Sodium Silicate Stretch

This is a demonstration of how to apply sodium silicate to the surface of a freshly thrown cylinder and then stretch it into a form. The clay is sealed on the outside with a shell of sodium silicate which, when dried, forms a shell that cracks in natural and random patterns when stretched.

[@terryscott9498]

Such a gentle man and teacher.

[@user-bh4th6ic8d]

❤

[@snonoyo5029]

If I lived anywhere near you I would definitely be taking lessons. You are so patient and easy to follow!

[@richardmccoll9297]

Thank you for your kind words. It would be a pleasure to be your teacher. Happy New Year

[@amberclemons-lopez7220]

You are a great teacher! I am learning so much from watching you. Thank you for being a teacher.

[@DunoonVanRijn-dx1hr]

Always a joy to watch you work and play ❤

[@ninettehamo69]

I just love to watch your videos. You are my favorite KZbin teacher 😊 Thank you so much for all your lessons ❤️

[@richardmccoll9297]

Thank you so much for your kind words!

[@creativeliving3455]

Thank you Richard, another great video! 😊

[@aidadominguez2305]

So beautiful, calm and lovely!!... Gracias!

[@user-bt7nl6ps9b]

What a wonderful teacher 😊

[@foldyriken3773]

Great teaching. Thank you

[@sabengco]

Thanks for sharing your obviously considerable knowledge. I learned a lot from this video.

[@richardmccoll9297]

Thank you for watching. Keep learning, I hope you make some wonderful pots.

[@EmilyW.isawakenotwoke]

You are the Bob Ross of ceramics 😁 Great tutorial. Thank you. I sculpt.. i have tried using a wheel , but am so so bad at it 😂 I'll stick to making dragons and fish i think xx 🥰🕊️

[@richardmccoll9297]

All I need is a perm...

[@glueckskind671]

wunderbar...dankeschön!

[@ZinniaRAWR]

Thank you Richard this was wonderful to watch and has given me lots of new things to try :)

[@richardmccoll9297]

Thank you Zinnia! Best of luck making some new pieces.

[@tnk1205]

You have such a charming smile! Thank you for sharing :) I love your lessons

[@zidaneliajunco7751]

GENIAL trabajo !!!!! Gracias 👏👏👏

[@richardmccoll9297]

Muchas Gracias!

[@snonoyo5029]

great teacher!

[@knightclan4]

On my list of things to throw this weekend Thanks

[@richardmccoll9297]

Good luck and have fun.

[@laculladellafenice7406]

Thank you from Italy ❤

[@richardmccoll9297]

Thank you from California🙂

[@aidasoto2936]

Muy buena pieza la de presentacion

[@FUNESBE1]

Muchas Gracias! Precioso e interesante!!!!

[@richardmccoll9297]

Muchas Gracias

[@catia1861]

Fantastico, grazie infinite per aver condiviso questa tecnica veramente stupenda

[@richardmccoll9297]

Muchas gracias!

[@telmarodrigues3651]

Amazing...👏👏👏❤️❤️❤️

[@fritula6200]

Brilliant teacher..... l wish you every success ...

[@richardmccoll9297]

Thank you, my success is you watching and learning.

[@victoriafarrell2755]

Thank you!

[@richardmccoll9297]

Thank you for watching and learning.

[@hussaineh89]

I love ur presence, voice and aura

[@richardmccoll9297]

Thank you!

[@bridgethegap6873]

very good & thorough i watched to remind myself how to use the sodium silicate (which i previously did on slabs which we rolled with rolling pins after drying the S.S.... & instead of just a SS lesson, i got a wheel lesson as well...& great tips i truly appreciate! (Like how the sodium silicate can dry on the lid and cut you when you open it, or how you need to wire cut the bottom of the pot even if you’re going to leave it on the bed so that it doesn’t dry and evenly and crack…) thank u 🙏🏼 so much ur a good teacher & a good video maker 🌺🤓

[@richardmccoll9297]

Thank you for your kind comments.

[@richardmccoll9297]

Mind the gap too...

[@loreliemiller628]

Thank you for clear instructions! Can you reuse the clay that has abit of sodium silicate on it that you cut away on the bottom?

[@richardmccoll9297]

Yes you can reuse the clay. A little does not adversely effect the clay, usually it gets wedged into a larger piece. Sodium silicate is normally used in casting clays to reduce the amount of water needed to make slip which reduces the shrinkage and cracking. Some people will use a deflocculated slip for joining clay together like with handles. Good luck.

[@ellenbronkowski5228]

Nice

[@richardmccoll9297]

Thank you.

[@arabianwings8064]

Oh, thank you so much. I purchased one such bowl a long time ago and always wondered how it is made. Do you buy the sodium silicate ready made or do you make it yourself? I really appreciate your clear explanations.

