How To Make Clay Slip For Colorful Pottery

[@billysteyn3399]

Your vids helped me allot for my minimalistic usability pot art

[@AncientPottery]

I'm glad to hear it

[@emmalouize]

Hi Andy, I’d really love to see you do an experiment to answer a question I’ve wondered for a very long time. Grog made from recycled pottery is usually crushed to a fine grit before being added to clay, but I’ve never liked the feeling of grog in clay. What would happen if we fired clay in powder form? Would it become a lovely ultra fine grog? Would it come out of the firing in powder form still? Could it make a ‘super clay’ haha… I’d love to see you do some experiments for us as you are so good at presenting the information in a way that is really useful and informative to others.

[@lindamermaid]

This is an interesting idea. I also dislike grog’s grittiness. I’m getting ready to run a test fire, testing several things. I’ll have to add a bowl of plain Kentucky ball clay to the firing and see how it turns out, then see if/how it can be mixed with processed clay to be thrown & fired.

[@AncientPottery]

Not a bad idea, thanks. I think this could be an interesting video.

[@jaimecolley1345]

I had the same idea! Why slave away at grinding shards when you could fire the raw clay fine particles

[@cliffordkelly5327]

Howdy Andy , in this video , you are showing us how to purify wild clays, to use as slips , a bag with an off-white colored clay is labeled Elephant Butte, I know where this butte is, I am interested in the location of this “white” clay , any info on its location will be greatly appreciated , thx !

[@AncientPottery]

The first wild clay I ever found when I was about 15 years old was at Elephant Butte. It is there by the campground at the state park. The stuff I found as a kid was near the shore of the lake, but I went back a few years ago and couldn't locate clay there but did find it in a ditch below the road that runs through the campground.

[@cliffordkelly5327]

@ Howdy again Andy , thank you very much for that info , I’m trying to climb above my Long-Covid, & at my age ( 70 ) I can’t hike as much as I use to , and this illness , this past year has depleted my energy , but I’m still able to play with my clays & create something nice and provide a decent legacy for my kids ! Thx Andy , yur the Best

[@goldcoasthorse100]

Thank you so much for this video. It's given me the confidence to try .

[@magdalenas.4261]

Hi Andy. Is it possible to add turmeric or paprika to wild clay slip for color? Am trying to experiment with natural colors that I may have around the house. I’m working with wild clay here in coastal Maine. Thanks!

[@AncientPottery]

No, anything organic like that will burn away in the firing. You need to think more along the lines of mineral pigments like red or yellow ochre.

[@polyphonicart]

Hi Andy, How do we make it colorful? I've seen some bright underglazed pottery and I need to know how to get that with my own. Thanks

[@oriundodelbosque7912]

This chanell is just amazing. You are a great teacher Andy.

[@AncientPottery]

Thanks

[@jaimecolley1345]

Hi Andy! I know you don’t use glazes, but I was wondering if you have ever come across instances of ash accumulation on your vessels or bowls, I’m not sure what temp. you need for that to occur but with your latest kiln it might be a posibility

[@AncientPottery]

No, my temps never get hot enough to produce ash glazes. It might be doable in my little brick kiln but I never fire up to those temperatures.

[@lindareese4579]

Thank you Andy....

[@AncientPottery]

Very welcome

[@abbasduman6963]

Can you also use coffe filters instead of paint strainers? The are filters made out of paper, so it should act similar

[@AncientPottery]

No, the slip would not pass through a paper coffee filter, the paint strainers are much more open than that.

[@djdnauk1977]

​@@AncientPotterydo you think a nut milk bag might be a good alternative to a paint filter? I think the holes are around 40 microns or so

[@brandengillette7794]

Hay Andy I found this green rock and found out that it was shale and then learned that shale can be grounded down into clay because it could contain 50 % or so clay. What are your thoughts on getting clay out of mudrock? Also I attempted to heat a sample of the green shale rock with a torch and it turned a light pinky orange color. I read that the green color could likely be from ferric oxide. Do you think such a thing could work for a slip or building clay?

