I have seen lots of ways to remove excess slip when doing Mishima slip inlay or other slip inlay techniques, from scraping it off with a metal rib to wiping with a damp sponge. But I must say Julia Galloway’s method made me gasp! Julia simply runs her pots under water and wipes away the slip. I figured running a leather hard pot under water would result in weakening or cracks, but as Julia explains, if the pot is hard leather hard, it can take it. Using Julia’s mishima slip inlay method has the potential to save lots of time in the wiping off process. It is also just super satisfying to watch!
Have a look at this demo of the process, excerpted from her video Elevating the Handmade and see if it makes you gasp! – Jennifer Poellot Harnetty, editor.
Remove Slip Quickly and Easily with Julia Galloway’s Technique
This clip was excerpted from Elevating the Handmade: Creating Pottery with Personal Meaning, which is available in the Ceramic Arts Network Shop!
Save your pipes and protect the environment! Be aware that Julia plugs up her sink so as not to let the slip go down the drain. Then she lets the water evaporate some, and scoops out the goopy slip and reuses it.
Mishima Definition: East Asian method of creating an inlaid effect by applying contrasting slip into a design incised in leather-hard clay. When the slip stiffens, the excess is scraped off (unless, of course, you try Julia’s method!). Source: Clay: A Studio Handbook
See this post for another great way to simplify the clean up process with mishima slip inlay using wax resist. Chandra DeBuse swears by this method to give her great results, and simplify her process.
Do you have a different way of removing excess slip in the inlay process? Share it in the comments below!
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Depends on the mixture of the underglaze. If powdery and just mixed with water you are likely to lose it. If the underglaze has a sicative or gum then you are likely to succeed.
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Uses way too much water, terrible waste.
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I’m not a fan of washing heavy metals down the sink and into the environment.
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Hi Sam, we aren’t either! We recommend only doing this if you have a sink trap. Here’s a link to a quick and easy way to make one if you don’t already have a sink trap: https://ceramicartsnetwork.org/daily/clay-tools/making-clay-tools/how-to-easy-to-make-triple-stage-clay-trap/ -CAN Staff
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I do have a trap. I wish this point was emphasized, or even mentioned in the clip.
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Hi Sam, we did include a note below the video about saving your sink: “Save your pipes! Be aware that Julia plugs up her sink so as not to let the slip go down the drain. Then she lets the water evaporate some, and scoops out the goopy slip and reuses it.” I believe Julia discusses this at length in the full feature video, which is available on CLAYflicks and in the CAN Shop. -CAN Staff
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Scary technique but great effect
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Would this work as well with an underglaze in lieu of the blue slip?
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Hi Melissa, yes, it would! -CAN Staff
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will definitely try this as I usually scrape off a crucial bit of my design with a rib.