[Clayart] b mix 2

[kathi at lesueurclaywork.com]

Before I moved to TX in 1982 I bought my clay from a local supplier who had a sign that said “tis a poor potter who blames his clay”. I took that to heart and blamed myself for every cracked pot that came out of the kiln. No matter how I struggled nothing seemed to work. In 1982 I moved to south TX and started to buy my clay from Armadillo. In Austin. Their Balcones clay. Suddenly, all of those flaws in my pots went away. My tall lamps didn’t crack. I could throw taller and more consistently. When I returned to Ann Arbor I tried every cone 10 clay available here and none came close to the quality and consistency I get from Armadillo. I have neither the equipment nor the space to mix clay myself, and since at one time I was using five tons of clay a year it just seemed a waste of my time when I could be making pots. While people moan about handles cracking on their mugs, even with extremely slow drying, I just attach my handles and set them upside down on a table to dry. Warping of slab ware seems to be another thing that people are constantly complaining about. Yet, I routinely make platters 24”long without warping and with no special drying. I don’t baby my pieces with this clay. Those who want and enjoy making their own clay are welcome to do it. It’s just not something I care about when I can buy a clay of this quality. And, while it is costly to ship it to MI  the total cost is just pennies over what I could buy locally. But then, I would have to go pick it up and unload it rather than have the pallets dropped right inside of my studio.

Kathi LeSueur

Sent from my iPad

> On Sep 9, 2021, at 2:35 PM, ronroy at ca.inter.net wrote:
> 
> Well - I have nothing against fixing clay, but when you start adding materials, not only affects maturing temperature but how glazes are going to react. Testing the resulting body to see how shrinkage, absorbency and color response are affected is wise.
> 
> For instance - adding silica can affect not only the beta to alpha quartz inversion but also the overall expansion/contraction of a clay or a glaze.
> 
> Keep in mind - lowering expansion can result in glazes with a low starting low expansion can result in broken pots and shivering. Possibly the worst thing that can happen to a potters sales.
> 
> I'm not in any way saying that commercial clay bodies cannot be improved on. Many are deficient in more than one way. But - if you don't have basic important
> information obtained from your clay supplier or by testing, you can make the situation worse.
> 
> Anyone who needs testing information - just send me an email.
> 
> RR
> 
> Quoting mel jacobson <melpots at mail.com>:
> 
>> 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.
>> 
>> Laquna makes millions of tons of Bmix.  It is all the same,
>> and carefully controlled.  It means that thousands of potters
>> are using the same clay.  MN clay No1 stoneware is used be
>> many potters. It all fires the same.  Only daring potters alter
>> the mix. It is exciting. try it sometime.
>> 
>> My clay body is mine, the glaze is mine, I built the kiln. That too
>> is controlled by me. I like that thought.  I like my new speckled
>> shino with black soda ash painting.  When my stamp goes on those
>> pots it means "Melpots"...not sorta mels.
>> 
>> The story about the Northern Clay Center buying a  "BLoW" so that
>> new young genius' can fire as they don't know how...has me meditating
>> in technicolor.
>> 
>> I smile when I think of David Woof altering everything he does...smart as a
>> whip and he can also be snotty.  Good for David. smart fellow and does it all.
>> 
>> David Hendley making his own cones. He is a brilliant well educated potter, artist
>> and singer.
>> 
>> I remember when joe koons came to me with the "Haresfur" project and the first
>> day I said..."Joe, think kiln shelves and what happens inside a sagger?"
>> It was the "Key to the city".
>> 
>> How many people are using rotten, bad to work with cone 6 clay?  thousands. They
>> are tied to it.  I just added 30percent earthenware, got rid of the nasty talc.
>> wow, that was really hard...went back in my notes and found that 5x20 glaze.
>> fired to cone 6 in under five hours.
>> 
>> I am now making stoneware clay with black and red iron that fires a deep black/purple.
>> How hard to do is that????
>> 
>> I am altering my cone 11 clay with 5 percent redart, and black iron. it even throws better.
>> 
>> All I am talking about is "Taking Charge of your Life".  The joy of being a clay directed person
>> is the challenge, the making new, trying and making a success. Be you.
>> If you have to have ready made clay and `blow` kiln at $60,000, go back to bed.
>> . I think of Robin Hopper as a "symphony of clay, not a one note song".
>> mel
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> website: www.melpots.com
>> www.melpots.com/CLAYART.HTML
>> 
>> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ron Roy
> ronroy at ca.inter.net
> Web page ronroy.net
> 
>