B-Mix Wood Clay

[Jim Dugan]

Just wanted to put out there that this clay throws nice, flashes beautifully in wood, but bleaches out in salt/soda without a slip, great with a slip. Also, beware of this clay as it WARPS horribly in many situations and likes to crack like hell for no good reason...I recommend avoiding it. Jim Dugan.

[shanemickey]

jim
i have been using the woodfire clay for over a year, in anagama it was golden! dont know about salt or soada as i never put white clay without a slip. on the other hand i havent experienced the cracking yourspeaking of. i have used regular bmix for well over ten years now and there are some tricks to workng with thixotropic proto porcelains such as these two. as with most whte clays that rare heavily fluxed there is a certain amount of warping from normal throwing. i approach any thixotropic clay like its grolleg porcelain. let me know youir specific troubles and i will try to troublshoot for you.
shane mickey

[June Perry - Shambhala Pottery]

I didn't have cracking problems with it cracking but hated it in soda. The unslipped/unglazed area were a flat pasty look. Now I'm using Highwater's Moon White and Phoenix.

June

[Colleen Riley]

If you are looking for a nice light stoneware that doesn't warp and flashes nice warm orange-browns, I recommend trying Continental Clay's new B clay. It handles much like B-mix but it is warmer in color (in neutral atmosphere) and really holds up nicely. I've just uploaded photos of pots made with that clay. -C

[Mitch Kimball]

I currently use Highwater's Loafers Glory and it flashes nice in my soda kiln. I have salt fired it before and noticed the bleaching effect, too though. hmmm...any thoughts as to why?

[zach]

I would love to hear more about what kind of clay bodies folk use and whether they are applying slips at leatherhard or bisque. In other words, what have folks found to be the most successful combination of clays and slip apllications. I was really disappointed with my last (and first firing) combination of grolleg porcelain bisqued to 04 and applying Bauer and Orange Peel slips very very thinly. Some great flashing on one side but then a horrible pasty flat white matte on the other!