Studio life: new clay options
One of the core things we provide as a pottery studio is access to clay, and sometimes getting clay to the studio can present unexpected logistical challenges.
To become more resilient to supply chain shocks, we have introduced 3 types of stoneware clay to the studio. This way, if we are unable to get one type of clay, we can always order a familiar alternative to ensure new clay is always moving into the studio.
Business motivations aside… this development provides members with more choice. Now we have clays in neutral, toasty and flecked tones; ones that are smooth and course in texture; and porcelain.
All stocked clays are stoneware or porcelain (btw, by stock we mean available to members).
Our recommendations include a groggy buff clay for large scale handbuilding and sculpture, a smooth white stoneware for throwing and decorating, and an iron-rich stoneware for throwing and handbuilding. Access to alternative clays provide an opportunity to explore how clay and glazes interact. Exploring different clay bodies will expand the colour responsiveness of our house glazes.
Finally, to avoid waste, the house clay used for many of our courses will become a blended stoneware. This will lend some extra variety to students' coursework and help us recycle as much clay waste as possible (we recycle more than 600kg of clay every month - dead pots become new pots).
Selecting a clay will depend on where you are in your pottery making journey. In most cases, new members are best served using the studio blend (which is now a mixture of many clays). Studio Blend is a supported clay - meaning we’ll do all the reclaim for you. All you need to do is rock-up and start making.
Above are a series of test tiles used to determine clay shrinkage.
A 10cm line is marked in the clay while it is wet. Shrinkage is monitored across the drying process, and at our firing temperature (cone 7-8). Knowing about shrinkage is crucial for anyone making work to meet specific design specifications.
To calculate what size to make your pots to achieve a specific fired size you can use the formula below:
Desired Fired Size / [100% - Shrinkage %] = Required Thrown Size
Joe Thompson’s blog includes an excellent in depth explainer of shrinkage. Take a look here.
We calculated the shrinkage of our new clays, at our firing temperatures to be:
TS Stoneware 13%
APC Stoneware 12%
SCULPT Stoneware 9%
AB Porcelain 15%
Anyone needing clay for a particular application or process should consider experimenting with the pure clays we have in stock. These will be much more consistent. We’re available in our community sessions to help guide your selection - but to find out what works best, experiment.
