Paula Traut

Summer 2009
Batch Records for Clay Body Tests

Goal Use: 1-1 ½” thick tiles, flat on back, relief on face

Goal Characteristics: lightweight, warp-resistant

Batch Notes
Ingredient Volume Weight
Dry Clay Mix*** 1 scoop 1.26 lbs (573 g)
Sawdust 1 scoop 0.275 lbs (125 g)
Grog (20 m.) 1 scoop 2.48 lbs (1,127 g)
Sand 1 scoop 2.94 lbs (1,337 g)

***Dry Clay Mix Ingredients Weight

Yellow Banks 401 50 lbs
Hawthorne (Fire Clay) 40 lbs
OM4 (Ball Clay) 20 lbs
Flint (Silica for Clay Body) 2 lbs
Custer Feldspar 5 lbs
Red Iron Oxide 1 lb
Silica Sand 5 lbs
Total 123 lbs

Batch # 1 April 2009

Ingredient Volume Weight % by Vol. % by Wt.
Dry clay mix 4 scoops 5.04 lbs 66.7 90.16
Sawdust 2 scoops 0.55 lbs 33.3 9.84
Total 6 scoops 5.59 lbs 100 100
Notes: Nice to work with; fires lighter in weight than original studio body.
No noticeable signs of sawdust in surface texture of finished piece.

Batch # 2 April 2009

Ingredient Volume Weight % by Vol. % by Wt.
Dry clay mix 5 scoops 6.31 lbs 62.5 88.37
Sawdust 3 scoops 0.83 lbs 37.5 11.63
Total 8 scoops 7.14 lbs 100 100
Notes: Still good to work with, but edges were prone to cracking in wet
state. Fires lighter than Batch #1, but is more difficult to work with.

Batch # 3 May 22, 2009

Ingredient Volume Weight % by Vol. % by Wt.
Dry clay mix 5.33 scoops 7.79 lbs 50.76 77.9
Sawdust 5 scoops 1.71 lbs 47.62 17.1
 Paula Traut
Summer 2009
Grog 0.2 scoops 0.5 lbs 1.9 5
Total 10.5 scoops 10 lbs
Notes: I added too much water initially. Dried in plaster bats. Extremely
lightweight even in wet stage. Crumbly and difficult to work with. Fired to
cone 8, final weight is comparable to soft brick.

Batch # 4 May 22, 2009

Ingredient Volume Weight % by Vol. % by Wt.
Dry clay mix 5 scoops 6.3 lbs 58.8 75.3
Sawdust 3 scoops 0.825 lbs 35.3 9.9
Grog 0.5 scoops 1.24 lbs 5.9 14.8
Total 8.5 scoops 8.37 100 100
Notes: More plastic than Batch #3, however still difficult to work with.
Cannot stretch-throw into slabs; it tears apart. Not well bound together.
Can be smoothed in wet stage, but only on surface. Seams between globs
of clay are likely to exist in center, regardless.

Batch # 5 May 26, 2009

Ingredient Volume Weight % by Vol. % by Wt.
Dry clay mix 3 scoops 3.78 lbs 60 49.5
Sawdust 0.5 scoops 0.13 lbs 10 1.7
Grog 1.5 scoops 3.72 lbs 30 48.8
Total 5 scoops 7.63 lbs 100 100
Notes: There’s a lot of grog in this body. Very gritty texture when wet. More
plastic, however, than previous tests containing more sawdust. Acts like a
wad clay.

Batch # 6 May 26, 2009

Ingredient Volume Weight % by Vol. % by Wt.
Dry clay mix 3.5 scoops 4.41 lbs 70 54.2
Sawdust X X X X
Grog 1.5 scoops 3.72 lbs 30 45.8
Total 5 scoops 8.13 lbs 100 100
Notes: Basically, this is wad clay. It’s got a great texture though. It was not
as crumbly after fired to cone 8 as I predicted. No warping issues.

Batch # 7 May 26, 2009

Ingredient Volume Weight % by Vol. % by Wt.
Dry clay mix 3 scoops 3.78 lbs 81.7 70
Sawdust X X X X
Grog 0.67 scoops 1.62 lbs 18.3 30
Total 3.67 scoops 5.4 lbs 100 100
 Paula Traut
Summer 2009
Notes: Somewhere in between wad clay and a coarse sculpture body. The
inclusion of sawdust in this body would help reduce the weight of finished
pieces.

Batch # 8 May 29, 2009

Ingredient Volume Weight % by Vol. % by Wt.
Dry Clay 3 scoops 3.78 lbs 47.4 67.9
Sawdust 3 scoops 0.81 lbs 47.4 14.5
Sand 1/3 scoops 0.98 lbs 5.2 17.6
Total 6 1/3 scoops 5.57 lbs 100 100
Notes: No plasticity. Dreadful to work with.

Batch # 9 Mixed up June 1, 2009

Ingredient Volume Weight % by Vol. % by Wt.
Dry Clay 86 scoops 108.6 lbs 61.4 72.4
Sawdust 44 scoops 12 lbs 31.4 8.0
Sand 10 scoops 29.4 lbs 7.2 19.6
Total 140 scoops 150 lbs 100 100
Notes: Lightweight, largely warp-resistant body. Sawdust produces mold
(presumed harmless) in clay after sitting for two days in wet state. Can sit
covered with newspaper for about 24 hours before onset of noticeable
shrinkage. Relatively strong in green state;not prone to chipping, cracking,
or breaking.