Bernard Arnest
2005-03-27 23:31:17 UTC
Hi,
If I do a 30" standing figure, intended to be fired at cone 10,
what's the best armature for that? With heads, I know that it's
comparatively straightforward to take out a ball of paper and plastic
around a wire dome. But you can't do that with every small limb
without making a mess of your piece, I'm guessing? Is there an
armature that will hold up and burn out, no removal required?
I'm thinking cylinders of posterboard taped together, possibly with
plastic so that the water in the clay doesn't make the posterboard
collapse, so long as the plastic and tape don't make too many problems,
as unlike paper they'll melt first and create some toxic fumes later...
And the paper might not be stiff enough, anyway.
Or, will wooden dowels pinned together with toothpicks work? My
concern being that the dowels won't burn out as thoroughly as paper
would, being denser, or that the sculpture will crack as the dowels
absorb water and expand, and the clay dries out and shrinks. Hmm, a
good way to simulate wrinkles of aging :-)
And what about a conventional wire armature? Steel wire shouldn't melt
at even cone 10, should it? It'll turn bright yellow or even a
sparking white as the carbon burns out and expand some and become dead
soft, but it shouldn't melt and hurt the kiln. And if there is perhaps
1/16" of paper wrapped around the wire, that will give the cushion
space necessary for the clay not to crack as it shrinks and the
white-hot wire epxands?
These are just what I've come up with by thinking about it, but I've
tried none, and before I devote 40 hrs and ruin the piece and perhaps
even the kiln, I want to know which methods actually work, and
potential risks and drawbacks that I haven't imagined.
thanks for your advice!
-Bernard
If I do a 30" standing figure, intended to be fired at cone 10,
what's the best armature for that? With heads, I know that it's
comparatively straightforward to take out a ball of paper and plastic
around a wire dome. But you can't do that with every small limb
without making a mess of your piece, I'm guessing? Is there an
armature that will hold up and burn out, no removal required?
I'm thinking cylinders of posterboard taped together, possibly with
plastic so that the water in the clay doesn't make the posterboard
collapse, so long as the plastic and tape don't make too many problems,
as unlike paper they'll melt first and create some toxic fumes later...
And the paper might not be stiff enough, anyway.
Or, will wooden dowels pinned together with toothpicks work? My
concern being that the dowels won't burn out as thoroughly as paper
would, being denser, or that the sculpture will crack as the dowels
absorb water and expand, and the clay dries out and shrinks. Hmm, a
good way to simulate wrinkles of aging :-)
And what about a conventional wire armature? Steel wire shouldn't melt
at even cone 10, should it? It'll turn bright yellow or even a
sparking white as the carbon burns out and expand some and become dead
soft, but it shouldn't melt and hurt the kiln. And if there is perhaps
1/16" of paper wrapped around the wire, that will give the cushion
space necessary for the clay not to crack as it shrinks and the
white-hot wire epxands?
These are just what I've come up with by thinking about it, but I've
tried none, and before I devote 40 hrs and ruin the piece and perhaps
even the kiln, I want to know which methods actually work, and
potential risks and drawbacks that I haven't imagined.
thanks for your advice!
-Bernard