Hmmm....verrrry interesting idea!  I like....I'd imagine it would work, but you're right..you'd need to find a way to contain the clay because the edges would crumble and break off.  Until then, I'll keep thwacking :)

 Just an FYI....I am so proud of myself that I knew immediately what your name (dressage) meant..lol!  My son's fiance (she just proposed to him and he accepted :) has been riding since she was tiny.  We go to her 'shows' and watch her ride...she's taught me what dressage is.  It was her influence on our very non-horse family that caused us to give our son a horse for his college graduation.  It's a whole new (expensive) world...lol...

best, j

 

Hey Linelle...

I really think it doesn't matter which method you use (thwacking or pressing)...the result would probably be the same.  Let's throw this experiment out there and see who bites!!  You've got the vise; I'd say, go for it :)

And, yes, it is the 'shock waves' that soften the clay using *my* method (I say *my* because I've since become aware that others were smacking their hard FIMO Classic back in the day)....

Folks have tried just about every method, including running over it with a car!!!

Take care,

j 

 

janalouise:

Folks have tried just about every method, including running over it with a car!!!

 

"Does this work?", she asked excitedly.  Bet you could do the BIG blocks this way, lots of 'em!  Wonder what my neighbors would think if I laid out a little obstacle course in front of the house...

No, seriously. This is a good idea, esp. if you've got little blocks or sliced up 1-pounders. Since I park my car in my studio, it's an obvious tool for this. I think a little something over the top of the clay would be helpful, so's you don't get dirt and rubber in the mix. 

Jana, Hi! I may have been the person you were referring to as "running over with a car" conditioning. At that point, I was conditioning the old Fimo Classic. The car flattened it, but didn't really make the clay "sweetly reasonable" in condition. I think that was because the rubber of the tires was not really a shock. What did work was the "whacking" you describe. I would take the flat side of an old heavy meat tenderizing hammer and whack all six sides of a package with the clay inside. Yes, the package did split open while doing that, no harm, and the result was a clay that agreed to do what I wanted it to do after some easy runs through the pasta machine. Use it all the time when I work with Kato. I whack on the kitchen counter for a hard surface. Since the handle of my meat tenderizing hammer was relatively thin, I built the handle up with electrical tape for a more ergonomic feel and to reduce the shock of the hammer blow going into my aging hand, elbow and shoulder. Edie

If you do go for the obstacle course, I want pictures!!!  Guess if anyone knew for obstacle courses, it would be you!!

Well, Linelle, let us know how it goes!

Is this *my* Edie (lol) in Houston???  Hey there!

It could be that you'd told me about running over your clay...the other person I'd heard about was doing it decades ago with their very hard FIMO Classic.

I'm sure the kitchen counter and your meat tenderizer work wonders!  Everyone needs to decide what works best for them.  For me, and since I'm always working with the large (12.5 oz) blocks, a hard mallot on concrete floor is most efficient (as with reducing a cane, I advise doing it on a solid surface such as a concrete floor...this because if it's on a table or counter top, the energy waves go through the table/counter top and down the legs instead of directly into the clay/cane..it's just far more efficient and quick  when on a solid surface that forces all of the energy to go into the clay.  And, well, to be honest, into your hands :)  Best to wear gloves to avoid some of the shock).

Take care,

j

 

 

 

 I conditioned 5 blocks of Kato (2oz size) yesterday, and I tried out the "Jana whack" method.  It definitely speeds the process up.  I hammered the blocks almost as thin as the wide setting on the pasta machine, drizzled on a little liquid medium, folded and ran through the machine.  Much faster than my "let the crumbs fall where they may" method, although some of the blocks still needed some of that even after being pounded to death.  Some were definitely more amenable than others. 

 One thing that surprised the heck out of me, however, is that I got out some light colored scrap clay to run through the machine to pick up dark bits, and that puppy was still conditioned!  I last used it, oh, several months ago.  A LONG time ago.  And it was still conditioned enough to run through the machine without cracking or crumbling. Is this normal?

Makes me wonder if Van Aken could save us all a lot of grief by packaging it in a conditioned state.

 I asked them if they could sell it PRE-whacked.

They were amused.

Maybe we sould all stsrt requesting it!!!!

I would start if I were you!

Thing is, it IS conditioned when it's made...it stiffens up after it's packaged.  Now, if you can get it _straight_ from the factory, your wish would come true :)

As I just mentioned in my other post, it _is_ conditioned when it's packaged.   I'm wondering if  that lighter 'scrap' clay that still seemed conditioned when you ran it through the machine had had liquid clay added to it...?  If so, that would be the reason it still seemed conditioned.  Clay that I've added liquid clay to stays very soft for a long, long time. The other thing I was wondering is how long it had been sitting before you ran it through the machine..?; this probably isn't the reason it was still conditioned as Kato stiffens up pretty quickly, so may be moot...

Glad to know that the 'jana whack' method worked for you! 

Good luck in your claying endeavors..

jana

It hadn't had liquid added to it, this was the first time I did that. It hadn't been blended with other brands.  It had been sitting about 6 months! 

 Would love to get a package straight from the factory to see how much difference there is!  I do have a very unscientific impression that the lighter colored Kato clays are more tractible than the darker ones on average, this was almost all white/translucent.  

Hi Dressage...well, that's just plain weird (lol)!  I don't have any clue how that happened if you didn't add liquid clay.  The stuff right from the factory is SUPER soft, but it stiffens up fairly quickly after it's sat on a shelf for a while. 

I used to thiink that the white was softer than the other colors, but found that that wasn't true (translucent, yes...since it has no pigment added); I've run across plenty of extremely hard white and very soft black :)

Tony (Van Aken's chemist) has explained to me just how difficult it is to get consistency in consistency (lol)....there are just so many variables, many of which are out of Van Aken's control (climate, humidity, etc).  Seems we're the ones who have to adapt to the clay as opposed to it adapting to us...darnit!

take care, jana

OK, I won't expect the rest of my sidelined clay to behave that well! 

So how's the horse adventure?  My guy is now semi-retired <pout>.

 I want to kiss each and every one of you.  I just ordered Kato clay for the first time.  I'd read so many things about its quality is terms of color and non-bleeding when making canes.  I had no idea what I was getting myself into.  I made a huge investment (of money I don't really have) to start making jewelry as a little side business.  I wanted to(and actually may have) cry when I opened my first block, and it shattered into a zillion tiny pieces.  I wrote the company that I ordered it from (WholeLottaWhimsy) in a panic to figure out what was wrong with my clay.  The woman was so nice and helpful.  She contacted Van Aken and sent me literature from the company.  I tried to use the Kato method of slicing and it was just frustrating me more.  Then I found this forum.  I took a huge breath, and tried the whacking method and it works so much better.  If I hadn't found this forum, I may have just thrown out the clay and given up.  You guys are life savers!!!