Preparing Plain and Colored Slip! Day 27 Quarantine Distraction Video

Coronavirus Quarantine: Video 27
I will be trying to post simple daily videos for inspiration for my students, and my subscribers to help give us some learning and distraction during this national emergency. Here is a link to the playlist I am adding to: • Online Learning During...
This video shows how I prepare slip for slip trailing and decoration using the same clay body of the piece on which I plan to use it. I show taking bone dry pieces and allow them to slake down in water for a few hours before I blend it with my immersion blender. Then for added color, I use Mason stain 6600 Black and add a few tablespoons and again mix that up. When everything is incorporated, I then run it through a small Tailsman test sieve. (I start with 60 mesh, but then change to 40, as it was collecting more grog than I thought it would so switched to the bigger mesh for ease)
Here is a link for the Mason Stain which I purchased from Cornell Studio Supply near me. They’re wonderful and helpful! cornellstudiosupply.com/produ...
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I am a public high school ceramics teacher at William Mason High School in Mason, Ohio. (Mason is currently the largest high school in Ohio!) As a potter, I have been working in clay for over 30 years, and I have been teaching for over 28 years, the past 20 have been specifically teaching high school ceramics. I love what I do! I have my own studio in my home basement, where I work on my personal pottery for my Etsy site; www.etsy.com/shop/KaransPotsA...
I started my KZbin channel a few years ago, to make videos to help my students if they are absent and miss a demo, or if they would like to explore more advanced techniques independently. I have been amazed to reach such a wider audience than my own students!
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[@galekrcmarik2043]

Thanks Karan. As always you are such a great instructor and friend like person. I appreciate the time and talent you are so gracious to give to those of us you don't physically know. 💜💜💜💜💜

[@dietertelemans5373]

Hello Karan, just wanted to thank you for all these great and very informative lessons. I’m in the first year in an academy in Brussels and we’re also in lockdown. So I’m very happy I can learn by watching your video’s. I think you’re a fantastic teacher! Thank you so much for charing your knowledge with us 🙂

[@ksullivan5494]

thank you for the video. I have done this before the video but I am happy to know & have the confirmation that I did it correctly. Love all your videos!Keep then coming please even after our COVID19 lockdown is over.

[@dhatchellsd]

Thank you for posting these wonderful videos.

[@lesselavie7675]

I mixed a number of colors up over a year ago and was just about gonna toss them...thank you!

[@freddiemoretti8456]

Sitting the container on a reciprocating saw minus the blade may work too. Thanks for sharing.... timely video for me as I will be doing this shortly.

[@galekrcmarik2043]

Never thought of that. Everyone should have a paint mixer but in case you don't .......use this option. Great idea Thanks so much.

[@britoronto6628]

Hi Karan, I am enjoying your videos. Quick question-exactly what are mason stains made of (presumably minerals?) Are any toxic? Does this prevent using clay in the microwave?

[@sherylgroner2787]

Hopefully some more businesses will come on-line soon, but I don't have mason stainss and can't order them... I do have oxides and carbonates. Will these work as a substitute?

[@katmarq]

I love your videos, they are so helpful. I am a retired middle school teacher 😁 and restarting my clay hobby. My question is can Mason stains be used with low fire clay or only mid and high fire?

[@KaransPotsAndGlass]

I would check with a knowledgeable ceramics supplier before purchase. I’m fairly certain all will work low fire, but not all can go high. I’m thinking some of the less stable pigments like reds and pinks might not be dependable in the mid or higher range. 😊

[@marlyswilliams9949]

How long do you save your slip? Does it become moldy and foul odored? Any other additives needed than color? Thx for the posting.

[@KaransPotsAndGlass]

I can keep it for years! I just check it periodically and add more water or allow a layer of water to sit on top to help keep it moist. Also, if it does ever get bacteria in it it will mold, so I just add a couple drops of bleach if that happens!

[@crystalcities34]

If we want to dry this down on plaster to make mason stained clay body how much stain should we use relative to slip? do you just eyeball it?

[@KaransPotsAndGlass]

Hi Iris- I only make small amounts at a time- and usually I spread that small colored hunk out over multiple marbled pieces. Short "approximate" answer I have (as I have only eyeballed making it) is I probably use no more than 10% of the mixture as stain. Here is a link to my playlist for Marbled Clay and mixing the stain into it! kzbin.info/aero/PLj0pNzEmvM_o8d3Ds87hHDAVcWWh0aKT0

[@Haanila]

I haven't studied pottery in English before, and I'm confused. I've used 'slickers' to 'glue' pieces together, (dried clay in water like you did here) but we always had it thicker and without colours. Is this angober? 😅 I'm lost

[@tinaembrey8831]

If I only need a tiny amount of colored slip, could I just mix slip with underglaze?

[@KaransPotsAndGlass]

Probably! I‘ve successfully done that before!

[@YaoiHoshi]

This was so useful! I’ve wanted to try slip trailing. I’m also a bit confused about mason stains - how similar are they to underglaze? Here in Japan people paint on pottery with what I think are mason stains (they rub off easily when dry, unlike underglaze)

[@KaransPotsAndGlass]

Mason stains are the ingredients in underglazes which give the color. If someone just puts stains in water and applies them, they would have a tendency to rub off before firing. When mixed with slip- they become much more stable before firing. I often describe underglazes to my students as very similar to colored slips. The clay within them make them stable. I have tried just hydrating stains to use straight, and I prefer not to work with them quite like that... I like the dependability of either underglaze or colored slip. Does that make sense?

[@YaoiHoshi]

@@KaransPotsAndGlass makes perfect sense, thanks! I started pottery when I moved to Japan and I go to a community studio, so I'm learning my way around by myself. One person there gave me some CMC powder that is what I'm supposed to add to mason stains so they will not rub or flake off my pots... but from googling CMC it seems they're used with glazes? have you ever used that with mason stains? Thanks in advance!

[@hulahole]

Why does it have to be bone dry? Why can’t it be wet clay? Just curious because I find there is so much science behind ceramics. Thanks for the videos

[@KaransPotsAndGlass]

Bone dry is the perfect stage to accept and absorb water. Adding clay that sill has moisture won’t absorb the same nor slake down as easy. You could make slip from scrap that isn’t bone dry, but it will take much more effort to blend and mix. (Like you could put it in a blender). Recycling scrap from bone dry is the most “efficient” way! :)

[@hulahole]

KaransPotsAndGlass thank you so much! Stay safe and thanks again for the videos.

[@YaoiHoshi]

KaransPotsAndGlass thanks! I didn’t know this either

[@venusxx2995]

Hello, why does it need to always be bone dry clay?

[@KaransPotsAndGlass]

It doesn’t- but it is significantly easier as bone dry clay absorbs water readily!

[@lynnettedebell1881]

Whike you were talking about bone dry clay early in the video- did I see a clay coronavirus in the background?

[@KaransPotsAndGlass]

Lol! No! Not sure what you saw! Ha!

[@lynnettedebell1881]

Probably just a texture ball🧐😀

[@KaransPotsAndGlass]

Ohhhhhhh- I know what it is- a slip- trailed egg!!! 😂

[@sandgrains3418]

Please Add a translation of Arabic. It's hard to do that from Google. I don't know why.

[@KaransPotsAndGlass]

I unfortunately don’t know hot to add it... :( I’m sorry!

[@KaransPotsAndGlass]

From what I understand, other contributors can add translations to share. I have my videos set to allow translation contributions - but someone else needs to add the translation, as I can’t speak Arabic!

[@sandgrains3418]

Thank you