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Post by mohawkpiper on Aug 25, 2016 0:54:41 GMT -6
Curious if anybody had thrown crystals on it.
If so, thoughts?
How about throwability?
In that "testing clays" phase again. Bought a lil... got to throw with it tonight...
id have to say it's the softest stuff i've ever played with. (I'm not so much a fan of soft...)
It moves so easily. It's so white though.
Wondering what to expect with the crystals...
G
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Post by John Garrison on Aug 25, 2016 7:42:04 GMT -6
Piper,
Ive thrown my share of helios and i will say that it is, in fact one of the softest clays (porcelain) ive worked with. Regarding crystalline glazing, it works well, it seems to be a fairly pure clay so there is not much interaction with the clay body and the glaze during firing. Im writing this from my phone so i cant give you specifics on the clay body. The plasticity of the clay body is.. lacking. Throwing large pieces can be difficult. They must be thrown fast to eliminate water retention.. ill post some photos of my crystalline work using the Helios following this.
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Post by John Garrison on Aug 25, 2016 7:47:22 GMT -6
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Post by John Garrison on Aug 25, 2016 7:49:20 GMT -6
Now please note. My major study is within the cone 6-8 range with crystalline glazes. The ones depicted above were created at ^6
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Post by mariewright on Aug 25, 2016 19:56:18 GMT -6
Hey Greg,
I threw a bag of Helios when I was testing out east coast clays. I didn't like the way it threw - way too floppy. However, I was impressed with the way I could recover it back to center when it had started to go wonky on the wheel - which it did a lot. It is a forgiving clay. The crystals were fine, a lot like other porcelains I tried. There was a bit more crazing than with some other motherly bodies.
I bet it crystallized well for you...
Marie
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Post by ianchilders on Aug 25, 2016 22:02:06 GMT -6
Ive been using the Heli-Loaf. 50/50 Helios and Loafers glory that they make. Works great for me.
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Post by hollymckeen on Sept 2, 2016 10:01:37 GMT -6
Hey Piper, There is a new porcelain out of Plainsman Clays in western Canada - fashioned somewhat like Southern Ice, also pricey like Southern Ice, (but your $$ is great here) and I gotta say, I've finally ended my very long search for a porcelain that I love to throw and that likes the crystals. It's looking really fine.
I've tried Helios, it's ok, and the Heli-loaf - same, but this new "Crystal Ice" - I am loving.
Southern Ice, Coleman and others slumped or bloated when cone 11 starts to come over. I'm up to about 10 different porcelain tests over the past 10 years - mostly I had used Turner (TBT) from Seattle Potter Supply - but I never loved the way it throws.
This new "Crystal Ice" is a formula developed by Tony Hansen, and I am sure enjoying it from all aspects.
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Post by mohawkpiper on Sept 3, 2016 2:15:38 GMT -6
Holly, thanks. im going to look into it. I don't see it on their website so I'm going to have to email or call in the morning.
Regarding the helios and softness... i did a little reading and it seems that some clays have so much plasticizer in them that they just cannot be pugged unless they are pugged really soft and then you are supposed ro dry them out significantly before throwing with them to get their full plasticity. hmmm. never knew that. maybe the helios is one of those clays.
however i did in fact dry it out quite a lot and id have to say i really enjoyed throwing with it and it almost stood up to coleman as far as pulling height. i think i can still dry it out some more and probably will before throwing with it again.
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Post by John Garrison on Sept 9, 2016 13:46:44 GMT -6
Did a test with the Helios yesterday to see how tall i could get it. Ened up with about a 27" cylinder with a final height of 25". I did have to let the clay sit out for a few hours, wedge it three times every hour and before i threw it on the wheel.  |
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