Because there are variables beyond my control (clays, papers, water, mixing errors and etc) always pre test fire what you have before a big project. No guarantee can be offered that 'alternative" commercial paperclays now on the market will meet the all the performance advantages of my high performance trademark P'Clay® brand only available from licensed manufacturers/distributors.
RX: Pulp still not ready:
Don't hurry the pulp breakdown process or skimp on water when recycling your own papers.
Flecks of paper like these above should not be visible in any properly made paperclay. They will burn out to make big holes too.
Have the full information before you start, or risk bad batch. I can't be responsible for what others now teach about paperclay it may not be the complete story.
mixing/recycling paper on your own
Find step by step directions in my article PaperClay a Primer and photos <<<<
and more articles>>>>listed section 19
to see the best mixing tool (for the money) for pulps attachment link to Stanley Tools Mud Mixer 84389- 15310 (for thick Drywall muds). This superior propeller tool is hard to find nowadays. Flimsy liquid mixers will take you hours compared to minutes to breakdown and recycle pulp with this tool.
Notes and Cautions.
Home or Studio Mixed Batches and Chamotte-Grog/Sands: If your home batch is really short and not easy to model with the cause can be due to the clay being too dried out or stiff. AND/OR more often than not, the base clay may have too much grit and grog, chamotte, or sand in it. There is no need for any chamotte/or grog in paperclays for sculpture the way these would be required in traditional sculpture clay.
If your paper clay cracks a lot as it dries- probably you didn't add enough paper. Too much paper? it will will be super "short" to handle, and need to be fired hotter than normal. The result of out of balnce paperclay may even crumble in your hands. Amount of pulp to add will vary depending on the clay and the paper. My books can help you determine what would be best for your specific need. There's too much variation in clays and papers for me to provide you a weight based recipe, thats why I used volume measures during the early years of my teaching.
I cannot be responsible for your errors- impossible for me to know your level of experience, equipment, clay, kilns and so on. Experiment at your own risk.
Mixing Tools to recycle non gloss, non colored, newsprint or shredded paper down to pulps: Try to get or design a tool that has lots of surface area on its propeller style blades compared to a typical paint mixer or glaze mixer. Attach it to a rotary plug-in electric heavy duty drill. Use plenty of water, you can always strain the water out later and the water really speeds you.
Raku Worthy Paperclay: Most all conversion to paper clay can be raku fired even if there is no grit, grog. chamotte or sand in the base clay recipe (as in porcelain, whiteware or some earthenware base clay recipes). Test fire a sample to be sure. Small percentages grog are ok but not required.
Recipes: You have to adjust to your taste. See a PDF of my recipes Rosetta Stone (white earthenware), Porcelain Pearl, Ruff Rock Gruff Rock (porcelain perlite paperclay), all for big scupture.>>>>>>> Once you practice and get the knack of it, you can streamline the entire process. These recipes passed the outdoors (40C below) two Canada winter outdoors test. They are higher pulp than than the stock blends of P'Clay®
University of Delaware super strong and takes freeze outdoors paper clay recipe suggestion. Courtesy Andy Clift (www.udel.edu/~aclift), V. Spinski, and University of Delaware Ceramics, Gault et al.: for a cone 1 fire strong near-white paper clay for large sculptures for outdoors....(all parts proportions by weight except as noted)Try : 2 Bentontite, 10 ball, 9 saggar,3 gold art, 27 fireclay, 35 kyanite (choose either 35mesh for coarse-or 48mesh for medium or 100 mesh for fine texture), 7 felspar, 5 wollastonaite---PLUS one gallon of wet pulp (by volme). Thank you Andy who likes the (35 mesh kyanite in it) for sharing this. If the above was for my personal work large scale sculpture I would try this recipe but I would double or even triple the pulp or and I would use the 100 mesh Kyanite because I don't like too much texture and I really prefer lighter weight- Rosette
More Recipes in the back of my books. Once you get started, you will be able to judge how to adjust slightly for different purposes.
