Kemper Klay Gun Tool Review

On my most recent trip to my local ceramic supply store I splurged and purchased a Kemper Klay Gun Tool. It wasn't a huge expense, only $14.00 USD and the amount of time the Klay Gun tool would save me was well worth the investment. I needed a small extruder for making the vines on my ceramic garden toad houses. I was filled with excitement over my new Kemper tool and could hardly wait to try it out.

Now, before I made my purchase I googled for reviews on the Klay Gun Tool and could not find any. I have a great many Kemper tools in my studio and they have provided me with many years of hard abuse. This tool however, was a disappointment. The steel is the poorest quality, the kind that will rust if one accidently breathes upon it. The mold edgings were sharp and the 3/4 of the dies would not fit into the Klay Gun cap. Not to mention that the cap would not even thread due to the rough edging.

One benefit to using cheap metal is that it is easy to hand sand. After 2 hours of sanding the burrs and the dies of this tool I finally modified it enough to make it work as it was intended. Thus far, I am content with it's use but I seriously question whether or not it will stand up to the test of time. I feel that cross threading will be its ultimate demise.

So, depending on how much you value your time will relate directly to whether or not you want to purchase this tool. I figure this Klay Gun has cost me about $50.00 excluding the cost of sand paper and travel time. And by the way, don't bother emailing Kemper about your complaints, they make it a point not to respond. Will I purchase from Kemper in the future? Well, yes, but only the tools I know that are reliable. The bigger question is why do we allow companies to sell us sub par products that require modification in the first place? I know I spend a good amount of time fixing the new products I purchase from stores today, what about you?

Using an Elmer's Glue Bottle for Slip Decoration

For years I have been using a fine tipped glaze bottle for my slip application and decorations. For just as long I have been immensely frustrated when the tip gets blocked and expels a giant blob of clay slurry all over my design in 30 second intervals. Of course, it's my own fault for putting up with it as long as I have as well as forgetting to purchase a slip bottle when I am at my ceramic supply store.

Just the other day the heaven's were singing when I spied a near empty Elmer's glue bottle in the closet. The light bulb above my head signaled that this container would make a good slip bottle. I rigorously cleaned the container with hot water, my small sponge on a stick tool and a hooked wire to clean the difficult top edging. I also removed the orange plastic top and cut off the inverted "Y" white plastic tip to permit more slip flow. Taking a small drill bit I enlarged the opening of the orange cap from the underside out. Mixed up a nice smooth red clay slurry, filled the Elmer's glue container by way of a funnel, closed it up and squeezed to my hearts delight. No more giant slurry blobs on my designs or toads. My toad house production is going to get a lot easier now.

The only question is how to keep the slurry in the container from drying out since I removed the inverted "Y"? I decided to pour in 1/2 inch of water to keep the slurry moist and found a thin piece of copper wire to set in the hole. The sitting water will not mix with the slurry so long as I don't vigorously shake the container and a fair amount of the water can be squeezed out before the next use.

Glaze Porosity, is it Food Safe?

This is a really good question and one that you will often hear from customers wanting to buy your functional pottery. Fortunately, there are a lot of tried and true glazes available out there but that doesn't necessarily mean that they will be safe with your clay. In order to have absolute certainty I recommend having your clay and glazes professionally tested which can be a costly affair but if you are selling functional dinnerware to the public, it's a safe investment.

Concerning our native clay, I have covered the shrinkage rates as well as the rate of absorption in my previous postings. Now we want to test for the absorption rate of your clay and glaze. In order to do this you need to completely glaze your test tiles and fire to maturing temperature in the kiln. In the realm of earthenware clay your bisque firing temperature is normally 1 to 2 cones hotter than the glaze firing temperature.

After completion of the glaze firing we will again measure our 100mm lines and weigh the tiles. The final lengths of the tiles will determine our overall shrinkage rate from dry to glaze for our native clay. Again, under 15% is good. Next you will need to boil the glazed test tiles in water for 1 hour. Safely remove the tiles from the hot water and allow them to cool to the touch before weighing them again. The difference and average of dry glazed test tiles to the saturated glazed tiles will allow us to determine the rate of absorption of our clay and glaze. If your percentage averages out below 3% you have a good clay and glaze fit. Chances are very good that this clay and glaze is food and water safe. Higher percentages will result in weeping water as well as wares that are unsanitary.

