Become a Creator today!Start creating today - Share your story with the world!
Start for free
00:00:00
00:00:01
#308 Should You Make The Switch To Porcelain?
49 Plays2 years ago
In the podcast episode "Porcelain Unveiled: A Potter's Journey into the World of Fine Clay," host Nic Torres shares his experiences transitioning from using recycled clay and stoneware to working with porcelain. He discusses the material's smoothness, how it has impacted his pottery wheel throwing and sculpting, and the surprisingly small cost difference between stoneware and porcelain. Torres expresses his appreciation for porcelain's qualities and suggests he might not return to using stoneware. He also offers listeners 53 themes to help them find their own unique style in pottery to prevent burnout and maintain creativity. Get your 53 themes by clicking this link shapingyourpottery.com/53themes
Recommended
Transcript
Introduction to 'Shaping Your Pottery'
00:00:00
Speaker
think. I love working with porcelain. If you love pottery and want to take your skills to the next level, you're in the right place. Find your own pottery style right here on Shaping Your Pottery with Nick Torres. Let's get started.
Journey with Different Clays
00:00:16
Speaker
What is that cheap nation? It's Nick Torres here. And with the dog bounty, it's my mission to have parts like yourself. So if you're already me twice, then you've got juice pockets to give you tips. I have learned a lot on the lip.
00:00:26
Speaker
But recently, I bought a fabric clay. The first fabric clay I bought in about three years. The longest time I was using recycled clay because I wasn't getting my pottery fired and wouldn't have a way to get fired.
00:00:44
Speaker
But for the longest time, I wasn't getting my party cards. Okay. Use your side, play, play, play. But then once I got my fluttery, started getting my fluttery right here, you know, I started running out of claims. That wasn't, I built up the skills and I have to not miss a whole lot.
00:01:00
Speaker
was my wheel thrown with my sculpture. So I built up that skill set up. I'm not missing as much as I wasn't getting.
Adventures with Porcelain
00:01:06
Speaker
So now I needed some new clay and after interviewing a lot of people that have thrown with porcelain, I kind of want to try it myself.
00:01:17
Speaker
I thought it was something that I could try and I just kind of experiment with because that's really my whole thing is that I'm going to try some P4E. I'm going to try and do it. I'm going to try and experiment with it and see I like it. I don't like it that I'm going to let it go away. And when I started doing this and I made the switch, when I made the switch to porcelain, I noticed that I really liked it.
00:01:45
Speaker
I liked it a lot. I don't know if it's because I haven't thrown with like new like virgin clay in over three years and I was just using crappy recycled clay for the longest time but I really like porcelain so far. So here are my thoughts on porcelain after throwing it a few times and even sculpting with it a little bit.
00:02:08
Speaker
So my first thought is I love how smooth it is. Like when I felt it in my hands, I immediately noticed how smooth it was. And I love that. I absolutely love how smooth it is. It makes everything just feel that much nicer. Like when I am throwing on the wheel,
00:02:28
Speaker
You know, it gets it gets hard or it gets leather hard. You don't get those bumps like you do in stoneware. And I really like that because it makes trimming a little bit easier and it makes every I just love how smooth it is just feels so good in your hands. And I love that. The second thing I noticed is that so far.
00:02:48
Speaker
It hasn't been too bad for sculpting for sculpting out things. And that is something that I am actually really excited about because I've always heard that porcelain isn't good for sculpting. And I can see kind of why. But so far, I really like it for sculpting. So smooth and everything just kind of flows together really nicely.
Challenges and Decisions with Porcelain
00:03:08
Speaker
And then my third initial thought is that so every time I've interviewed somebody that has really made with porcelain, they always say it can be a beast to handle, right? It can be a beast to handle the throw in the wheel. And I can see where they're definitely coming from a little bit.
00:03:26
Speaker
But so far I haven't really had that problem. I don't know if it's because I've been working with crappy clay for the last three years and like finally getting some good fresh clay that made it a little bit easier for me. But right now I'm not at that stage where I could see where it's been. It could be a little bit of a beast to handle. I can see where it can be though because one little wrong step and the whole top rim can get off. So you do have to be a little bit careful with that.
00:03:52
Speaker
Those are my initial thoughts so far on porcelain. And will I go back to stoneware? Probably not. I don't think I will go back to stoneware, mainly because the price difference, at least from what I remember, what it was like back when I was buying clay three years ago. The stoneware clay that I was buying three years ago is about twenty five, twenty seven dollars. And the porcelain that I that I bought, it's called Nara, cone five, cone six.
00:04:20
Speaker
That is only $3 more, $5 more, only $30.26. So that's one of the biggest reasons why I'm going to continue using porcelain clays because it's not the same. The price difference isn't that bad compared to what I had heard. So that's why I'm going to keep using porcelain. But I also love how it just feels in your hand. And I love the way it makes the pots feel.
Community Engagement and Suggestions
00:04:45
Speaker
Let me know if you use porcelain stoneware or even erstinware and I would love to hear your thoughts. I hope you guys enjoyed this episode and I'll see you guys in the next one.
00:04:55
Speaker
Thanks for listening to this episode of Shaping Your Pottery. If you are struggling with finding your own theme for your pottery so that, you know, you are known for something, I put together 53 themes that you can use and you can take. All you have to do is go to shapingyourpottery.com or slash 53 themes. That's five, three themes to get these 53 themes.
00:05:21
Speaker
It's really important for you to find a theme for your pottery so that you're not going to get burnt out. You can have multiple styles with your pottery and you can be known for something. So again, go to shapingyourpottery.com forward slash 53 themes. That's five, three themes to get these 53 themes. Thanks guys. I'll see you guys next time.