The Bottom Line
Pros
- Absolutely wonderful to throw and will also work with hand building techniques.
- Shrinkage is low for a porcelain clay body.
- Mid-range maturity range saves energy and money.
Cons
- You may become addicted to this clay body.
- May be hard to find at local pottery suppliers (but then ask them to carry it).
Description
- Mid-range porcelain clay body firing to maturity at cone 4 - 7. (Best at cone 6.) Energy Saver!
- Fires to a lovely, just slightly warm white in oxidation. Excellent for bright glaze, stain, and underglaze colors.
- Packaged in 30 pound "sausages." A smaller sample package is also available.
- Superb workability. Not stiff, sticky, or sloppy (which many porcelain clay bodies are).
Guide Review - The Coup Mid-Range Porcelain Clay
Like its "big brother" Porcelain for the People, The Coup is made by the folk at Matt and Dave's Clays LLC: Matt Katz, Dave Finkelnburg, and Bill Carty. These fellows are ceramic engineers (who love pottery and clay art). In their own words, "Utilizing ceramic engineering we can create bodies that are more rugged, yet responsive to the maker."
The Coup is a lovely creamy white clay body with amazing elasticity for a porcelain. It fires to a bright white, perfect for enhancing underglaze, stain, and glaze color and intensity.
The firing range is another plus. Because of the engineering behind it, this clay body is actually mature over a goodly range: Orton cone 4 to 7, with it being at its best at cone 6.
I also love that they offer sample packs of a couple of pounds. This allows you the chance to work with the clay a bit and decide for yourself if it is the one for you.