[Clayart] Heat and time

[Deborah Thuman]

Mel takes time, and a number of others use heat from assorted sources. 

Maybe it’s just me or maybe it’s living in a desert and having an outdoor studio. Speeding up drying has almost always given me miserable results. A few years back when I started making big pieces, I would coil build to a point, cover the piece with plastic, and come back to the piece in a day or so. If I couldn’t get back to the piece the next day, I’d use extra layers of plastic. Now, it takes me at least two weeks to make a plate. I use a mold. Let the plate dry to perfect trimming hardness, trim, wrap in three layers of plastic, let it sit for a couple days. Unwrap, take it off the mold, fine tune the trimming, rewrap and let sit for a couple days - this time with two layers of plastic. Repeat until no more plastic and let the plate air dry for a week or so. Time consuming, but I don’t get cracks and warping is minimal.

The important point is that we each find a way that works for us. If you’re getting good results, you’re doing it right. 

Deb Thuman
debthuman at zianet.com <mailto:debthuman at zianet.com>
https://debthumanblog.wordpress.com <https://debthumanblog.wordpress.com/>

I declare to you that woman must not depend upon the protection of man, but must be taught to protect herself, and there I take my stand. Susan B. Anthony






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