A Guide To Our Clays
With so many different clay bodies currently on the market, whether you are a beginner or professional Potter choosing the right clay can be a difficult decision. We have put together a helpful guide so you can pick the right clay for your project.
What are the criteria of choosing a clay body?
1. Firing range of your kiln
The firing range of your kiln should be the first consideration for any potter, as this will determine which type of clays you will be able to use. If your kiln is only capable of reaching lower temperatures you should stick with earthernware clay, where as higher temperature kilns can accommodate porcelains and stonewares.
2. Colour
From terracottas to porcelains and now black clays there is even more choice for the studio potter, so this is a matter of personal preference. The colour of the clay will also affect the final colour of any glaze or decoration you use over the top.
3. Texture
The feel and look of the ceramic piece you are creating is affected by the amount of grog within the clay body. No grog will result in a smooth polished finish, a fine grogg will give some strength and stability, or by increasing the grogg size and percentage within the clay you will be able to achieve a coarser finish and high strength aswell as increading the warp resistance of the clay. Consider a grogged clay if you are building a larger piece.
Quantity discount breaks for most clays at:
2 bags (25kg) / 4 bags (50kg) / 8 bags (100kg)
We sell all our clays in 1kg sample packs, the perfect size to experiment with or to try something new.
White Eartheware Clays Guide
Terracotta E'ware & S' ware Clay Guide
Buff Earthenware Clay Guide
Buff Stoneware Clay Guide
White Stoneware Clay Guide
Black E'ware & S'Ware Clay Guide
Raku Clay Guide
Porcelain Clay Guide
Paper Clay Guide
Coloured Eartheware Clay Guide
Bath Potter Recommended Clays
Here are a few of our staffs favourites
'Porcelain Clay'
Firing Range: 1220°C-1240°C This very smooth porcelain was developed for both modelling and throwing. Due to its high plasticity this body is not suitable for casting and is only available in pugged form. Fires white and translucent. A note from the manufacturer, 'following re-evaluation of our porcelain clays using the recently acquired temperature gradient kiln, we have...
'Throwing Clay'
Firing Range: 1120°C-1280°C An excellent general purpose modelling clay, which contains Shropshire & South Staffordshire Fire Clays with a fine graded dust free grogg. Suitable for throwing and hand modelling. For more information on this clay, please follow this link: Technical Data Texture: 5 Fired Colour: Buff Grey % Total Shrinkage at 1100°C: N/A %...
'Speckled Clay'
Firing Range: 1200°C-1270°C Popular for its distinctive rustic, flecked character. Good handling for throwing. Shelves need to be well coated with refractory wash to prevent sticking during firing. There may be some variation in fleck size and/or density from batch to batch due to the nature of the material. For more information on this clay, please follow this link: Technical...
'Terracotta'
Firing Range: 1080°C - 1180°C An extremely popular general purpose clay based on a blend of Etruria Marls. Good for throwing, modelling and casting. For more information on this clay, please follow this link: Technical Data Texture: 5 Fired Colour: Light-Dark Red % Total Shrinkage at 1100°C: 12.30 % Total Shrinkage at 1200°C: N/A
'Children's Modelling Clay'
Firing Range: 1000°c to 1280°c 1188 Potclays' CREATIVE CLAY red Creative clay is an air-drying clay developed using the highest quality materials available Essentially a standard potters modelling clay with an addition of nylon fibres to provide exceptional bonded strength when dry and unfired. These nylon reinforcing fibres are an excellent bonding agent which reduces brittleness and...
'Sculpture Clay'
Firing Range: 1120°C-1280°C ES40 Handbuilding White has an appearance and firing range similar to ES5 Earthstone Original White. The addition of coarse molochite makes ES40 Earthstone Handbuilding an incredibly strong clay. It is heavily enough grogged to make the most extreme sculptural forms and is highly resistant to warping and cracking. ES40 is an ideal clay body for making...
'In Your Garden Clay'
Firing Range: 1170°C-1300°C A variation of our Craft Crank recipe, specially formulated for larger sculptural work. Contains slightly more coarse grog grades than Original Craft Crank and has a more open texture. For more information on this clay, please follow this link: Technical Data Texture: 8 Fired Colour: Brown Buff % Total Shrinkage at 1100°C: 9 %...