A final test involves acidity. Take one test tile and soak it in vinegar or lemon juice for 24 hours. If the glaze is discolored and showing craze lines your glaze is not safe for acidic foods.

If you happen to have a poor clay and glaze fit you can still create wares that are not crafted for food and drink as well as test with other glazes.

Continued Shrinkage Testing and Rate of Absorption

Upon completion of the bisque firing you will again weigh each tile as well as measure the lengths of the 100mm line. Using averages you deduce the shrinkage rate of the native clay from wet to bisque. Example, all tiles A- E began with a 100 mm. After the bisque firing to cone 05, Tile A measured 92mm, B- 92mm, C-95mm, D-95mm, E- 96mm. Differences being 8mm, 8mm, 5mm, 5mm and 4mm. Therefore, to reach the average will will add these numbers and divide by the total number of tiles. 8+8+5+5+4=30mm divided by 5=6% shrinkage rate from wet- bisque. You can also go further with the data you have collected and deduce the average shrinkage rates from wet to dry, wet to bisque, and/or dry to bisque. An average shrinkage rate under 15% will make a good clay body for continued testing.

The next test we will do is for lime blowing. In firing clay above 1632 degrees Fahrenheit calcium carbonate decomposes into lime. Clays with an excessive amount of lime or calcium carbonate will cause problems in the future. As the clay absorbs moisture from the air the lime inside will expand causing pieces of the clay to flake off. Lime is easily recognized by small pits and a white or yellowish film on the surface of the pots. There are remedies one can do to correct problematic lime blowing such as firing at lower temps or firing in a reduction atmosphere. For the lime blowing test, soak your bisque fired test tiles in distilled water for an hour and allow them to dry for a few days. If lime is present you will see a film form on the surface of the tiles.

Without certainty I believe that lime is causing a problem in this 180 year old house that I reside in. The red brick chimney we have is mortared in place and probably dates back to it's origins. Due to a slow leakage around the flashing of the chimney it might be possible that the brick has too much lime or perhaps the mortar has slowly leached into the brick causing large chunks and flakes to fall off.

The rate of absorption for the bisque clay will tell us how well the clay will absorb the wet glaze. For this test we rely on the weight measurements we have been taking. Boil your bisque test tiles in water for 2 hours. With tongs safely remove the tiles from the boiling water and allow them to cool to the touch on a dry towel. With your triple beam or digital scale take a weight measurement for each saturated test tile. The difference and average between the dry bisque and saturated bisque tiles will provide us with our rate of absorption. A percentage higher than 10% will provide a good absorption rate. Percentages under 10% will make it difficult for the bisque to absorb the glaze. If such is the case you can bisque at a lower temperature, cone 06 or cone 07, or heat the pots before glazing. Having a good rate of absorption with your bisque fired clay makes it easier to get a even coat of glaze on your vessels which will provide a uniform glaze coloring as well as a good clay and glaze interface.

Testing the wet to bisque shrinkage rate of native clay

To quote Michael Cardew from his fantastic book, Pioneer Pottery,"An unknown clay should be presumed guilty until proven innocent." Commercially available clays often have the shrinkage, porosity and absorption rates listed in there catalogs, the work has already been done. But what about a unknown native clay?

In the near future my husband and I will be moving to our property in western New York state. Our parcel is filled with native terracotta clay and shale. As a potter this is a potential gold mine for me but I don't know much regarding this particular clay body. Is this a clay body I can use for throwing on the wheel, what temperature does it fire to? One thing I am certain of is that there were local potteries in the old days so chances are pretty good that I can utilize this clay.

After finding a nice pure vein of clay I was able to do a simple plasticity test by rolling out a wet coil and checking for cracks, it passed. Refer to my previous post- "Native clay processing on a large scale". My next step was to make a couple of small balls and bisque fire them in my kiln to cone 05. I fired these small balls of native clay inside a commercial clay bisque fired bowl as a precaution. I did not want the clay to melt and ruin my shelving, I could sacrifice the bowl. The clay survived and fired to the same rich red coloring as my commercial terracotta clay body. Now it's time for some more testing.

To test the shrinkage rate of a native clay works on averages and does not involve complex formulas, thankfully. To take from Tom Buck, Leon Nigrosh and Michael Cardew begin by rolling out a slab of native clay that is 1 cm thick. Allow the slab to set up for a few hours before cutting out your test tiles. Take a piece of box board and cut a rectangle 13 cm long and 4 cm wide. This box board will be your template for the tiles. Using a fettling knife cut out as many tiles as you can, preferably 10. Next draw a line 10 cm long down the middle of each test tile. Set them aside to stiffen up to the point of handling.

