irenepots Posted January 22, 2022 Report Share Posted January 22, 2022 I'm thinking about buying some hardie backer board and have a couple questions I hope someone can answer before I do that. First of all, can you really score and snap it? It comes in 1/4" and 1/2" and it's hard to imagine the 1/2" would snap, but I've never used the stuff so who knows? Also, does it warp with use? If so, would I be better off with the 1/2" ? I plan to use it for wedging and also for reclaiming (or as I like to say, reclayming). Sorry, couldn't help myself there. All suggestions gratefully accepted. Thanks! Irene in cold and, for the moment, sunny NJ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hulk Posted January 23, 2022 Report Share Posted January 23, 2022 Hi Irene! I have several pieces of the 1/4" that I use for wedging clay - one each for dark, red, buff, and white clays - leftover from tile projects around the house. I'm just setting the board on the workbench, the end up against a scrap piece of wood tacked to the wall. It wipes off easily, and then can be stored out o' the way as well. We scored both sides with a razor knife, then snapped it over a straight edge for a fairly clean cut; I haven't used the heavier board. For reclaim, I'm using two inch thick slabs of pottery plaster (cast in a cake pan), which will absorb a lot of water; propped up on 1x1" sticks, five sides are exposed to air for evaporation, which helps a bit as well... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeeU Posted January 23, 2022 Report Share Posted January 23, 2022 great stuff-very useful-won't warp & doesn't soak up moisture Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irenepots Posted January 23, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2022 10 hours ago, Hulk said: Hi Irene! I have several pieces of the 1/4" that I use for wedging clay - one each for dark, red, buff, and white clays - leftover from tile projects around the house. I'm just setting the board on the workbench, the end up against a scrap piece of wood tacked to the wall. It wipes off easily, and then can be stored out o' the way as well. We scored both sides with a razor knife, then snapped it over a straight edge for a fairly clean cut; I haven't used the heavier board. For reclaim, I'm using two inch thick slabs of pottery plaster (cast in a cake pan), which will absorb a lot of water; propped up on 1x1" sticks, five sides are exposed to air for evaporation, which helps a bit as well... That's just what I was hoping to hear Hulk. I'll definitely get the lighter and cheaper 1/4" then, one for each of the 3 clays I use. Thank you! I've been reclayming on a plaster slab as well, which is in a lidded bin that I use as a damp box also. But I can see having 5 exposed sides would be even better. Does pottery plaster in bags have a use by date? When I used mine again I couldn't get it to set, tho I tried several times. I thought I had read somewhere that it doesn't age well in the bag. Is that true? I had the bag in plastic as well. Do I just need to get a fresh bag? Hulk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chilly Posted January 23, 2022 Report Share Posted January 23, 2022 3 minutes ago, irenepots said: Do I just need to get a fresh bag? Probably yes Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irenepots Posted January 23, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2022 10 hours ago, LeeU said: great stuff-very useful-won't warp & doesn't soak up moisture Thanks Lee, that's good news and I'll be getting some soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
irenepots Posted January 23, 2022 Author Report Share Posted January 23, 2022 Thanks Chilly, I'm looking for a source right now. Chilly 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hulk Posted January 23, 2022 Report Share Posted January 23, 2022 ...if you pull back a bit when wedging, consider leaving the backer board pieces long enough such that your hip/tummy/belly holds it in place, else some other scheme for holding it down... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly in AK Posted July 16, 2022 Report Share Posted July 16, 2022 I love the stuff. I use 1/4” for ware boards. 1/2” is what covers my wedging table and works great for dewatering slop. Every bit as well as plaster. I did sand the surface of the 1/4” board, it’s kind of pebbly. Also, the 1/4” board gets saturated pretty fast, 1/2” is better for reclaim. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristinanoel Posted July 18, 2022 Report Share Posted July 18, 2022 @Kelly in AK how does this preform for ware boards wrt drying? is it like drying things on a plaster bat? I've been running into drying problems with plates on bats made of plastic and masonite - plastic keeps the base wet and i get cracks when the lip drys faster than the foot, masonite warps and I get a wobble. If this acts like plaster, seems like it could be a really nice solution! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kelly in AK Posted July 19, 2022 Report Share Posted July 19, 2022 It pulls water out of the clay just like plaster and doesn’t warp. I haven’t made bats out of it, so I can’t say much about that, but for ware boards it’s my favorite. The bottoms of pots dry more evenly in relation to the rims. As a work surface I wet it with a sponge to keep things from drying out too fast. I too would like to know if anyone has used this stuff for bats and what their experience was. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldlady Posted July 19, 2022 Report Share Posted July 19, 2022 tiny question. kristinanoel, you mentioned masonite bats. are you talking about 1/4 inch thick Duron bats or actual masonite about 1/8 inch thick and with the bumpy back? the bats sold in the supplier's stores that i visit use Duron, a double sided smooth surface that is 1/4 inch thick. i never wire anything off my Duron bats, the pieces pop off when they are dry enough, usually overnight. i throw as dry as possible, never leaving dampness inside any pot. they pop off because i have trimmed the outside of the foot ring while the pot is still on the wheel. no raggedy edges sticking down all around the pot. Magnolia Mud Research 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hulk Posted July 22, 2022 Report Share Posted July 22, 2022 (edited) Isn't backerboard a bit rough for throwing? I've used plastic, homemade particle board, and homemade plaster bats; all have smooth surfaces*. Although I've managed to learn to keep my fingernails away from both the clay and the surface of the bat, my throwing requires some finger/skin contact, smooth is better imo. I like cement board and use it in the studio, per above, however, too rough for me for throwing. Try sticking a square of it down with a clay pad, only take a few minutes - watch out for the corners, go. My guess is you'll like it if you don't touch the bat much while you're working, then knock the corners off, done. If you don't like it, didn't cost much - look for a scrap to test with. I wouldn't try for bat pin holes, instead, a clay pad. Since I use bat pins, I just throw a clay pad on a plastic bat (does no one do this?) for unholy bats :| *The plastic seem to stay slick, however, they can get narfed up with metal tools, rough on skin. Some types of plastic bats I like ok, some not. My particle board bats, some are 1/2" thick, some 3/4" thick, stained with oil base stain, then varnished. They work great. I use the molded side of the plaster bats, which is smoother. They work great, different right next to the bat though, that clay is drying. Edited July 22, 2022 by Hulk oops Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laughlin Posted July 31, 2022 Report Share Posted July 31, 2022 I use Hardiback on all my clay tabletops - for wedging, handbuilding, rolling coils, glazing, whatever. I love it. It cleans up really well though it doesn't look like it would - I've spilled jars of glaze and underglaze on it and it just needs a good scrub (but really, that was dumb and I lay some plastic first now.) I keep big spare pieces around for extremely different clays just in case - I've got one for porcelain and one for real dark clays. I just stack 'em - handy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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