[@AncientPottery]

It depends. I have used shale that could be soaked in water and become clay, others that require grinding and levigated and others that can’t be turned back into clay no matter what I tried. So you will have to experiment and see. Green clay does usually fire to a red or orange color.

[@suzanne9695]

Another awesome video, thank you!

[@AncientPottery]

Thanks again!

[@elegant_belle7964]

hi have you used Mason stain in your slips? im wondering if they will be true to color fired at low temps like a back yard kiln. Thank you for your time.

[@vanajavuppala1981]

I have pot which are dried up but not fired yet. Can i do slip decoration now or should they the pots be wet

[@jjbailey01]

I'm in AZ planning a camping trip in the near future to gather some smectite. I'm having trouble finding where you mentioned the local smectite beds.

[@AncientPottery]

I don’t think I have a video telling where the smectite is because my videos are made for a global audience instead of a local, Arizona audience. Smectite is not too abundant around here. Best area to look in Arizona is in the Chinle Formation (Google it). That means up around Petrified Forest National Park, now please don’t go collect clay from the national park, but there are lots of places near the park with the same types of clays. If you take my online clay “Wild Clay 101” you will get access to a clay map I made showing the location of various clays in the Southwest. That class is available at this link in case you are interested ancientpottery.how/product/course-native-clay-101/

[@jjbailey01]

@@AncientPottery I definitely wouldn't be in the park gathering anything except pictures, memories and possibly trash. 🤗

[@pizzapal4945]

Hi, Andy. Love your videos, very informative and really comprehensive. I had a question regarding a previous video in conjunction with this one - would firing pottery with a fine clay slip holding a natural paint (such as the mesquite or hematite as in another video) present a significant risk of the paint passing through to something cooked inside the pottery? Or would the clay slip reduce the porosity enough to reduce any concern? The only detailed records I know of painted cookpots are our cazuelas in mexico, but their danger comes from a traditional lead-containing glaze on the inside, not external paint.

[@AncientPottery]

I think clay itself is pretty safe, and a slip does reduce the porosity. Generally the biggest concern is paints used on the inside of food containers. Manganese is poisonous as is lead. I usually either don't paint the inside of pots that will be used with food or I only paint them with organic paint which just burns to carbon in the fire and so is non-toxic.

[@alecoseliopoulos-pg6eq]

Hi Andy, fascinated from your work and passion. One question. Is it possible from your experience to use simple slip on bisque pieces;

[@AncientPottery]

I have never tried slipping a fired pot. I would think that there would be problems with the clay slip shrinking as it dries and crackling off of the pot.

[@dn7096_]

fantastic channel

[@juliamandle9074]

Hi. I am an artist and teacher based in Amsterdam. I am getting to know your videos and really enjoy the anthropoloical context you provide. I also am a fan of working with clay slips to enhance the connection with the feeling of earth/clay. I have a question: I wonder if you can help me with a problem that I have of clay slip flaking and cracking off. I use commerical stoneware clays (I am making cups) and like to decorate the exterior with the slips after I bisque fire my cups. I don't like to paint the raw clay because I am afraid the wet slip will cause cracking in my cup form (I use a hand building, folding technique). Do you have a suggestion for me about how to get a more consistent bonding with my clay slips? I fire to 1230 after painting with them. Thankyou so much and I will keep watching!

[@AncientPottery]

paint when the pot is leather hard, not fully dry

[@janetsmith9380]

i was wondering does slip come off eventually? and do you apply the slip after the firing? and do you have to fire the slip for it to stay on? thanks

[@AncientPottery]

Slip that is fired will stay on for hundreds of years. Slip is applied before firing. Slip is just made from clay, if it is not fired it will remain fragile and fugitive.

[@granmabern5283]

Thankyou

[@paestrada15]

I go to elephant butte every now and then. Did you find a white clay there?

