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wuvie

Pottery or Clay for the garden...?

WUVIE
19 years ago

Hello,

I'm not certain where to post this, as I tried

the Home Site only to find they required a paid

membership to post.

If someone could direct me to the right place I

would be very thankful.

What I am searching for (and having little luck)

is information on a type of pottery or clay I can

bake right here in the oven at home to use in

potted plants and in the garden.

Examples would be the little critters

that hang from pot edges, little mushrooms with loose

caps that tinkle in the wind, etc. I am not looking

for polymer clay, though, as it does not produce the

tinkling sound I am searching for.

It could be that such a clay does not exist, but I've

been searching the internet and don't know where to

begin. Perhaps I will need to research getting a kiln

to fire a certain type of clay, I'm not sure.

My apologies for such a long post, I'm pretty much

at the starting line here and unsure which direction

to head.

Appreciation for any replies.

:-)

Comments (9)

  • gin_gin
    19 years ago

    I have no experience with this type of clay, but with a quick google search I easily found a couple of websites. I do not think it would be as durable as kiln fired pottery. It may not last forever, but I think its worth a shot for what you're trying to do.

    Here is a link that might be useful: oven fire clay

  • WUVIE
    Original Author
    19 years ago

    Hello Gin,

    Thank you for your response. Yes, I've Googled until I was blue in the face prior to posting on the GW. It seems that what I am after does not exist. I will simply have to
    kiln fire clay to get the results I am after.

    *Sigh* Here I go trying to save up for another hobby item I don't need. LOL.

    :-)

  • gin_gin
    19 years ago

    Did you check the link I posted? I thought that is what you were after.

  • WUVIE
    Original Author
    19 years ago

    Hello Gin,

    Yes, I've previously visited that very site while
    searching, but based on what I've researched so far,
    it appears there is no such clay that will have the
    same appearance, texture and sound as a fired clay would have.

    Many thanks for helping me.

    :-)

  • gin_gin
    19 years ago

    Ok, I would suggest checking to see if your local community school has pottery classes. That would probably be the cheapest way to get access to a kiln. I took a couple of pottery classes in college (both hand building & throwing on the wheel) and boy was it a lot of fun. I really want to get back into it, miss getting my hands into clay.

  • trish8789
    18 years ago

    Hi, Say, I must have been cleaning out my craft room just this morning just for you! I came across two boxes of Ovencraft II - Oven Baked Clay made by the Laguna Company. Their website is http://lagunaclay.com. I haven't used the 2lb. boxes yet but the label says it bakes "rock hard" in your kitchen oven and is Non-toxic, -staining, and deaired (?). This particular clay apparently comes in white, buff,terra cotta and brown. I found it at a craft store, on sale. (Rather spendy at 8.99/2lbs, but I got it for $4.00/2lbs.)
    I was trying to find if it's paintable but it didn't say anything about that but I would experiment myself with different paints. Also, it didn't say anything about the use of the finished design outside.
    So, I hope this helps you.
    Have fun, Trish8789

  • zenpotter
    18 years ago

    As a clay artist and teacher, I have never found an oven baked clay that is of any use. I tried several on my own and would not teach with them because they are so dissapointing. The polymer clay is the only oven bake I would use.
    You might want to check around to see if someone would fire your work in a kiln for you. I live in Minneapolis and know of two clay supply stores that will fire your work for a fee. You might even find a ceramic store that would so it.

    Pauline

  • butterbeanbaby
    18 years ago

    From what I understand, many of the "paint your own" pottery places will fire your work for a fee. I would definitely call one and find out, as kiln fired clay doesn't seem to have a peer.

    Holly

  • Ina Plassa_travis
    18 years ago

    I have to back Zen up here-

    oven-baked clay is for kids, modelers, and dollmakers. it's not for serving ware...and it's certainly not useful for the garden.

    if you really want to build things for your garden- check out the hypertufa forum, where there are links and links and links to methods and madness for making architectural garden elements.

    the paint your own pottery places are nice for light-duty stuff, but the slip-cast pieces tend to be thin-walled, ok for a small herb pot, not much good for larger things.

    your local community college is a GREAT resource- for a few hundred dollars, you get what, 10 weeks of classes in one of those crafts that's an expensive pain to get started in on your own (the first time a kiln element burns out on you the week rent's due, you WILL cry)

    a local craft's guild, or a private potter's studio might be able to give you studio time- but their kilns will be limited in size- and remember that anything you make green will be 28% smaller when it's done firing.

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