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Professional Red Bodies
We offer a specialist range of professional red stoneware and terracotta clays, trusted by artists, hobbyists and studios for their plasticity, warp resistance, and dependable firing performance. Our high-quality red bodies are crafted to meet demanding creative and technical needs and can be used to create large sculptural forms or outdoor pottery. These red clay bodies offer enhanced strength, thermal shock resistance and a wide firing range, ensuring minimal shrinkage and a surface that responds well to both glazes and natural finishes.
Red Clay Bodies Ready for the Kiln
Our professional red clay bodies are designed for serious work, from sculptures to functional pottery. Many of the clays are resistant to warping and cracking, even at high temperatures, with a number of them suitable for raku, oxidation, and reduction firing in kilns.
We offer a selection of specialist clays in our red clay bodies, such as:
Etruscan Red
Etruscan red clay is available in smooth, sanded and medium textures. Well suited for throwing, handbuilding and general purpose work, this clay offers a brick red colour when fired, with a strong visual warmth. The smooth version offers excellent plasticity for fine detailing and modelling, while sanded and medium variations introduce body and texture to the potter.
Grogged Red
Grogged red clay delivers and performs under pressure. Resistant to warping and forgiving in the drying and firing stages, the addition of grog makes it particularly suited to larger handbuilt forms, gardenware, and projects requiring an earthy finish.
Why Red Clay Bodies?
Red clays are rich in iron, firing to deep tones that range from warm terracotta to deeper browns. Ideal for sculptural work, handbuilding, and throwing, depending on whether the clay is grogged. These clays can be fired across a range of temperatures while offering strength and workability.
Each clay has been carefully selected to serve the needs of hobbyists, studios and educators.
Manufacturing Methods of Prepared Clay Bodies
Bodies marked with a 'P' are finished by our Panmilling technique. This production method gives excellent, reliable control of grog and water contents but is inherently more open to occasional larger or extraneous particles arising in the ingredients or during processing. It generally produces better moisture control in grogged bodies.
Bodies marked with an 'S' are Sliphoused bodies. These are prepared in very large batches in slip form which is finely sieved prior to or after grog addition. The purified slip is then pumped into presses for dewatering prior to pugging. Sliphousing gives greater product uniformity and virtually guarantees freedom from contamination, but it is more difficult to control grog contents due to settling from suspension, and moisture content. It is the best technique for smooth-textured bodies.
Bodies marked with a 'PB' are produced by a Plastic Blending process, which yields bodies offering the high purity and cost effectiveness of a sliphoused product together with the ultra-tight control over grog additions offered by the panmilling process.
Why Choose Potclays?
At Potclays, we have over 90 years of experience and expertise and have supplied artists and professionals with high-quality clay, tools and accessories and kilns to support every stage of every project. Our product range is designed to meet the needs of those who need reliability.
Browse our full range of professional red clay today. Need something specific? Get in touch with us today - we're happy to help.
