gr8 sushi dish

slats · Post by **slats** » Thu Oct 30, 2003 1:07 am

I found a very interesting sushi plate.....ceramic or porclein and glazed. Could I use this as is to slump into? or does it HAVE to be bisque?

Cynthia · Post by **Cynthia** » Thu Oct 30, 2003 1:18 am

I think you want to blast off the glaze, then you can use it to bend on.

The other alternative is to use it as a form to make a new mold from. Throw out a slab of clay, then press it onto the sushi dish so it conforms to the shape (separate with newspaper). Let it get leather hard and then pull it away. Pierce it in several places for good measure, let it get bone dry then fire to bisque. In my experience, this works pretty well with pieces as shallow as a sushi tray and this way you don't have to ruin a perfectly good tray.

Rebecca M. · Post by **Rebecca M.** » Thu Oct 30, 2003 9:10 am

I'm a bit confused about 'firing to bisque'. I had a package of clay in my hands last night, but it said to fire to cone 5 or 6. That's about 2100-2200 degrees according to my chart. Isn't that well over the recommended high temps for a glass kiln? I was thinking of firing it to around 1500 so it would be well over slump temps. Would that do the deed?
Please 'splain this to me.

Tom White · Post by **Tom White** » Thu Oct 30, 2003 9:31 am

Becka, the package could have said fire to cone 5 or 6 or else it could have said fire to cone 05 (zero five) or 06 (zero six) depending on the type of clay. Cone 5 to 6 is for stoneware or porcelain clay. Cone 05 to 06 is for earthenware (hobby ceramics) clay. Either way those temps are beyond most glass kilns. I have fired cone 05 earthenware items to 1500-1600 F for use as slumping molds with good results. I have not tried this with cone 5 clay items. The resulting bisque is somewhat softer than if it had been fired to cone 07, the reccomended firing for earthenware clay to be used as slumping molds. The lower firing produces a less vitreous bisque which seems to handle the rapid temperature changes used in glass fusing better than if the clay had been fired to its maturity cone.

Best wishes,
Tom in Texas

Rebecca M. · Post by **Rebecca M.** » Thu Oct 30, 2003 11:16 am

Thanks Tom. It was cone 5 or 6 that I picked up. I think it was an Amoco product. Good thing I put it back. I've yet to find a ceramic store around here that's still in business. At the craft store I did get some paperclay that I've heard of here, and will give that a go today.