Thinking ahead to porosity and absorption testing were going to kill 2 birds with one stone. Label each test tile A, B, C, D and so on. Using a triple beam or digital scale weigh each tile in grams in it's wet state and write it down, always keep notes. Completely dry the tiles flipping as needed and/ or weighting them to prevent warpage. After the tiles have completely dried, measure the 10 cm lines (100 mm) and weigh them again. Example- Tile A is 96 mm (-4 mm), Tile B is 97 mm (-3 mm), Tile C is 95 mm (-5 mm). The average difference of A+B+C+D+E+F+G+H+I+J =X divided by the number of tiles equals your wet to dry shrinkage in percentage. Example- in mm- 4+3+2+3+4+3+2+3+4+3= 31 divided by 10 = 3.1% wet to dry shrinkage.

Next we are going to fire the test tiles in the kiln to bisque temperature, cone 05 or cone 04. After the kiln has cooled and you have removed your tiles measure each 10 cm line again and weigh the tiles again. Tile A is 89 mm (-11 mm), Tile B is 90 mm (-10 mm). Again, take those averages and divide by the number of tiles. This percentage will give you the average wet to bisque shrinkage rate. Somewhere in the range of 10- 15% is good and worth investing the extra time for glaze firing and absorption and porosity testing which will be part of my next post.

Sponge on a stick, Throwing Tool

One of my favorite pots to throw on the potters wheel are narrow neck vases. Any one who makes wheel thrown pottery knows that all the free standing water within the vessel needs to be removed before cutting the pot free from the wheel head. Failure to do so will result in a cracked bottom as the clay absorbs all of that free standing water.

Commercially available sponge on a stick tools (does this have some other name?) are too wide for removing the water from the base of a narrow neck vase and they have the tendency to roll around while the wheel is spinning. I devised a very simple, inexpensive and quick method of making my own sponge on a stick tool that is narrow enough not to damage the neck of my vase when inserting it.

Three simple materials are all that is needed- 1" thick foam found at fabric stores and often sold in 2' X 2' pieces. You will need a strip approximately 2" X 3" X 1" for the making of the tool. Don't despair, the remainder of the foam can be used for throwing sponges, cleaning and as padding for pots. These sponges last for years before giving way. You will also need a 1/4" thick wooden dowel approximately 1 foot in length. And lastly, a thick elastic band like the ones that come with bunches of broccoli at the grocery store.

Simply roll your strip of foam around the dowel (2" thickness, 3" length) leaving 1/2" to 3/4" of the sponge to overhang the end of the dowel so that it will not puncture the base of your pot. Secure in place by wrapping the elastic around the top half of the sponge.

This simple tool only takes minutes to create and pennies to make. Make them as thick or as long as you need them. In the image my larger sponge tool is about 5 years old and still working just fine. The best part is that I can insert it into my narrow neck vases without damaging the neck and it won't roll around inside the pot while the wheel is spinning. Happy tool making.

Patience is a Virtue

I just finished a low fire glaze firing early this afternoon and I am so anxious and excited to see my wares completed.  However, I have to wait until tomorrow morning before cracking the kiln.  

Many folks don't realize just how many steps are involved with pottery and ceramics.  I've always wondered just how many steps there are in making a pot, so here goes.

1- Purchase or recycle clay

2- Soften clay for throwing

3- Wedge clay for throwing

4- Throw pot on the wheel

5- Remove pot from wheel and allow to air dry

6- Trim foot of pot

7- Add handles or stamp impressions etc.

8- Allow pot to dry completely

9- Clean up rough edging marks or bumps

10- Load kiln for bisque firing

11- Bisque fire kiln for 6-8 hours

12- Unload kiln and rinse pots

13- Put wax resist on pots

14- Prepare glazes and glaze pots by dipping or brushing 3 coats

15- Load kiln again for glaze firing

16- Fire kiln for 6+ hours

17- Patiently wait to unload kiln

Okay, there are approximately 17 steps in the basic creation of a pot.  I did not include the methods of recycling clay, cleaning the wheel and equipment, the making of glazes, or the cleaning of the kiln and shelves.  Then there are the additional steps of selling your wares either in shows or online, taking photos, writing listings, figuring out expenses and shipping costs etc.  

