Uploaded December 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
It's been a while since I've delved back into clay testing and so this week, in the quiet week before Christmas, I made these simple black stoneware clay tests using a new body that was sent to me by Valentine Clays. It's called 'Schwarz', very imaginative, and by all accounts I was inundated with people suggesting this body when I previously shared my trials in the search for a black clay.
It contains 25% grog yet feels incredibly smooth, this is due to the tiny particle size, (0.02 mm). This makes it lovely to throw and trim and it should remain quite strong and resistant to warping yet the only issue is the low firing temperature maximum temperature , 1240ºC, so I'll be mixing it down with some higher firing bodies and running some experiments in order to see both how the black colour persists and if the pots keep their shapes when fired to 1290ºC.
Thanks so much for watching!
Here's the body: valentineclays.co.uk/products/schwarz
(I can't promise it'll throw/trim/fire that well given the early stage of these tests, so purchase and experiment at your own risk).
📚 • You'll find many more guides on how to centre and pull up the walls of clay here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2WJhtTF0eGhQwf8g2LHcom_KrvJpH_JT
📖 • ORDER MY BOOK: geni.us/bymyhands
📢 • Find out much more about my work here: https://linktr.ee/floriangadsby
⏱ • Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
1:02 - The new clay in question
3:12 - Throwing three bowl from 100%, 66% & 50% black stoneware
6:54 - Trimming the three bowls
16:31 - clean up
*I throw using both a Rohde HMT 500 & 600 potter's wheel and fire using Rohde kilns too, the electric is a TE-200 and the gas kiln is a KG-340.
____
Instagram – instagram.com/floriangadsby
TikTok – tiktok.com/@floriangadsby
Website – floriangadsby.com
It's been a while since I've delved back into clay testing and so this week, in the quiet week before Christmas, I made these simple black stoneware clay tests using a new body that was sent to me by Valentine Clays. It's called 'Schwarz', very imaginative, and by all accounts I was inundated with people suggesting this body when I previously shared my trials in the search for a black clay.
It contains 25% grog yet feels incredibly smooth, this is due to the tiny particle size, (0.02 mm). This makes it lovely to throw and trim and it should remain quite strong and resistant to warping yet the only issue is the low firing temperature maximum temperature , 1240ºC, so I'll be mixing it down with some higher firing bodies and running some experiments in order to see both how the black colour persists and if the pots keep their shapes when fired to 1290ºC.
Thanks so much for watching!
Here's the body: valentineclays.co.uk/products/schwarz
(I can't promise it'll throw/trim/fire that well given the early stage of these tests, so purchase and experiment at your own risk).
📚 • You'll find many more guides on how to centre and pull up the walls of clay here: youtube.com/playlist?list=PL2WJhtTF0eGhQwf8g2LHcom_KrvJpH_JT
📖 • ORDER MY BOOK: geni.us/bymyhands
📢 • Find out much more about my work here: https://linktr.ee/floriangadsby
⏱ • Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
1:02 - The new clay in question
3:12 - Throwing three bowl from 100%, 66% & 50% black stoneware
6:54 - Trimming the three bowls
16:31 - clean up
*I throw using both a Rohde HMT 500 & 600 potter's wheel and fire using Rohde kilns too, the electric is a TE-200 and the gas kiln is a KG-340.
____
Instagram – instagram.com/floriangadsby
TikTok – tiktok.com/@floriangadsby
Website – floriangadsby.com
