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These bowls were fired at cone 6. The body is amazingly vitreous, given that pieces are very resistant to warping during firing. In fact, other pieces made from it having walls as thin as 2mm, did not warp either! This comes from a two-foot-thick section of the 3B layer from a Plainsman Clays quarry near Ravenscrag, Saskatchewan, Canada. It is plastic and feels smoother than any commercial porcelain. It does not fire white because Mother Nature included some iron oxide in the clay itself and in the soluble salts that produce the glaze-like surface (these disappear when a clear glaze is applied). It accepts glaze like a porcelain. I have dubbed this body MNP.
| Projects |
Mother Nature's Porcelain - Plainsman 3B
This Saskatchewan clay contains natural feldspar, quartz and a variety of clay minerals, all blended by nature, to produce a porcelain, that although not white-burning, rivals or exceeds the strength achievable using industrial imported minerals |
| Articles |
How to Find and Test Your Own Native Clays
Some of the key tests needed to really understand what a clay is and what it can be used for can be done with inexpensive equipment and simple procedures. These practical tests can give you a better picture than a data sheet full of numbers. |
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