Making your own casting slip can save money and be more environmentally friendly.
CO2 is saved from transporting powdered ingredients rather than the water present in ready-made casting slips. In addition, Potters can control exactly what ingredients they are using, sourcing ones mined in areas of high regulation.
Making casting slip is also really fun, especially when you see the magic of how a deflocculant works to make the clay runny!
You can find an eco-conscious casting slip recipe in the book: Eco-Friendly Pottery
I learned to make my own casting slip from books, YouTube videos and a lot of trial and error! In this episode, I tell you about the 13 top tips I've learned over this time:
*Wear an FFP3 Facemask when working with powders
*Use a plastic gardening scoop to measure out powders
*Keep powders in a metal bin with a lid, on a wheeled platform for manoeuvrability
*Use rainwater
*Use paper in slip to add strength to your work
*Use a recipe with ball clay to add strength to your work
*Weigh out the deflocculant onto the paper you’re adding to your slip (no washing up spoons!)
*Use a hand stick blender to blend the water, paper and deflocculant first, before adding to the dry ingredients
*Make up small amounts of slip each time (5ltrs) to minimise the risk of over-deflocculation
*Use a paddle mixer to mix slip
*Use a silicone spatula
*Always sieve slip before use (even if washing the sieve afterwards is annoying!)
*To make the slip more runny, try adding water first, before adding any more deflocculant!
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*New book: Eco-conscious Pottery Colour is available on the Oxford Clay website here.
*A paper copy of Eco-conscious Pottery Colour is available from Amazon here.
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Resources for Potters:
Oxford Clay website resources for Potters
Pottery eBooks
Download the Free How to Make a Pottery Glaze Workbook (suitable for beginners):
Download the Free How to programme an Electric Kiln for bisque and stoneware glaze firings (includes full kiln firing schedule)
Pottery Paperback Books available from Amazon
Video mini-courses for Potters
Oxford Clay blog
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Get your pottery question answered on the podcast!
Submit your pottery question to the Oxford Clay podcast by emailing your question to: info@oxfordclay.co.uk with the subject line ‘Podcast Question’.
