Recent content by ImaginaryTango

I could be losing track of the factors, but with that in consideration, I get that the gradient is greater in D than B, but what about D compared to C? And why? I'm beginning to think a critical part of this process is making sure there is some air in the bag and, possibly, even making sure the...

Yes, and thank you for verifying that. While I haven't done it in decades, at one time I had scuba experience. But when you think of 33' as 1ATM, it's easy to think of 1' as not a big deal, so until someone pointed out it's small, I don't think I thought of that as an issue. It's fascinating to...

That works with my earlier comment that people keep talking about small pressure differences and some things have been ruled out because of that. But I think a small difference may be just enough.The pressure gradient would not be huge, but it could still be just enough.So what you're saying...

Yes, D. The problem isn't what to do or how to do it. This is what works and what potters do. So refreshing the clay has been solved. The question is WHY does it work? We have talked about that, but I thought the "more pressure" was dismissed. If it's still considered an answer, my question...

I am betting that whatever the reason, that the "very little difference" point is going to be part of it. Maybe just a slight increase in pressure, or or just a slight difference in gases or particles in the water due to the plastic acting like a permeable membrane. I would think it's a small...

Yes, and I will be testing it. However, due to my clay stock just about running out so I'll be getting more fresh clay, it'll be awhile before I can test it. I'm sure the thread will have petered out by then, but I'll come back and report what I find. I've been thinking about that. I took scuba...

I'm really glad you posted this and shared the quote from @jbriggs444. I did read his post, but maybe, since I was reading a lot of posts, I missed some details and that may be the answer (or the best one we can get without a lot of experiments). I think, when you put the original material in...

Okay - just trying to straighten it out in my brain.

I see there are also chemistry forums here. Is there a way to cross post or maybe I should copy this post and put it in the chem sections? Or tag some people there and ask them to look here? I don't know how much of a crossover there is between sections.

There is some. Like I said, I have no drawing skills, so I used an easy paint program. Generally I (and I hear other potters) will try to squeeze or burb the air out. But most of the time you're working with a cube or partial cube of clay - or lumps of it, and you're not going to get all the air...

Putting this together with the next paragraph, then it seems to me that B should work if there is some air left in the bag so the top of the clay is in that air pocket. Is that right? So D would depend on the bag not being filled completely and having air in there?

Wow! Thank you for all the replies. I'm still going through them. I have done some quick scanning. I don't have much in terms of equipment and I'm surprised this wasn't just something with a simple answer! I'm not complaining - I just was sure there would be some simple explanation about...

I think you're thinking along the same lines as @256bits with that - what makes the water different chemically. Playing the devil's advocate here, but I can think of 2 points that might indicate that the used water is an issue is that I would think that leaving the clay in for 48 hours or so...

Small point - what I'm doing is basically what a lot of the local potters do, so you could say I'm following "tradition" or "local lore." I haven't, but I know others who have. I also have not tried different amounts of water in the bag, since others have said, "This works," and I tried it and...

Good thought, but the water is from the same source. I know when I do this, I fill the bag, tie it off, then fill the bucket. And since it sits for about 48 hours, in my studio, it's at room temperature. ------ Added: ----- I wrote a long edit to this reply that got deleted - which may be just...