I suppose that with anything we do in life there are many steps involved. One of the many aspects of ceramics that I truly appreciate is how it encompasses earth, water, air, fire and metals. If I am not mistaken it is the only craft that encompasses all of those elements.

I'm afraid I patiently have to wait out the night before opening the kiln.  It's my hope that these wares will be 95% successful and then I can take photographs and start my listings on Etsy.

Clay Stamp Crafting for the Home Studio

Alright, I have been pretty lazy lately about my blog and today I was determined to create an entry.  What I didn't expect was that when the inspiration hit I could not get into blogger. After hours of waiting, here I am, finally and my inspiration is lacking.  It could also have a lot to do with the fact that I was out until 2 AM on Saturday morning.  Yep, I still have not recovered from that late night of good conversation and laughter with new friends.  I'm just not used to staying up so late.

Anywho, I really wanted to talk about clay stamp making.  Lately I have been browsing my supply catalogs and seeing a lot of bisque stamps available.  Stamps are on the expensive side but there can be a lot of work involved in making the masters depending on how intricate they are.  I'm the kind of person who enjoys crafting my own clay tools when I can and stamps are something I have been making for years.  

Here's a pretty simple method of crafting your own personalized ceramic bisque stamps for use on pottery and hand built ceramics. This technique will allow you to make the first negative impression of your designs.  Roll out an even slab of smooth earthenware clay, the larger the slab the more designs you can create.  Allow it to air dry for a few hours almost to the point of leather hard stage.  Taking a sharp pencil and draw or carve a design into the leather hard slab. You can pre draw your designs on paper or print them up from your computer.  Simply place the paper on top of the slab and lightly retrace the design with a pencil.  By removing the paper you can then go in and make the lines deeper, tracing allows you to get the line proportions correct.

The pencil or any carving tool will leave behind some rough edging.  After the slab is dry, gently scrape away the raised rough edges with a trimming tool. To remove the clay dust left behind in the carved designs, gently pat the slab with a moist piece of clay.  After this is done you can further clean the edging with a damp soft bristled paint brush.  At this point I recommend you fire your clay slab in the kiln before making positive stamp impressions or you may run the risk of breaking your slab and ruining all of your new designs.  Been there, done that.

To make the positive after the bisque is completed roll out a fresh coil of clay which has a higher moisture content than you would normally use for throwing or hand building, this will limit the cracking around the edges when you make the impression.  Your coil should be approximately 1" thick and  2" long.  Flatten it into the stamp impression allowing yourself a few finger holds.  Another method is to make a flat slab and press it or roll it with a rolling pin into the impression.  After it stiffens up you can remove the excess edging and add a finger hold to the back by slipping and scoring.  Once you create a good impression set it aside to dry and bisque fire your new stamp before using. 

Crafting your own ceramic stamps can be a intricate as you desire just remember that they do not need to be perfect to make a nice impression on your work of art which will be covered with glaze.  

Ye Olde Shanty Shack, Home Sweet Home

It's early, maybe even too early but the chirping Robins outside my window don't care about my rest.  They are too excited for a brand new day to begin,"wake up everyone, the sun is rising!" Chirp, chirp, chirp.

In my morning slumber with a cup of coffee in my hand and notebook in my lap I began to daydream of the days past.  I was thinking about my beginnings in New Mexico, my friendships, freedoms and lessons learned.  My early 20's.  Those were difficult lessons and often they were difficult to swallow.  Equally they were some of the best times I ever had.  I flew with the wind.

Maturity is humorous in retrospect.  In our teens we know everything about everything.  In our 20's we realize we know nothing.  Our sheltered view of the world is not one of reality.  In our 30's we begin to get comfortable in our own skin and learn that it's okay to say no without going into a guilt ridden downward spiral.  Our 40's, well, those lessons are still years away for me.

In my 20's I did something most unexpected and somewhat uncommon compared to others my age.  I packed up and left college due to my many disappointments at the University and found a potter to apprentice with.   He taught me a tremendous amount about clay and firing, his name is Jarrett West.  Jarrett has more spirit and enthusiasm for clay and life than anyone I have ever met. 

In my apprenticeship with the West family, my friend and I needed a place to live.  We were granted permission to put up a tipi or build a temporary structure on their land.  Build a temporary structure we did.  The shanty shack, complete with attached dog shack on the outside.  

