Clay Times Back Issues Vol. 2 Issue 4 • May/June 1996 | Page 21

tant piece of equipment used for working with colored clays is the work table, which must be smooth and should be able to be dampened if necessary to keep the colored slabs of clay from drying out. To speed up the production, Doherty usually begins his work session by makJack Doherty blends in the colored clay. ing several shapes of slabs and coils prior to throwing, and placing them on a covered board for later use. He rolls each slab using a wooden rolling pin on a canvas-covered board. Doherty stresses the importance of choosing the right moment to join the clay: it must be done when it’s still soft enough to join without scoring. As he adds consecutive pieces of clay, he firmly and completely pinches the added pieces to secure them to the thrown pot as it’s being rotated on the banding wheel. When making the first pull to attach the colored clay, Doherty gently squeezes the clay between his thumb and forefinger, and uses a sponge with lots of water to keep the porcelain from drying out too quickly. Due to the nature of the method, the white porcelain can’t be kept pristine white. Yet Doherty says colored thumbprints, etc. are acceptable because they reflect the process of the pot’s creation. ■ RECIPES (Cone 10 Reduction: Preferably-Soda Fired) White Clay Ball Clay China Clay 50% 50 Blue Clay Light Blue Stain Dry Porcelain 1% 99 Smooth Satin Glaze Talc Feldspar China Clay Whiting Flint (parts or gram multiples) 23 26 22 13 22 Matt Talc Glaze Cornish Stone China Clay Whiting Talc (parts or gram multiples) 30 20 20 10 ▼ 21