[@AncientPottery]

I have found white clay at Elephant Butte before, right in the state park campground.

[@djdnauk1977]

Andy have you watched the how to build a down draft kiln on the privative technology KZbin channel? I think it's great and you might be impressed or inspired, but if love to know your thoughts on it, i think I'm going to try building one as soon as I'm able

[@AncientPottery]

I fiddled around with primitive kilns for awhile but it was hard to get the atmosphere I wanted. I am making ancient southwestern replicas which were never fired in a proper kiln, so I am not very interested in kilns anymore. Here is a link to one of the kilns I made kzbin.info/www/bejne/qmecY6pql96JqNksi=vA5wnMk2TCsgUZA5

[@mslaurenpotts]

Hi Andy! Thanks for this video. I know that there are many considerations and testing required with wild clay when used as a clay body. Are there any considerations to firing temps that should be taken when using wild clay slips on a commercial clay body? For example, a wild clay slip on stoneware. Thanks! :-)

[@AncientPottery]

Not as many as for a clay body. You will want to test the two together and see if they are a good fit. Sometimes if the two clays have wildly different shrinkage rates you will have trouble getting them to stay together. Otherwise there aren't as many concerns with a slip clay other than color and ability to take a polish.

[@mslaurenpotts]

@@AncientPottery Your knowledge is priceless. I'm excited to give it a try :-) Thanks again!

[@lisalovelylpa]

Thanks !! Next time I buy a colored clay I will make some slip from it , use in on my grey or white clays , kill two birds with one stone. Do you apply it when the clay is bone dry or leather hard ??

[@AncientPottery]

Leather hard.

[@coopart1]

Have you fired that elephant butte clay yet? Curious to how it help up for you

[@AncientPottery]

No I haven't. But I do have the test pot all made and ready so now I just need an opportunity.

[@coopart1]

@@AncientPottery please share results when you do. !

[@bje2920]

Nice video did you get your Package yet the clay I sent you is very clean and Ready to use

[@AncientPottery]

Yes, I did thanks! Although I haven't had an opportunity to use use them yet, I will soon.

[@bje2920]

@@AncientPottery your welcome I hope you like it

[@elijahsanders3547]

Do you then just let it dry on the pot?

[@Lunaloop92]

Yes and then burning it

[@jensenchavez265]

I have been wondering about my slip options since I left your workshop. Is your Elephant Butte clay from T or C, NM by chance?

[@AncientPottery]

Yes I collected clay at Elephant Butte near TorC.

[@jensenchavez265]

@@AncientPottery That's awesome I used to catfish and swim there when I'd go visit my grandma. My wife and I got married there last year.

[@isaiasxd4453]

Genial 🎉

[@blueninety]

I saw some of the vids on the "Natural Pottery Paint" playlist, and I have some questions if u dont mind: From what I understand, to apply a pigment before firing you mix it with water and a bit of clay (that makes slip?), and to apply it after firing you just mix it with water, is this correct? Also, u showed u use mesquite sap as a binder, can any type of sap be used? All I have around here are pines, oaks, and olives... Can I mix pigment into liquid clay in order to colour the entire clay and make, for example, a white bowl out of red clay that was mixed with a white pigment, or is the only way of doing this the way u did in the video, manually painting the pottery? thanks in advance and sry if these are really dumb questions

[@AncientPottery]

1. Mixing pigment with clay does not make a slip unless the majority of the material is clay. Otherwise it is just mineral paint. 2. Southwest pottery is fired once, all decoration is applied before firing. 3. I use mesquite, I can't speak for other saps but I would assume they could work as well 4. Mixing pigment into a batch of clay would require a large quantity of pigment and seems wasteful to me. Applying it to the outside as a slip or paint seems more efficient. Thanks

[@blueninety]

@@AncientPottery tysm for the help!

[@mihailvormittag6211]

👍