The shanty was an 8' X 10' structure that cost us about $80.00 to build and was primarily constructed with recycled building material.  We had scrap pieces of rusted tin complete with multiple holes, plywood, a broken door, old windows and an old gymnasium hardwood floor. The flooring was the centerpiece of the shanty although hardly enough space to play a game of basketball.  Inside we had bunk beds, an old wood stove for heating and cooking, shelving and a milk crate to lounge on.  

Much of our time was spent surviving and taking care of our daily needs.  Gathering firewood in the arroyo, hauling in water by hand, preparing dinner, washing dishes and taking solar showers. Water was most precious and the minimal waste of it was of the utmost importance. There was such a simplicity and honesty in those daily chores, something that takes minutes to do in a conventional home took us hours to complete.  I loved it and in many ways miss the challenges of simple living.

To me, life in the shanty shack was a way of testing myself.  It was a cleansing of my selfish and over indulgent ways and attitudes.  I had to learn that happiness can only be found in your heart and contentedness could only be found within.  Could I survive in the world?  What did I truly need to survive in the world?  In those 6 months that I lived in the shanty shack I learned that I needed water, food, warmth, friendship, good health and love. After that I knew that I would be okay.

As the years have flown by there have many other hardships and challenges in my life. During those times I reflect on the shanty with fondness and remind myself that I have what I need.  Someway, somehow, as I am getting older and a smidgen wiser my life has become more complicated and my responsibilities greater.  I'm still figuring out who I am and what I desire but one certainty is that I have what I need and more.

Inexpensive shelving for your craft space

Okay, I have been slacking on my blogging lately.  It's not because I am lazy, simply that life has been a little chaotic these last few weeks. 

I recently participated in a clean your craft space day forum on Etsy and someone commented on my shelving.  It's not pretty or perfect but it is functional as well as inexpensive to build.  I have over 78 feet of shelving space that cost less than $100.00 to construct.

Somethings you will need for this time consuming project.

1- A handy guy or woman, if you are not.

2- A circular saw, a drill press, electric drill, a pipe cutter or a jig saw, tape measure, safety gear.

3- 2' X 4's,  3/4" conduit pipe, 2 1/2" sheet metal screws and MDF shelves or MDF sheets, you can also substitute 3/4" thick plywood for the MDF if you can afford it.

Construction needs to happen outside due to metal chipping and sawdust.  If you have ever cut MDF you know what I am taking about, it's made from sawdust and it makes a ton of sawdust.  For shelving that is longer that 5 feet expect your MDF to warp a little.

Basically the the 2" X 4"s screw into the studs of your wall and act as peg holders.  The conduit pipe pieces are your pegs and the MDF or plywood is your removable shelf. 

Most importantly you need to know what kind of shelving is appropriate for your craft. How much space do you have available? How much height do you need between shelves? How many studs, pipe pieces and shelf footage do you need?

For example, we are going to create 6 shelves that are 4 feet in length and 10" wide and spaced 1 foot apart.  For this project you will need two 2' X 4' X 8's, Twelve pieces of conduit pipe that are 11" in length (11 feet of piping), six shelves that are 10" wide and 4 feet in length which can be cut out of a 4' X 8' piece of MDF or plywood.

Begin with the pipe cutting , 12 pieces 11" in length.  You will need a jig saw with a metal blade to cut these or a pipe cutter.  A round file or dremel tool is also good to deburr the ends. The tricky part is the drilling of the 2" X 4"s.  Take into consideration whether or not you have baseboard in your measurements as well, you will need to screw the studs above the baseboard. You really need a drill press for this part, drill the holes in the center spaced 1 foot apart, slightly smaller than the width of the conduit pipe and know which end is the bottom and the top of the stud.  After the holes are drilled, pound in the conduit pipe pieces.  There should be approximately 9 1/2" of pipe sticking out of the stud ready to support a 10" wide shelf.  Now you need to screw the studs into the wall studs.  Often times these are spaced on 16" centers if you're lucky.  And lastly place your shelves on top of the pegs and your ready to begin filling them up and asking for more shelving.

It's an in depth process that requires resourcefulness and know how if your not a talented carpenter.  Even though mine are not perfect, no surface in our home is level or square (old 1800's house) I do appreciate not living out of boxes anymore.  Of course, an easier method would be to simply purchase 12 heavy duty shelf brackets.  Nothing in my life is ever that simple, it's just how I am.  I am a process and learn kind of gal.