Self-Absorbed | How to find your clay body's absorption | Ceramic Materials Workshop

We're diving deep into the world of clay absorption—a crucial metric that every ceramicist should understand.

Ever wondered what those absorption numbers on your clay bags really mean? Whether you're a seasoned potter or just starting out, knowing how to interpret these numbers can make a huge difference in your work.

Watch as Rose guides you through the entire process, from preparing your clay samples to calculating the absorption rate. You'll learn how to ensure that your clay is properly vitrified, making it durable, non-absorbent, and ready for functional use.

Ceramic Materials ​Workshop is a place online to understand and explore how and why our Clay and Glazes work (and don’t work). Our materials speak for us in the home and gallery. It benefits us to learn about how to speak through our materials. Mastering the skills of clay and glaze performance helps every ceramicist, become their best self in the studio.

If you'd like to read our blog article on how we make our plaster slabs for clay body testing, you can find it here: https://ceramicmaterialsworkshop.com/...

You can also find the results of our Commercial Clay Body Profiling project on our Community Resources page.
https://ceramicmaterialsworkshop.com/...

Make sure to check out all of our Course, Workshops and Community Resources on our website at https://ceramicmaterialsworkshop.com

Here's the link to our Patreon if you'd like to support our research
  / ceramicmaterialsworkshop  

Thanks for joining us in the workshop—let's make ceramics better, together!

TIMESTAMPS:
00:00:00 - Welcome to the workshop
00:00:11 - Absorption numbers and their importance
00:00:23 - What absorption values indicate
00:01:09 - Clay body quality and common metrics
00:01:34 - Absorption value and its relation to vitrification
00:01:44 - Vitrification and its significance
00:02:14 - Importance of zero absorption
00:03:22 - ASTM standards
00:04:58 - Absorption testing process
00:05:03 - Materials needed
00:05:36 - Step 1: Sampling the clay
00:05:51 - Step 2: Firing the clay sample
00:06:04 - Step 3: Weighing dry sample
00:06:15 - Step 4: Boiling sample
00:06:37 - Step 5: Cooling sample
00:06:55 - Step 6: Wiping and weighing sample
00:08:06 - How to calculate