[@richardmccoll9297]

Hi Gabriele, You can purchase sodium silicate at any ceramic supplier. I am in Southern California and both Aardvark Clay and Supplies and Laguna clay both carry it. A little goes a long way so you do not need much and also make sure you clean the threads on the jar and close it tight when you are done.

[@arabianwings8064]

@@richardmccoll9297 Thanks! Cannot wait to try this technique.

[@richardmccoll9297]

@@arabianwings8064 Have fun with it, my students all enjoyed the magic of it all.

[@DunoonVanRijn-dx1hr]

Don't see enough of you

[@janettewilson5368]

Excellent demonstration…thank you for sharing your knowledge…I have a question can you apply slip or underglaze before you add the sodium silicate? 😊

[@richardmccoll9297]

Yes you can and it works great!

[@janettewilson5368]

@@richardmccoll9297 thanks for prompt response…greatly appreciated!!😊

[@juliefrisch1524]

Hi! Thank you for sharing this was so useful. I have made a bowl from a slip with sodium silicate and now i wonder if i should clean it off the bottom like i would with glaze? Like should i avoid sodium silicate on my kiln shelves?:)

[@richardmccoll9297]

Yes. That is a good idea because sodium and silica makes a glaze...

[@clifforddalton3067]

Very nice thank you. SS is so unpredictable isn't it? Always nice though.

[@arabianwings8064]

I have tried this now a few times, and I am getting a bit better. However, most of my cracks are vertical and fairly deep. They look nice enough (for a beginner pot), but I would like to have more of the smaller cracks and also some horizontal ones. I do not know which the variable is that I need to change: wheel speed, amount of sodium silicate, length of drying? Do you have any suggestion?

[@richardmccoll9297]

It is hard to say without helping you in person. My best guess is to make sure the sodium silicate is dry to the touch before stretching. I hope that helps, keep practicing and you will fine tune it to your taste. good luck, Richard

[@nadiaveronicahalboth5480]

👏👏👏👏👏

[@xm3364]

Hi Sir. I finally had a go with sodium silicate brushed on my vase, and the result was absolutely beautiful! I am so keen to do again and think if I apply on functional wares, how do go about glazing it? I have not seen any videos which demonstrate that. What do you think? Thank you!

[@richardmccoll9297]

Hello, I did do a video on how I glaze my stretched pots. You can find it at kzbin.info/www/bejne/jKTbepenpNuBbrs. Enjoy, Richard

[@xm3364]

Hi Sir. I must have missed this piece of your video. That is cleared. I will try your method out when come to glaze. Thank you :-)

[@richardmccoll9297]

You are very welcome. I hope your pieces come out well.@@xm3364

[@amseyvanvolkinburg4318]

Can you use sodium silicate on low fire clay

[@richardmccoll9297]

Yes you can.

[@shanemilehi]

Is the stain on side just a wash wiped back?

[@richardmccoll9297]

You are correct. I glaze inside, top, bottom then wax on to of the glaze. Allow the wax resist to dry then wipe away with a damp sponge the excess glaze to the waxed line. I then brush a watery wash over the texture and finally clean the high areas with a damp sponge. Be sure to keep rinsing the sponge in water as you wipe. I made a video of the process for you : kzbin.info/www/bejne/jKTbepenpNuBbrs Thanks, Richard

[@shanemilehi]

Thank You

[@dianequammen5543]

Can i use darvan instead of sodium silicate?

[@richardmccoll9297]

I have not tried it so my best suggestion is to try it yourself. Let me know how it works for you.

[@satyanjena]

Thanks a lot for such a detailed presentation...I want to venture into CLAY :-) please advise me some good book to start with.. 1: On clay 2: On Glaze chemistry 3 : On firing etc. Or do i need to join any class...plz advise how to start my journey...Regards

[@richardmccoll9297]

Hi Satyan, Thanks for watching! The current general book that I had for my students is by Vince Pitelka, Clay A Studio Handbook The Classic book on clay and glaze chemistry is by Daniel Rhodes who taught at Alfred, Clay and Glazes for the Potter. It is a little dense and good as a reference book although a little outdated with the use of lead in glazes which is frowned on nowadays. For glazes the best books are by John Britt: The Complete Guide to High-Fire Glazes which has been organized in a very clear way with great images (remember pictures are never as good as testing glazes yourself in your kiln). John also has a book on cone 4-7 glazes: The Complete Guide to Mid-Range Glazes, Glazing and Firing at Cones 4-7. A great reference is The Potters Dictionary of Materials and Techniques by Frank and Janet Hamer. I could go on but I think these books will serve you well.

[@satyanjena]

@@richardmccoll9297 heartiest thanks for your valuable time!!! I would definitely buy these books and let you know how i will be going in my journey....i hd been fumbling where to start how to start...Now i am saying myself let's starts from these books first and once i get some basics, i can think ahead....Again thanks a lot for your suggestions.

[@richardmccoll9297]

@@satyanjena Thanks! Good luck on your journey.