QoW: What clay body or bodies do you work with. . . .

[Pres]

Hi  folks, this last week @Pyewackette posted a question in the pool. Even though I think we have covered this sometime this year, it never hurts to approach from a different angle.

@Pyewackette posted:

QoW: What clay body or bodies do you work with and what do you like about it/them? What is the impetus for working with one or multiple clay bodies?  Corollary:  do you make your own clay, and why

My thoughts on this are pretty simple. I use two clays for the last several years, a white clay SC630 that is quite nice to throw and takes my glazes that have used for years quite well. I also use a SC Hazelnut Brown to give me a different set of colors when working. No change in glazes as they look different but darker on the Hazelnut. As far as mixing my own clay. . . not enough space, too much dust, too much mess, more equipment, and too much work! i'll order mine premixed and ready to go!

 

best,

Pres

 

[Russ]

I mix my own clay.   Firing with wood is a very harsh environment therefore I need to have a clay body with certain qualities that i doubt i can get out of an off the shelf clay.  I've had to adjust the formula several times over the years as problems pop up most of which are in the mined materials changing causing various problems in the body. The last problem I faced was bloating caused by a grog and too much of one particular clay. Changed that and I'm back on track. .... till the next problem rears its ugly head.  I  dont know if being in control of the clay body is a blessing or a curse. I tend to lean towards the former.

[Pres]

@Russ, I understand your concerns about the aggressiveness of a wood firing, and agree that not many shelf clays would handle that firing.. I live not far from a wood firer who is quite old now, but I am pretty certain in the day he did much of his own clays. I believe now that his clays are manufactured by SC. which gives his name away. 

On another part of your posting, if you look through the last few years of posts about clay there are several times that material suppliers have disappeared or changed mines or some other thing that has disrupted the quality of the clay manufacturers just as it has yours.

 

best,

Pres 

[glazenerd]

I think the last time I bought commercial clay was 10 plus years ago? I have blended a lot of wild clay, but that is really outside this topic. I blend two porcelains primarily: the first is for tile work, the other for crystalline glaze. The tile body centers on laying flat without me having to flip, weight, and baby sit it in the process. The porcelain for crystalline centers around a chemistry that does not hinder or interfere with crystal growth. They both met basic formulation standards; cone 6, absorption hovers around 1/2%. Not a fan of sodium based body fluxes for many reasons. Side note: I use the same basic tile body for throwing with minor adjustments. I purposely blend it to be a touch on the short side to allow for water absorption. The only red clay I blend comes from hematite bearing wild clay; which keeps a deep red color at cone 6. 

Tom

[Denice]

I use Laguna's buff for throwing and  Laguna's  Speckled Buff, Red Standard ,  Red  Calico and Death Valley for hand building.   The handbuilding clay's I use fire to different colors,  I like to work with different colored clays in one piece.  I use to make my own clay before premixed clay was readily available and affordable,  life gets busy and you get older  something has to be sacrificed.   Denice

 

[Hulk]

Three; white, red, and buff with speckles stoneware.

The first two are mined, processed, and sold by a local (Sacramento) company; the speckled buff is a Laguna product that they carry.

I'd been working on fitting my liner glaze to white stoneware, then tried a different clay, voila! ...haven't changed the liner glaze formulation since, although I did switch clays.

I like each color - and the glaze response to each - too much to give any up just yet.
Each is the "best of" so far.
Prior white stoneware got me working on low COE liner glaze, were not as plastic, had higher rate of "off-gassing large particle defect" and cost more to get, being further away.
Prior red stoneware, not as plastic, narrower glaze firing range (much), higher rate of particle defect, poor drying behavior, cost more to get.
Prior buff stoneware, narrower glaze firing range, cost more to get.

[Kelly in AK]

I use two clay bodies, one for cone 6 soda firing and the other is a local clay that fires at cone 03.

The cone 6 body is Laguna B-mix 5. After trying various clays I found it responds well to soda as well as hot and cool spots in my kiln. It seems easy to throw for me and is pretty tolerant when my craftsmanship isn’t perfect. The downside is it’s expensive compared to other white stonewares.

The local clay is something I’ve played with for many years and gotten to know. It isn’t tolerant in any way! I add 1-1/2% Veegum to it, the biggest monetary expense. It cracks, slumps in hot spots, and is left porous in cool spots. I have to be completely on my game to make it work, which is part of its charm. I haven’t tried to calculate the cost, I’m afraid it would be too discouraging. 

