QotW: Slip, Slip with vinegar, Magic Water: What is your choice, and why?

[Pres]

I'm sure we have had this discussion a few years back, but good to return to it for those newbies out there. Over the years I have used all three, and found that I prefer the Magic Water. When teaching HS in the early years, I had used slip as that is what I learned to work with. If you you were diligent about your scoring, and your paddling/compressing the seams along with regular gap filling and smoothing you would have a good seam with no problems. However, being lax in any way could leave a seam that would split, or leave and ugly hole to be noticed even after glaze firing. Students took a long time to discover diligence. Vinegar was the addition that I started adding to my slip containers, as the mild acid did help to work the seams better. However, I came to believe that it was too easy for students to cover up a bad seam with slip of any sort than to get the seam right.  Along came Magic Water, and when I started using it myself, I knew that I had to start using it in the classroom. It did not change everything, but worked wonders with making seams and at the same time it was hard to hide a bad seam.

QotW: Slip, Slip with vinegar, Magic Water: What is your choice, and why?

 

best,

Pres

[Denice]

If I just have  short seams I  use the clay body, water and lots of compression,  I am to lazy to mix up some magic water.   When I start on a large pot I will mix up some magic water,  I really never noticed any magic in slip with vinegar.    Denice

[Hulk]

What

Attachments (in my experience, err, limited experience), almost always one piece is damper than the other.
The drier bit, I'll pick up half a drop of water with my finger and wet the attachment point - not enough to run, enough to impart a sheen that dissipates as the water is absorbed - add another half drop, as required (credit Ingleton potter Dick Unsworth's teapot process video).
The wetter bit, I might dampen just enough to bring up a sheen, then score it in two crosses* (like UK flag), pile on a blob of slip, score the pre-dampened landing spot (in no particular pattern), dampen it a touch more, then get to attaching. I don't mind if it slides a bit at first, for it tightens up considerably as the moisture dissipates into the surrounding (dryer) clay.
For shallow angles, like the top portion of a mug handle's lower attachment, I roll a small coil (2-3 mm, if that), cut to length, wet it, set it aside. After all ends are attached, I'm brushing a bit of slip in there, placing the coil, then smooshing it in. The edge of a loop tool fits in there. A damp brush can help. I don't remember where I saw this, perhaps a Pinnell video clip.
...now I do the same on the top attachment as well.

Why

Variations on what we were shown in Wheel I class.
There was talk of vinegar and "Magic Water" - I was curious; what is magic water**, how does it work, what are advantages & drawbacks?
I was curious, but not enough to dig into it, for my attachments were much less a problem (at that time) than so many other things!

Adding the tiny coil, well, the radius can be achieved by other means, shaping the end, for example (credit Simon Leach video clip).
 

* The slip squeezes out along the score lines.
Nah, but that was the idea, which is now habit.

**Here's an article and recipe:
Magic Water (ceramicartsnetwork.org)

 

[Pres]

I also "back fill" the joins at the bottom of handles also. Makes for a more comfortable handle and nicer looking bottom to the handle with the "visual return" to the pot form.

 

 

best,

Pres

[Min]

I've been using slip made with magic water and my dry claybody for years. I use a smooth white claybody and fire to cone 6. I think it makes a difference which claybody is being used, some are far more prone to handles etc popping off than others.

Magic water helps as the slip made with it is stickier than made with just water, it dries harder than plain slip and during the firing the extra sodium in the slip helps flux the slip a little more than plain slip making a stronger join post firing.

[Roberta12]

Magic water. That is how I was trained.  But I think I may try @Min idea of magic water with slip for my porcelain handles.  

[Mark C.]

I use the slip from my hands throwing medium and larger forms. I keep in in tall plastic open container with a piece of light plastic over it. If it gets thick we add  a splash of vinegar. Sometimes no vinegar for months.  Thgis slip is always teh same body we are working with and water is not added. I also collect from splash pan if needed quickly, gthge thicker stuff .Never bothered about magic-I learned ceramnics before those concepts where born and never needed them so never thought about doing them later. Now I will add we handle thousands of mugs every year in porcelain and getting the handles on same day is the norm with the clay all the same moisture content. Handles,  on then cover with loose light plastic sheets that night uncover and let dry. If any small cracks appear I use a thin wood stick to rub them out while loading them in bisque kiln. (pro tip I leaned from another potter in the 80s) then they never show up again. Also if you do this while loading that saves handling them another time which is all about time saving which is what am all about with clay.

Edited April 13 by Mark C.

[LeeU]

I use Peggy Heer’s orIgInal Spooze, which is, essentially, 1/3 ea. clay, vinegar & corn syrup. Sorry-too tired to find the recipe, but it's online.  I use this when I want to join or mend something or fill in a crack  on dried greenware. It works great for my purpose. (which is not production/retail/professional). It has never failed! 

[Mark C.]

I feel that whatever works for you with slip use that . If it works use it. I will add that in my clay body and calc class back in collage we tested all types of attachments (long before magic water ) and what was leaned that scoring and slip make for stronger bonds. It's a night and day difference  so score and slip . If you are not that you are making weaker bonds.