Comments on: Cone Six Throwdown: Highwater Clay’s Helios

By: Maureen Esposito

Maureen Esposito — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 22:08:47 +0000

What’s funny about this article is that I agree with just about everything written here, and still love to use Helios. I will say I haven’t had glaze fit issues, but that can be chalked up to the fact that I fire to cone 10.

The thing about lids is absolutely true, and I usually let pieces get 1/2 way to leather hard before removing them from bats.

I dunno, now you’ve listed off all the problems with this clay it’s harder to justify using it. I will say that it is the only bagged porcelain I’ve ever used, and I want to try that Laguna 16.

…I’ve got like 200 lbs of this stuff kicking around though. They had a shortage when I needed clay for my undergrad thesis, so I had to purchase a 500lb batch.

One day I’ll finish it all off…

By: Jeff Campana

Jeff Campana — Thu, 18 Nov 2010 06:07:43 +0000

Michelle,

Laguna 16 (aka wc617) turned out to be a FANTASTIC clay. Translucent, Pure white, super smooth, great fit. I highly recommend it. I have gone through 2500 pounds of it. I have since gone back to mixing as I am now in a studio with a very nice pug mill, but I keep some of the 16 on hand for cups and smaller things. The clay I mix is ultra forgiving but not quite as beautiful. The glaze fit issues with helios are purely due to the fact that it is a Highfire porcelain. Glazes never fit underfired clay.

By: Michelle Hamilton

Michelle Hamilton — Tue, 16 Nov 2010 13:42:13 +0000

Jeff;
Thanks for the post. I’ve been using Helios for 6 months and now that the boxes I have bought are finally gone, I will NEVER use it again. Glaze fit is horrible. I have worked with several of the low-med glazes from MC6G book and most craze immediately if not in a couple of weeks. Shame on me, I have lost many pieces to that blasted late craze. Firing it higher helps the crazing but it warps on thin pieces so badly that forget any lids. Unfortunately our local dealer (who is outstanding by the way) has it listed as cone 4-7. Looking for a cone six body that is still very white, smooth to the hand but behaves itself………..is it a pipe dream! Time will tell

By: Jeff Campana

Jeff Campana — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:34:13 +0000

I have fallen in love with Laguna #16 (Miller 617), so my search has ended. More on that in a couple days, when I get some time to write again.

By: ellen

ellen — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 04:00:21 +0000

have you considered Miller 550? it’s a laguna, cone 10, but likes cone 7 very much!

It does bloat on refiring, though.

I am using all different porcelains from a friend’s discards, but am missing my 550. it’s similar to helios, it’s a grolleg porc. and smooooth

By: Page Pottery

Page Pottery — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 14:19:09 +0000

Oops! 1/2 and 1/2 is half P-10 and half Phoenix.

It becomes vitrified from cone 6-10. Its is nice to be so versatile. I think its even a good Raku Clay Body

Keep up the good work=)

By: Page Pottery

Page Pottery — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 05:17:00 +0000

We use to use Helios and it was great but had some issues. Our Studio mate Kim Dryden uses it and loves it.
We use Highwaters 1/2 and 1/2 (half P5 porcelain & half Phoenix) Its pretty white with out the limitations.

I would use B-mix or Coleman’s if I could afford the shipping. We are cheep too=)

Good Luck we love this series of post!

By: John Bauman

John Bauman — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 18:11:08 +0000

Interesting review.

I have a box of Helios that I’ll be cracking open next week. From your description it sounds like the {cue Wagnerian music} anti-Coleman porcelain where throwing is concerned.

I’ve been able to throw both Coleman and Turner porcelains to the same finished sizes as any plastic stoneware — with this one caveot: On a plaster bat it is really hard to reseat the base if it doesn’t start out close to the middle. And Coleman’s never gets too chalky or fragile either.

But I don’t use porcelain for its whiteness. So, though it seems white to me, you might find it less so.

By: Jeff Campana

Jeff Campana — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:57:32 +0000

I am actually about to order a bag of P-5 from them. I think it is the cone 6-adjusted version of P-10. I really like Highwater so far, even though I haven’t found the right one from them, hoping P-5 is the answer. Whiteness is not my primary concern, but some firing tests I did are telling me my beloved #213 is gonna be too yellow for my bright glazes.

By: keith

keith — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 16:46:56 +0000

Again, an excellent right up! I do not care for the helios, even though form wise it is good for my loosey goosey throwing. It doesn’t handbuild well at all, even pulling handles you have to be careful, pull one at a time, if you let the lugs sit they dry super fast and crack. Not sure if you shock your clay or not, but throwing the whole bag down hard on the floor really loosens this clay up. Although it’s not as pure as the Helios, I prefer their P-10 porcelain. It’s more forgiving, easier to build with and alter but sacrifices the whiteness (very grey in reduction, although still nice white in ox). Also, P-10 is waaaaay cheaper than helios – just sayin… cause I am cheap.