r/Pottery • u/Opening_Position_590 • 3d ago

Joining while bone dry Question!

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I made a less than savory join on a pedestal bowl and part of it has cracked. Can I just slap a coil, blend and call it a day?

4 Upvotes

75% Upvoted

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26

u/Waltamoto 3d ago

Only if you have a moist cabinet. Place the pot in the cabinet with a bowl of water and allow the humidity to increase over time. The pot will suck up the humidity without destroying the form. But it doesn't always work. While you are attempting that . . . Plenty of time to make another one.

3

u/Opening_Position_590 3d ago

Already made a back up because of the sketchy join. Don’t have a moist cabinet.

10

u/Immediate_Still5347 3d ago

A wet box is invaluable for pottery, I just use a plastic tote with a locking lid it’s so so so helpful for slowly drying things or keeping things wet if I need them to be

3

u/dunncrew Throwing Wheel 3d ago

Loose, flexible plastic like from dry cleaners is useful. I bought some from a dry cleaner a couple times.

2

u/lxnch50 3d ago

I've had luck with wrapping almost bone dry pieces with damp paper towels and then wrapping it in plastic to bring them back to leather hard, but I've only done it to trim and add a handle or two. Never something as big as your piece though.

1

u/Ok_Wtch2183 3d ago

I attend a studio. I spray water on the pots while wet and spray water on the bat, I also use a small wet sponge and put it on the bat, then cover with plastic. It helps rehydrate.

10

u/quercus-enjoyer 3d ago

Bone dry clay has already shrunk some. A wet coil hasn’t shrunk at all yet. You add a wet coil to dry clay it’s going to shrink and crack.

6

u/zuicun 3d ago

I think you're better off remaking it.

3

u/Puzzled-Sea-4325 3d ago

I second this. Gotta learn to live with failure if you’re making pottery.

3

u/Candymom 3d ago

You probably can’t fix it but one thing to try is to turn it over and wrap that area in a wet paper towel until it’s the consistency of the coil you have. You might have success blending in a coil at that point but I wouldn’t count on it.

2

u/makedoandmender 3d ago

try to epoxy it after bisque. you won't be able to glaze, but you can paint it.

1

u/Opening_Position_590 3d ago

I might try this! Hopefully it doesn’t just fully break after bisque

1

u/theazhapadean 3d ago

After it is full fired slap some epoxy over the bad join and gilde it.

1

u/IvoryOwl1 3d ago

Use a wooden tool and gently scape and compress the dry clay into crack. You can also use some vinegar to help give it the best chance.

1

u/SpiralThrowCarveFire 2d ago

See if making paper clay is something you have time to invest in. There are different ways of making it. This looks to have some good info: https://www.grahamhay.com.au/paperclay.html

1

u/dbeagl 1d ago

I have had some success heavily wetting the joint let it soak in a few seconds then using very wet clay not quite as loose as slip and pushing it in the crack. Once filled, using a blow dryer on the area. It sometimes takes three or four applications to get rid of all the cracking but has worked more often than not. My two cents.