High plasticity ball clays are under 1 micron particle size; or sub-micron particles. Example: Kaolin run 2-20 microns typically; which also plays into its non-plastic rating. OM4 ball clay runs 0.67 microns and is medium plasticity. CMC ball clay is just below 0.50 microns and is rated high plasticity.

When you open, (no matter what method you use for that), make sure the clay is wet enough not to stick to your fingers, then once you have created the initial hole in the middle of the ball of clay - using enough pressure for that - try to relax your hands before you let go so that you release the clay gently, not suddenly.

yeah, i have a bluebird 440 and find it a devil to clean. any suggestions would be gladly received. i had to stop potting for over two months due to a hip replacement with a loooong recovery. even tho i wadded plastic in the hopper and covered the extruding area, i have a hard block in there. will nothing but a good amount of water do the trick. and while i have people's …

This book will tell you how to locate glaze materials, and forumulate, test, and best use the glazes. It also shows you how to make some equipment, like a beam scale, ball mill, and other test materials, how to do line and triaxial blend, Seger formulas, etc.

A regular contributor here had suggested adding small amount of "fixit mix" to reclaim - eight parts ball clay, one part silica, one part feldspar, if I remember correctly - doesn't take much to improve over the original (imo); more elastic, slower drying.

Ball milling A method of grinding particles in ceramic powders and slurries. A porcelain, metal or rubber vessel filled with pebbles tumbles and particles are ground between colliding pebbles.

The other advantage to a de-airing pug mill is that it often makes it emotionally easier to toss a form that's not working and grab another ball since the recycle process is so much less hassle. Pres Posted September 12, 2013

The local ceramic supply store carries mostly Laguna clay so I choose from their selection, occasionally I will special order some but the freight prices cost more than the clay. The low fire clay I use is terracotta and the C 5/6 I use a clay that is formulated for hand building.

Then I added about 1/2 a teaspoon soda ash and mixed it in well. It tried to form a hard crust so I had to put it into one of my mortars and use the pestle to grind it smooth again. I have a rather large ball mill but alas, not a little one.

Ceramic Arts Daily Forums ; Studio Operations and Making Work Studio Operations and Making Work. Making, decorating and firing ceramic art. Moderated By: Preston Rice. Followers 4. Start new topic; 6,148 topics in this forum. ... Ceramic Arts Network Community Forum (Default)

Ceramic Arts Daily Forums ; Equipment Use and Repair ; Any One Make Their Own Ball Mill? Any One Make Their Own Ball Mill? By Mark369 March 14, 2014 in Equipment Use and Repair. Start new topic; Recommended Posts. Mark369. Posted March 14, 2014. Mark369. Members; 70 Location ...

So ball milling renders a solution more homogeneous by the milling action of the grinding media, the amount of charge in the mill, the speed of rotation in the mill, and the time the solution is in …

The ceramic material is more resilient, so when the ceramic material is in the greater amount, the glass will still fail (crazing), but the result is a lot more pleasant. Just food for thought... On the note of the OP, just try everything out.

Ceramic Arts Daily Forums ; Studio Operations and Making Work ; Ball Milling Ball Milling. By jrgpots January 25, 2014 in Studio Operations and Making Work. Start new topic; …

First, flatten a bit of clay and try out your texture tools. This practice run gives you an idea of how much pressure to apply and how much the clay spreads when making impressions close together. When you are happy with the test it's time …

So, I do a lot of fine art equine ceramics. As I await the arrival of a few more pieces of equipment and supplies to fire up my mold making and casting of my own sculpture this summer, I am custom glazing some other artist's sculptures as custom orders for clients from all over the world. I thoug...

For myself when I set up my wedging table, I measured the height of the table with a ball of clay around 10#s on it and the length of my arms to reach that ball of clay. Then I built my table to those dimensions maybe an inch or so higher.

The pug mill tends to need about 80-90% capacity for it to mix, otherwise it just spins a large ball. The same pointless spinning can occur just from water additions. It takes a while to figure out how to break the spinning and start mixing again.

In school we used a ball mill and wall mixer, that was 20 years ago. But it took forever, hours of mixing and milling. ... Ceramic Arts Daily Forums ; Clay and Glaze Chemistry ; Calcined zinc--adjustment? Theme . Ceramic Arts Network Community Forum (Default)

I vacuum my studio once a year, during my big studio cleaning week. I use a vacuum with a Hepa filter bag, and wear a respirator while I'm vacuuming. Even if the bag isn't full, I throw it away when I'm done, Then I leave the studio and don't come back for at …

After sieving, ball mill the terra sigillata 6–8 hours to increase the amount produced in a measured batch and reduce waste. After ball milling, let the terra sigillata settle for a week or more in a clear container, ladle off the clear water …

Ball clays are of much smaller particle size than kaolins. On the other hand kaolins are whiter and cleaner burning than ball clays. Smaller the particle size the more plastic a clay will be, this means that if you use a ball …

75 Ball clay. 10 Kaolin. 5 Feldspar. 10 Silica I do a lot of slip trailing with an applicator. If I want the slip to stand up firmly after I have sieved the slip I add a few drops of darvan and then add more ball clay, or some of the dried clay that I am throwing with till a thickened consistency. All the ball clay makes this a nice slippery slip.

I just finished making a direct drive ball mill on the cheap. I'm milling my first batch of material. I have stainless steel ball bearings (1/4 ",1/2", and 3/4" dia.) in the drum.

Oldlady, suggested and Project image tutorial for the QotW. I convinced her that sort of thing really belonged in the "Studio Operations and Making Work" section. She agreed. I am setting this up for anyone that would like to show others a brief tutorial of how to do some technique or project. If...

The Studio Assistant will work closely with the Artist and Studio Manager in the upkeep and operations of the clay studio while contributing to the production and oversight of all ceramic sculptures. This role offers a distinct opportunity to take part in casting vision and establishing a ceramics studio in a newly constructed studio space.

Ceramic Arts Daily Forums ; Studio Operations and Making Work ; Sandblasting Sandblasting. By joanzag ... Beads are used for shot peening and for removing mill scale from metals that were heated in an oxidizing atmosphere. However there are many types of abrasive girts avaialble. ... Ceramic Arts Network Community Forum (Default)

Hey guys, I've been lucky enough to pick up a medium sized ball mill, it was used previously as a stone polisher I think. It has a 1/2 hp geared motor and octagonal body 500mm long and 450mm deep. I was hoping to use it to pummel some of the local materials down to dust for use in glaze and clay ...

You need the fines from the throwing buckets as much as you can get and the vinagar is also helpful.Adding dryer clay takes some time for all theloarticles to wet whuch means more mixing time.If you are addin g dry trimmings for …

While trying to justify buying a pug mill as a hobbyist (who throws maybe 50 pots or 100 lbs of new clay per week) I wondered about offering a 'pugging service' as a way to recover some of the expense. I wouldn't be interested in devoting a 'lot' of my time to it (retired, not looking for a job)....