Translucent Procelain For Handbuilding ?

[ninadebarro 1]

I am in search of a translucent clay body. It is my understanding that porcelain is the best (only) clay to achieve this. I am making luminaries with hard slabs. I was considering using Grolleg Kaolin and am researching Frost as an alternative. My main concern is a clay that lends itself to hard slab techniques. I'm also interested in firing at cone 10 or lower, preferably cone 6. Would firing a high fire porcelain at cone 6 affect the translucency, make it less translucent if fired lower than cone 10?

[Judith B 60]

From what I know, the temperature is the key for transparency with porcelain. It probably depends on the kind on porcelain but it needs to be fired at high temperature to have this very transcluscent look. You can also check the paper clay, which can be used very thin (and so will be translucent). The only thing is there is a texture to it that you may not like. I think it adds some warmth when used with light but is depends on the effect you want to achieve

[oldlady 2,339]

i have some Frost clay.  have made very thin, thickness of cardboard used for school spiral notebook covers, slabs and they are translucent.  i made a bottomless cylinder of it to be a candle surround.  found that when i stood it up and fired it, the cylinder twisted and warped so it was an oval going east and west on the bottom and going north and south at the top.  it was certainly translucent.  i just do not want to go through all the long learning curve with a new clay again. 

 

it is a cone 6 clay.

[neilestrick 3,346]

Get a good cone 6 grolleg porcelain if you want to work at cone 6. Under firing will affect the translucency.

[Chris Campbell 1,224]

Frost is translucent at Cone 6 ... Sorry, have never worked with it as a hard slab but don't see any reason why it would not work.

[ninadebarro 1]

Get a good cone 6 grolleg porcelain if you want to work at cone 6. Under firing will affect the translucency.

 

Would the 6 grolleg be translucent, do you think?

[ninadebarro 1]

i have some Frost clay.  have made very thin, thickness of cardboard used for school spiral notebook covers, slabs and they are translucent.  i made a bottomless cylinder of it to be a candle surround.  found that when i stood it up and fired it, the cylinder twisted and warped so it was an oval going east and west on the bottom and going north and south at the top.  it was certainly translucent.  i just do not want to go through all the long learning curve with a new clay again. 

 

it is a cone 6 clay.

 

That sounds really neat, do you have a pic of it?

[oldlady 2,339]

i just replaced my stolen camera so i could take a picture but posting it here may be another matter.  will ask my neighbor who uses my studio and i ask for computer help as a trade.

 

your info is lacking a location and other info.  where are you??   in the USA?

[neilestrick 3,346]

 

Get a good cone 6 grolleg porcelain if you want to work at cone 6. Under firing will affect the translucency.

 

Would the 6 grolleg be translucent, do you think?

 

 

Yep. Some more than others, just like cone 10 porcelains.

[ninadebarro 1]

i just replaced my stolen camera so i could take a picture but posting it here may be another matter.  will ask my neighbor who uses my studio and i ask for computer help as a trade.

 

your info is lacking a location and other info.  where are you??   in the USA?

 

i'll make sure to fill that out, still trying to figure out the website