. I tried Frost and Aardvark's Nara 5 and Continental Super White. I did not care for Frost, Nara 5 was ok, I loved throwing with Continental Super White but because of it's wide firing range (5-9) I kept having glaze issues. Laguna's #16 seems to be a good fit for me. Not overly fussy, but smooth and white. I have not tried #17. My friend who lives in Honolulu has her clay shipped in flat rate as well. Prior to Covid, she was teaching in the schools, and was getting clay from a guild, I believe. Roberta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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