What do you polish clay with?

Question

What kind of material can you polush it with so that it'll look nice and shiny? :)

Answer 1

you can burnish clay before you fire it which leaves a nice satin shine. if you want to make it really shiny you have to glaze it. Glazing is a process that melts glass over the surface of the clay piece. It is fired in a kiln and the resulting finish is durable, water proof and, has a high luster.
if you dont have a kiln to use, then any kind of polyurethane can be used. you can get polyurethane in any hardware store or home center. It works well. It will seal the surface and you can build up a high shine on the surface.

Answer 2

Burnishing clay by rubbing it with a metal spoon is a traditional way to get a smooth, almost shiny surface on clay.

I know an artist who is using diamond buffing pads on a spinning tool - like a larger dremmel. That works well. If your piece is not too large, you may be able to find a diamond buffer for a dremmel.

If it is just a shine you want - you can always use clear glaze or wax.

Answer 3

African pots tend to be burnished. I have tried this and it gives good results. Burnish with the back of a spoon. However, do not high fire, only deal with earthenware temperatures (Max 1100 C, or aim for about 998). This will give a good, shiny surface. Oxides might also be used to colour, although you might have better result using coloured slips, which you then burnish. African burnished pottery can be fired using saw dust (Dig a pit and place pottery in with saw dust (Fill pit). Light sawdust so that it smoulders, rather than burns and cover with earth. Return in a couple of days.

Another alternative to using traditional glaze would be salt firing. This is where salt is thrown into the kiln at critical temp. The salt vapourises and sticks to pot. Once a kiln has been used for this, it can not be used for anything else. Also, it gives off poisonous gas (Big chimney needed on kiln).

Hope this helps.

Luck

Answer 4

What type of clay? If you mean polymer, just use a low grit sandpaper and polishing cloth. Personally I'm too lazy and use a high gloss glaze from the craft store. If you mean something like terracotta, I'm not sure how you would do it unless you use a sealer. Some clays like that are too porous.

Answer 5

I dont think you're supposed to polish clay.

You could put some kind of laquer on it, but usually if you want a clay piece to be shiny, you glaze it before you fire it.

Answer 6

I have used standard Johnson's paste wax on pit-fired pieces with some success. Apply with a rag, wait a few minutes and buff with a shoe brush. I wouldn't use this on pieces that are going to contain food, however. Glazes would be best for that application.

Answer 7

do you mean the glaze? just a cloth.