Selling clay samples?

Hello,

As a throwing newbie I’m interested in trying new clays with different grog contents without committing to a 25 lb bag. Are folks willing to part with a few lbs of their clays, I’ll reimburse for cost + a little extra.

Thank you,
Michael

So I’ve found people are very generous here with things like this. I would highly recommend making a trip to Trinity and getting some clay between now and Feb. 5th while their sale is on. It’s the best time to buy clay because it’s so cheap. These sales happen twice a year. https://trinityceramic.com/product-category/moist-clays/

Like how much would you be willing to pay someone for a few pounds? During the sale it’s only $9-12 for a 25lb bag of clay. If you were going to pay someone $5 for 5lbs, you might as well buy a full bag. Just make sure to buy a Cone 6 clay. If you don’t like the clay you bought, you can always try and trade a chunk with someone to try something new.

Here’s from the Trinity Facebook page…

Trinity Clays $9/bag
Trinity Tmix $10.25/bag
Armadillo Clays $10.75/bag
Laguna Clays $11.75/bag

*Due to Covid we are extending the Clay Sale pricing to online curbside and shipping orders too!!

3 Likes

Great idea! thanks so much for the suggestion

1 Like

Please review the ceramics wiki for more info on clay bodies. :slight_smile:

You couldn’t give the poor guy a link? :roll_eyes: Are you talking about this section? :thinking:

  • What kind of clay should I buy? Mid-fire clay-Stoneware is a great beginner clay. For throwing, the grog helps the clay hold more water and resist collapsing. Great for hand building. Stoneware fires great at cone 6. There are a variety of colors: white, reds, browns, and speckled. T-Mix: T-Mix has no grog and fires white. It looks great for both thrown and delicate hand built pieces. Glazes beautifully.

  • Porcelain: Frost, cone 6 porcelain, is tricky to dry, throws well, but is prone cracks. You have to dry it very, very slowly.*

2 Likes

I have various clay bodies that I’d be willing to help you out with bit of each. Send me a PM with what your looking for specifically and we can work something out.

The wiki for the Ceramics group is a great place to learn ALL of the ins and outs for our area. You should also look for a Ceramics 100 and any of the 101 series to get you started.

2 Likes

Thanks so much, really appreciate the helpful info! I’ve been using a high grog clay and ordered two to try which contain less grog.

2 Likes

No, it’s your job to provide links to those who need it. :upside_down_face::upside_down_face::upside_down_face:
Plus it’s all over our signage in the space and he was in one of my previous classes so i had full confidence he could retrieve it if and when needed. :smirk: but thanks for chiming in.

1 Like

Technically speaking, we’re usually buying Cone 5 clays at Trinity. High-fire clay tends to come in Cone 5 and Cone 10. Clay is pretty resilient. Cone 5 is the lowest temperature at which it vitrifies, but it’ll fire hotter without any bad changes. I believe that the Cone 10 clay would not have vitrified sufficiently by Cone 6.

At least – I buy Laguna B-mix, which comes in Cone 5 and Cone 10 versions. If you’re talking to Conor, he knows our shop and will get you the right stuff. I became aware of what I’m buying during a sale when another employee helped me out.

There are nuances, apparently. There’s one professional potter on the Facebook Amaco page who has Very Strong Opinions about the complete vitrification of specific clay bodies.

1 Like

Definitely talk to Trinity/Conor on the clays recommended, we have been firing to cone 6 for the past couple of years based on committee decision.

1 Like