Sanding Cone 10 Bisqueware?

[minaa]

http://ceramicartsdaily.org/pottery-making-techniques/ceramic-decorating-techniques/less-is-more-a-minimalist-approach-to-glazing-ceramics/

 

Hello, I am taking a class in ceramics right now (woohoo!) and this artist mentions sanding her bisqueware. We work with cone 10 clay, and I was wondering, will this technique still apply (yay newb questions)? I'd like to get my pieces nice and smooth.

 

Thanks!

[bciskepottery]

Any sanding should be done outside and away from where the silica dust could be inhaled by anyone else in the studio or tracked back into the studio. And, if you sand, be sure to where an appropriate breathing respirator (P-100 rated) to protect your lungs from silica dust. Smoothing your surfaces while leather hard with a soft rib is preferable since it does not raise silica dust. Or, use a wet sanding approach that minimizes (but does not completely eliminate) silica dust becoming air borne. Smooth is nice; healthy lungs and being able to breath is nicer.

 

http://www.3m.com/product/information/P100-Particulate-Filter-Respirator.html or something similar. But rated P100 or it does not capture the fine dust.

[minaa]

I currently have a P-95 respirator. Should I bother to go up to the next level (this really depends on the particulate, so I'm curious. The P-95 was primarily for resin sanding)? And, I'd probably be good to pick up some goggles, I suspect.

[bciskepottery]

You'll really want P100. Here is a link to good info on safety, dust, and respirators. http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/safety.htm

 

There are also good threads on the forum about this issue.

[minaa]

Thanks for the info. Apart from just getting wet-dry sand paper, should I consider any specific grits? I've ordered some goggles and a respirator (not too expensive, really), so I can work on this in the next week or two.

[neilestrick]

If you take care of it all during throwing and trimming, there shouldn't be any need to sand. It just creates a health hazard.

[bciskepottery]

Probably 100 to 200 grit should work.

[Colby Charpentier]

I have different grit preferences depending on which bodies I am sanding. For a small-particle porcelain, I can't go less than 150 grit without instigating blemishes in the final product. With the stoneware I use, I can go as coarse as 80 grit. Take note that sanding for high-fire applications isn't as effective, as high-fire clay bodies will tend to flux and resultantly change their surface due to the shrinkage. I do agree with other posts here that there is a health hazard, however, in order to meet the standards that I hold for certain lines of work, I find sanding to be integral to creating flawless surfaces. Also, I am generally sanding surfaces that will tend to remain bare at the end of the firing, so there's no relying on glazes or otherwise to average out the defects. I tend to do a post-fire sanding for this type of work in addition to the bisque sanding.

[Mark C.]

I suggest wet sponging the green ware-no dust and can smooth the bottoms very well. 

For all grinding or sanding use a mask

If you must grind a dimond pad after cone 10 fire-less dust

If its stoneware fire to cone 10 and use a brass wire wheel on fixed bench grinder-very smooth no dust

Mark

[Marcia Selsor]

I agree with Mark, wet sponging the greenware is faster and no dust. I use a steel rib while the pot is still of the wheel.

 

Marcia

[Chris Campbell]

I have to sand my work at bisque and after high firing. In order to reduce dust problems I sand with the pieces held over a bucket of water so the dust falls in the water and stays out of the air. Yes, it does get tiring but the sludge at the bottom of the bucket shows that it works. I always use respirator.

[Pres]

I used to have adult students that would leave rough edges at time that I had not caught. I would have them sand using the downdraft tables in the studio with masks. Those tables came in handy in so many ways, but in the beginning I thought the money could have been better spent elsewhere.

[flowerdry]

If you like a really smooth surface, check out a technique called burnishing.  It's a lot of work, but the surface of the finished piece feels like silk.

[minaa]

Thanks for all the insight, everyone! It's helped me out a lot.

[Mart]

use water and wet sandpaper... dust problem solved.

[Pres]

I do rub my hands over the not quite bone dry ware to remove small nubs and such over a bucket. This takes care of high points that arise in my decorating process from before shaping.

 

best,

Pres