[Denice]

I forgot to mention that I keep some Flinthills black  and some dried paper clay around for special projects.    Denice

[Mark C.]

I work with porcelains  at cone 10 ,Daves Porc (99.9%) and some Babu and some 50/50

for salt pots its mostly iron bearing stoneware with a small amount of Porcelain  again cone 10 from Laguna clays

Edited December 2, 2023 by Mark C.

[akilpots]

i was trying out a bunch of different laguna clays as they are the closest supplier to me i found one that i liked at cone 6.

laguna RSMC

but mostly i've been using archie bray's Wally's Blush absorption rate is great at cone 6 and the fired color is very nice for the kind of work that i make.

[Min]

1 hour ago, akilpots said:

i was trying out a bunch of different laguna clays as they are the closest supplier to me i found one that i liked at cone 6.

laguna RSMC

I like throwing that clay but it made my skin itchy. Have you found this? 

I like how nice and tight it is, have some mugs and bowls made from it, parts unglazed and no staining after many years of everyday use, slip made from same body without sand brushed on unglazed areas.

[Suresh Sundaram]

I’m struggling with using too many different clay bodies. I use a raku clay body that I mix. For white stoneware, I have been using BMix-10 from laguna, and am in the process of switching to one I can mix. I use a brown stoneware from Laguna because I like the speckles in reduction. I use #10T from Laguna, a low fire earthenware, for horsehair. I also Slipcast raku, earthenware and white stoneware and each needs a different mix, different from my raku and stoneware bodies. So that’s four throwing bodies and three Slipcast bodies. I’m thinking about brown stoneware slipcasting. Thankfully I don’t do much hand building (yet). I fire Raku (home), cone 6 (home)and 9 oxidation (community studio) and cone 10 reduction (community studio). Luckily I’m not a production potter (I make 100-150 pieces a year, not counting everything that doesn’t meet specs). How did you guys eliminate bodies, firing techniques, etc? They’re all so interesting! And yet, sometimes I’m overwhelmed.

[Denice]

I was the same way,  I  decided to quit looking at other peoples work,  magazines and shows were cut.   I also decided to work strictly with C6 clay.  If I need to remake something in a low fire clay  I will use up the clay immediately and throw  away any scraps.  That way I don't have to worry about contamination of the C6 clay.   It has been 10 years and still working with Cone 6 clay,  I  am tempted to look at magazines when I am at my  ceramics supplier  but manage to control myself.     Denice

[Roberta12]

@akilpots I like RSMC as well.  I have one box left.  I have to special order it from the clay supplier.  Recently I have been trying some of Kentucky Mudworks Clay.  Their Kota is wonderful.  I just purchased Big Turtle, Mullhollun, and White Bear.  This will be for Empty Bowl throwing.  It will be a nice way to do some testing with glazes, etc.  

I am always on the lookout for a cone 6 red that performs well.  I like the Kota porcelain, so I will use up #16 from Laguna, and I also use Speckled Buff from Laguna and I like the New Mexico Chocolate from Santa Fe Clay.  All of those are available from the Denver supplier.   and yes, it does appear I have a clay problem.  

Oh, change of subject, I was at the supplier on Tuesday and casually asked about Gerstley.  They had it in stock $224 for 50 pounds.  I picked it up for my friend.  I have 50#s and not sure what I will do when it's gone.  They told me Laguna held 2 pallets for them, but that is probably it.  

 

[LeeU]

When I returned to clay work after a lengthy career detour, I had a blast trying out a wide variety of commercial ^6-^10 bodies. I loved exploring the grays, browns, black, tan, whites, iron, grog, etc. (never reds-no can do-the staining makes me cringe). I lost access to wood firing when J. Baymore's anagama kiln went dark due to the closure of the Sharon Art Center  & the pandemic, which kept me from using the NH Potters Guild kiln--so my woodfiring days are gone. For woodfiring ^10 I loved Troy's T437 porcelain-the way it shows flame color (pic). For ^6  loved  Sheffield's T-3 Stoneware-a light buff, fine grog.  My favorite at the moment is IMC's Dragon Fruit, a speckled light gray that looks a bit like granite (pic).

[akilpots]

On 1/26/2024 at 3:52 PM, Min said:

I like throwing that clay but it made my skin itchy. Have you found this? 

I like how nice and tight it is, have some mugs and bowls made from it, parts unglazed and no staining after many years of everyday use, slip made from same body without sand brushed on unglazed areas.

i dont think it makes my skin itchy it is a rough clay body though.