[Clayart] b mix 2

[David Hendley]

If someone sent me a ton of B Mix, (I will forward my shipping address 
if anyone is interested) I would
throw a couple of bags, make some shrinkage bars, and see what I think 
about it. Then I would see how it
dries, how it bisque fires, and glaze fires. Then I would see how my 
glazes fit and calculate shrinkage and
absorption.
THEN I would alter as needed, to suit me and to make it technically 
perfect. I do like the look of a
white body.
But I doubt I will ever quit using my Blackjack clay. It only makes 
sense to use locally mined clay
that has been wet-blunged and never dried. I add things to it when I get 
the filter cakes stacked on
a pallet. I am going for a whiter look for the batch I will be making 
soon. Basically, I made some
porcelain, 50% EPK, 25% silica, 25% feldspar, that I will be adding to 
the Blackjack at about 1/4
porcelain to 3/4 Blackjack. The Blackjack is so plastic no ball clay is 
needed in the 'porcelain'.

Yes Mel, it's true that I have made my own cones. They are very 
accurate, tested by firing side-by-side
with Orton cones. But, I haven't kept it up - one of those educational 
endeavors just to prove I could
do it. At 10 cents a cone it's easier to just buy them.
However, I have saved a ton of money by making my own kiln posts. My 
kiln post recipe is 50%
fire clay, 20% ball clay, and 30% crushed insulating firebricks, window 
screen and smaller mesh (I
always have broken or crumbling IFBs around).
Of course they are extruded. Using a shrink rule, they are cut long and 
shrink to even whole number
lengths when fired in a glaze firing.

David Hendley
david at farmpots.com
www.farmpots.com


On 9/7/2021 2:38 PM, mel jacobson wrote:
> If someone sent me 2000 pounds of Bmix I would
> run it all through my pug mill, add fine grog and
> a pure silica sand and probably some black iron
> sand. opps, it is no longer Bmix. I can fire anyway
> I wish. I now control the clay, it does not control me.
>
> If you buy any ready made product, you are tied to it.
> it controls you. it must be fired a certain way, it has
> limits.  I do not want my pottery, work and art starting
> with limits.
>
>

-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <https://lists.clayartworld.com/pipermail/clayart/attachments/20210907/4fefa9f9/attachment.htm>