[Clayart] Rough bisque

[vpitelka at dtccom.net]

Some people have mentioned sanding at the bone-dry stage or bisque-fired stage, and that's not necessarily relevant to the need for sanding the bottoms after a glaze firing.  With many claybodies and firing protocols, sanding at the bone-dry stage or at the bisque-fired stage does not eliminate the roughness that appears after glaze firing.  It often has to do with components and particle size-distribution in the claybody.  A claybody containing grog or sand, even very fine, and then fired to maturity is likely going to need to have the bottom sanded.  The Starworks claybodies I use have very fine kyanite grog, and I have to sand all the bottoms after the glaze firing.  

Each to his/her own regarding sanding surfaces at the bone-dry or bisque-fired stage.  Personally, I like most of the marks left by the fingers, hand, and tools and don't like to see them eradicated, but smoothness and finish are a personal choice and I know that some people need to do more sanding to get the finish they want.   
- Vince

Vince Pitelka
Potter, Writer, Teacher
Chapel Hill, NC
vpitelka at dtccom.net
www.vincepitelka.com 
https://chathamartistsguild.org/