MadDog Mike's Platterful of Pupule - Pele Fence Hanger - Other Crafts

M MadDogMike Grand Member (8 years) The Anvil of the Sun Joined: Mar 30, 2008 Posts: 10863	M MadDogMike Posted posted on Mon, Jul 4, 2011 8:40 AM If you're only here for the clay secret, skip to the bottom :D Thank you all for the Jade Tile comments, that ideas has been slumming in my sketchbook for a few years and I finally gave it a shot. LittleGiles gave me some tips that I have taken to heart and I am working on a mold. If I can make these at a reasonable price I will probably try to sell some. ZeroStreet & BeadTiki, that mango soda is El Jarito brand. Made in Mexico and available in the Hispanic markets here on the border. It's looks better than it tastes, it's OK but I'm sure it's artificially flavored :lol: I finished my "Want Coffe NOW!" mug Nothing spectacular but it was just an excuse to make a slab formed mug for a tutorial. I did have a bit of serendipity with the glaze - I had fired the mug last week and didn't get complete coverage on the inside, also the grey glaze I chose was a little darker than I wanted. I touched up the inside and when I refired it, my kiln over-fired (as it is prone to do) Most lowfire glazes get washed out when they are overfired, this is usually bad. But in this case it lightened my too dark glaze and gave it a cool slightly runny texture. Looks like some hoity toity high fired ash art glaze :lol: OK, here's the big clay secret - "Calcined Clay" (of course it's not such a big secret if you already know!) Make little clay clay patties and let them dry out completely, crush them good with a rolling pin, sift them with a fine screen, and bisque fire the powder in an UNGLAZED clay container. Put your calcined clay into a labeled container and save it for a rainy day. When I made my mug above, I made the handle hollow and had to leave a vent hole. I could have made a smaller hole, but I wanted the inside to dry faster (patience Young Grasshopper :) ) Now when you wash the mug, water will run into the handle. I took a little of my calcined clay and mixed it with a drop or two of the glaze I used on my mug and made a paste. I pushed the paste into the hole and put another coat of glaze over the top. When I glaze fired the mug, it sealed the hole. In this case, it was important to have bisque fired the mug first so that any moisture had already vented out of the inside of the handle. This trick can also be used sometimes to repair cracks that have developed in drying but it won't fix cracks caused by dunting

If you're only here for the clay secret, skip to the bottom :D

Thank you all for the Jade Tile comments, that ideas has been slumming in my sketchbook for a few years and I finally gave it a shot. LittleGiles gave me some tips that I have taken to heart and I am working on a mold. If I can make these at a reasonable price I will probably try to sell some. ZeroStreet & BeadTiki, that mango soda is El Jarito brand. Made in Mexico and available in the Hispanic markets here on the border. It's looks better than it tastes, it's OK but I'm sure it's artificially flavored :lol:

I finished my "Want Coffe NOW!" mug

Nothing spectacular but it was just an excuse to make a slab formed mug for a tutorial. I did have a bit of serendipity with the glaze - I had fired the mug last week and didn't get complete coverage on the inside, also the grey glaze I chose was a little darker than I wanted. I touched up the inside and when I refired it, my kiln over-fired (as it is prone to do) Most lowfire glazes get washed out when they are overfired, this is usually bad. But in this case it lightened my too dark glaze and gave it a cool slightly runny texture. Looks like some hoity toity high fired ash art glaze :lol:

OK, here's the big clay secret - "Calcined Clay" (of course it's not such a big secret if you already know!)
Make little clay clay patties and let them dry out completely, crush them good with a rolling pin, sift them with a fine screen, and bisque fire the powder in an UNGLAZED clay container. Put your calcined clay into a labeled container and save it for a rainy day. When I made my mug above, I made the handle hollow and had to leave a vent hole. I could have made a smaller hole, but I wanted the inside to dry faster (patience Young Grasshopper :) ) Now when you wash the mug, water will run into the handle.

I took a little of my calcined clay and mixed it with a drop or two of the glaze I used on my mug and made a paste. I pushed the paste into the hole and put another coat of glaze over the top. When I glaze fired the mug, it sealed the hole.

In this case, it was important to have bisque fired the mug first so that any moisture had already vented out of the inside of the handle. This trick can also be used sometimes to repair cracks that have developed in drying but it won't fix cracks caused by dunting

Post #596111 by MadDogMike on Mon, Jul 4, 2011 8:40 AM