Clay slip is clay. Well, basically it’s clay but with added water (of course) and chemicals that cause the sloppy wet clay mixture to pour like milk, instead of clumping.

So the fact is, let clay slip dry enough and you can use it just like any other clay. It’s not a magical, mystical substance with hard and fast rules. Continue reading What is Clay Slip?

Another Approach to Mixing Your Own Clay Slip

You can mess around with these instructions and the previous instructions in another post, to see what best suits you. Personally, I’ve used the other instructions with success. These are borrowed instructions from a reliable source, but I’ve never personally followed them. Continue reading Another Approach to Mixing Your Own Clay Slip

Testing Your Batch of Ceramic Clay Slip

There are two properties of slip that we want to test frequently. They are specific gravity and viscosity. Specific gravity means how much more than water does the slip weigh. For instance: A gallon of water at 70 degrees weighs 8.3 lb. Lets say we weight out a gallon of slip and it weighs 14.4 lb. Simply divide 14.4/8.3= 1.73.This is a ratio, it is generally accepted that 1.75 is good for slip casting. So our slip is a little light at 14.4 lb. per gallon, water weighs less than clay so we have too much water in our slip, we can’t take it out so we have to add more dry materials. (if the slip was too heavy we could have added water.) Okay, now we weigh the slip again and it is 14.5 pounds plus a little. Do the math and you can tell that you are right at 1.75. Continue reading Testing Your Batch of Ceramic Clay Slip

How to make your own Ceramic Clay Slip

White Slip Recipe (cone 04)
INSTRUCTIONS FOR MAKING YOUR OWN SLIP Continue reading How to make your own Ceramic Clay Slip

How I made the Candle Holders

These candle holders were simply a poured cylinder vase. The vase being about 11″ tall and approximately 6″ across.

As soon as the vase was pulled out of the mold, wet, I did my cut-out’s. This particular one, is a cactus design. Simply cut out your cactus form, save the cut-out, add wet slip to the back and attach the cut out piece, in a different spot. This way you not only have the cut out shape, you also have a 3D form of the same cut out. Continue reading How I made the Candle Holders

Aw, Rats! I cracked my green ware piece!

Well, get out the vinegar. Oh, and a dab of clay slip and a dab of clear glaze. Mix about a third part of slip with a third part of clear glaze and mix. Then add about a third part of vinegar and watch it boil and foam up. That foamy glob is great mender. Continue reading Aw, Rats! I cracked my green ware piece!

Finding Clay in the Wild

You ever wish you could just find some of that clay sitting around on the ground? Well, the truth is, sometimes it really is. Continue reading Finding Clay in the Wild

Firing the Large Platter

One of my readers came up with this question and I realized there was something I had forgotten. It’s been so long.

It’s true that one needs to stilt the green ware of that long, large platter for firing to bisque. Continue reading Firing the Large Platter

Can You Stack Your Green Ware in the Kiln?

Most definitely! There are, however, some things you need to be careful of. [...]

Hints about Firing Colors and Crystals

Odd things happen, when you’re firing colors such as reds and greens. Get them too close to another object, and not only do you get grey faded areas on the red or green object, you also get funny shadowing on the neighboring objects. Continue reading Hints about Firing Colors and Crystals

Judy's Corner for Crafter's

What is Clay Slip?