cLaY!!!

Jeremaiah 18:6

..." Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand..."

Last Deepavali, which was 27 October 2008, I went to a clay shop with my church's sunday school. It was a small shop with 3 storeys located at Cheras if I've not mistaken. There, we learnt the process of moulding hehehe... The teacher also taught us what the clay in modern days are made of. Last time, they really went to dig for their own clay. But now, thanks to the modern technologies, they have clay powder where they just have to add some chemicals in the powders to make them more suitable for moulding.

After we finished our creation, it is time to burn it in a huge oven with a very very very extremely high temperature. We have to burn it 2 times. The first time, we have to burn our clay for 6 hours at 800 degree celcius. The second time is for 10 hours and at 1200 degree celcius. Imagine the heat!


After we burn it, we have to apply glaze on it to make it more beautiful and shiny. As we ought to know, clay is made from sand, SiO2 with a boiling point of +- 600 degree celcius, so, we need a catalyst to lower the boiling point and there are a few catalysts that can be used. If we add calcium carbonate, the colour will change to white colour, if it is ferum dioxide then the clay colour is blue, if we add copper, the colour will be red or green.

After the teacher's further explaination, only I knew that there are 2 types of oven to burn the clay and the colour of the clay will be different too. The first type is charcoal oven, and the clay colour is red. While the second type is the electric oven and i will produce green clay. Why is it loke this? Hehehehe, let Shan Mei The Great tell you hahahaha...It is because when we use charcoal oven, smoke is present, and when the clay, CuO react with smoke,CO and crbon dioxide, CO2, the products are carbon dioxide and copper(I)oxide, Cu2O which is red in colour. On the other hand, smoke is absent in the electric oven and therefore the product is copper (III)oxide, Cu2O3 ( copper (III) is green in colour ). Hence, our product wil be green in colour! Amazing isn't it? Didn't aspect to learn Chemistry there hehehe...

After all the theories, finally, it was time for some practial! The teacher taught us how to roll, mould and create our own product. Actually, I wanted to make a vase, but suddenly the teacher came and modified my clay and it looked like a tiara. But I don't need a tiara, so I modified it again. Finally, it became a stationary container hehehehe...While Ivy and I were busying with our own clay, we heard the children said something about grave. They said Ying Sing did a graveyard. The shape really looked like the typical chinese feng shui graveyard style LOL. We all boom her teruk-teruk that she was doing a model for her own grave hahahaha...

BEFORE

DURING

a tiara?

AFTER

Ivy and her product

Ying Sing's grave akakakaka

Mine!

Sunday School's students

Sunday School's teachers