LeeU Posted November 17, 2020 Report Share Posted November 17, 2020 The form I am working with is roughly 1" x 9" x .25" (plant markers) The glaze is Stroke & Coat being fired to c5 (works out just fine-great colors for the project). The first body I tried was a white c6 that was way too moist & super pliable-not suited for thin slab work , with my somewhat awkward hands. It would crack if I looked at it sideways and I could not wrangle it into submission in a "production" type process for cutting/stamping/drying/finishing/& glazing in uniform batches. I switched to T6, which is a light buff, and it is much-much better; a terrific body for hand building, not too flexible when cutting/stamping etc. The glaze colors are virtually indistinguishable from how they look on the white body, which is important. Still, I would like to locate a white stoneware mid-fire body with the stiffer, less moist properties of the T and try it out, that would likely work well for the slab work, to end up with the stakes. Anybody have any suggestions based on experience? I'll probably ending up paying a small fortune in shipping so I am only going to get one new body to try. Thx. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sorcery Posted November 17, 2020 Report Share Posted November 17, 2020 I would just wedge in some silica sand or fine grog. Sorce Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokey2 Posted November 17, 2020 Report Share Posted November 17, 2020 I like Standard's 240 for hand building and throwing. It's formulated to be a bit stiffer which works great for slab work. I make rectangle plates that are 1/8" thick by 1"H x 9"L x 4"W and 1-1/8" wide napkin rings that are thinner than 1/8" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roberta12 Posted November 17, 2020 Report Share Posted November 17, 2020 14 hours ago, LeeU said: The form I am working with is roughly 1" x 9" x .25" (plant markers) The glaze is Stroke & Coat being fired to c5 (works out just fine-great colors for the project). The first body I tried was a white c6 that was way too moist & super pliable-not suited for thin slab work , with my somewhat awkward hands. It would crack if I looked at it sideways and I could not wrangle it into submission in a "production" type process for cutting/stamping/drying/finishing/& glazing in uniform batches. I switched to T6, which is a light buff, and it is much-much better; a terrific body for hand building, not too flexible when cutting/stamping etc. The glaze colors are virtually indistinguishable from how they look on the white body, which is important. Still, I would like to locate a white stoneware mid-fire body with the stiffer, less moist properties of the T and try it out, that would likely work well for the slab work, to end up with the stakes. Anybody have any suggestions based on experience? I'll probably ending up paying a small fortune in shipping so I am only going to get one new body to try. Thx. I am really no help at all Lee. I know you live in the east somewhere, I use the mid fire laguna and Aardvark from the west. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyK Posted November 17, 2020 Report Share Posted November 17, 2020 Hey, lee...I am using Laguna B-Mix^5 for all of my current work which includes primarily throwing, however, I have also used it to make some jewelry stands and jewelry and it worked just fine. The stands were fabricated from 3/8" slabs. Assembly was easy and they bisque fired well (no cracks in the seams. For something a little heavier duty I'd go with the B-mix with grog... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted November 18, 2020 Report Share Posted November 18, 2020 Standard 630. It's a cool white, and much more forgiving than 240, which is a yellow white. If you need totally smooth, then 240. 630 has a tiny bit of tooth from fireclay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bam2015 Posted November 18, 2020 Report Share Posted November 18, 2020 Lee, you are not that far from Portland Pottery, right? They have both Laguna and Standard clays. Have you tried either the Laguna 65 smooth or 66 with sand, or Standard 181 without grog or 182 with grog? Both white stoneware. I've used both for slab work. I like all of them. Betty Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeU Posted November 18, 2020 Author Report Share Posted November 18, 2020 THANKS everyone---the whitest with some tooth will work. The Standard 630 sounds just about right. ..don't need smooth & I like cool rather than warm & don't want to have to wedge anything into it-wedging hurts these days! Didn't care for B-mix-can't remember why except I know I went through 50 lbs a couple of years ago & just didn't for some reason. Bam2015-the Portland store is closed re COVID (and I really miss their little in-store cafe!) so I get Laguna shipped from Axner. Y'all are so helpful! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted November 18, 2020 Report Share Posted November 18, 2020 12 hours ago, Bam2015 said: Lee, you are not that far from Portland Pottery, right? They have both Laguna and Standard clays. Have you tried either the Laguna 65 smooth or 66 with sand, or Standard 181 without grog or 182 with grog? Both white stoneware. I've used both for slab work. I like all of them. Betty 181 and 182 are both cone 10 clays. 630 and 240 are the cone 6 versions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bam2015 Posted November 19, 2020 Report Share Posted November 19, 2020 21 hours ago, neilestrick said: 181 and 182 are both cone 10 clays. 630 and 240 are the cone 6 versions. Standard lists 181 and 182 as cone 6-10 clays. The studio where I started my clay journey always fired it to cone 6. So that makes me wonder, when a clay is listed cone 6-10, does that mean it's better to fire at the higher temperature? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted November 19, 2020 Report Share Posted November 19, 2020 43 minutes ago, Bam2015 said: Standard lists 181 and 182 as cone 6-10 clays. The studio where I started my clay journey always fired it to cone 6. So that makes me wonder, when a clay is listed cone 6-10, does that mean it's better to fire at the higher temperature? Most clay bodies that are vitrified at cone 10 will be under fired at cone 6, and are likely to weep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Smokey2 Posted November 19, 2020 Report Share Posted November 19, 2020 On 11/17/2020 at 8:59 PM, neilestrick said: Standard 630. It's a cool white, and much more forgiving than 240, which is a yellow white I use both and Neil is right 630 is more forgiving. To my eye 630 has a grayish tint and very tiny specks and 240 seems brighter. When I do napkin rings 240 needs to dry slowly. If I stand them up and they dry to quickly they'll crack. I tent a slightly damp towel over them which alleviates the problem. I don't have this problem with plates. What I like about this clay is if a piece is bone dry and I notice a sharp edge I can use a sponge to smooth it out better than any other clay I use I prefer 630 for throwing, I especially like it when I'm working on casseroles. It handles the heat from an oven better and even works well in a BBQ grill when not placed over a flame Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilestrick Posted November 19, 2020 Report Share Posted November 19, 2020 My students have a lot more S crack issues with 240 than they do with 630. 240 requires better construction, even walls, even drying, etc. a lot more so than 630. I use 630 with all of my beginners. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeU Posted November 20, 2020 Author Report Share Posted November 20, 2020 Once I figured out how to turn out uniform markers, with the T6, I figured I could afford to try another body to get the whiter base that I prefer. Choosing low fire glazes to use on a mid fire body was a mistake (well, duh!) but I am not going to shift to a low fire clay. The colors I selected fire up just fine at 5 (only 1--a purple--comes out a little lighter than true, but is still a good looking color) so I'll just use them up and then switch to mid fire glaze. These are not my favorite thing to make but they bring home the bacon so I will stick with it. Oh--in case it bothers anyone, I don't orient the name this way anymore---now I stamp it the other way around and to me it reads easier/looks better. Not sure it really matters, as long as I am consistent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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