Is There a Better Way To Wet Process Clay?
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- Опубликовано: 4 сен 2024
- Last month I made a video about wet processing clay where I expressed my frustration with the length and difficulty of that process for preparing clay. Many people wrote in the comments of that video suggesting improvements and refinements to the way I wet process clay. This video is a follow up to that one, testing some new methods of wet processing clay.
Here is my first video about wet processing clay - • How To Wet Process Wil...
Tony Soares wet processing clay - • Making Clay
How I usually process clay, the dry method - • Harvesting & Processin...
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Thanks for watching. If you are interested in learning more about finding and processing wild clay check out my wild clay playlist here - ruclips.net/p/PLxjk09ZJzrluiv0yq8njHgtBvICnv_oSR
Incase the comment with a link was removed, the better way to knead clay is with your feet. Video name; How a Master Potter Makes Giant Kimchi Pots Using the Traditional Method - Handmade
That looks like the EASIEST and possibly the best way to incorporate the temper to the mixture for wet processed clay. Glad I saw it!😄
I have a couple of observations:
Wet processing vs. dry processing is dependent on the quality of your source material. If you have a real good dry source, dry processing is just fine. Wet processing is typically used to turn less than ideal sources into usable material. If you don't need to wet process, don't. It's certainly more labor and time intensive so only use it when you have to.
The tub is a fine idea, but a key mistake I saw here was leaving it in direct sunlight. Most people will cover it with a sheet of plywood or an actual old bed sheet. Then leave it for a day or two or three. It's not *that* picky of a process. Even if it dry's out a little and cracks, you're going to knead the crap out of it anyway which will homogenize and rehydrate the mixture.
When you were straining the material, you didn't need to stop and clean out the strainers. You keep pouring until the liquid can no longer drain. There was no reason to stop and clean the screen every few drops. The excess material will just increase the fineness of the filtration until it clogs, which you can then smack with your hand over the dirt before continuing. I think you made a mountain out of a mole hill on this part :P
Love the long shallow tote idea! I use a clean plastic tarp with a simple square of 8’ long 2x4s underneath the edges to keep the liquid from running off. A 10’x10’ tarp allows the liquid clay to be very shallow, increasing the surface area and therefore accelerating the evaporation process. It also makes removing the clay much easier than scraping it out of a tote.
Great tip, thanks for sharing.
I thought the tote was pretty awesome as well. 😊🌎✨
Be careful about leaving plastic bins in the sun. If the plastic is not UV resistant, the bins will degrade and become so brittle they'll break when you go to move them-in less than a year. (Georgia, USA summer sun experience.)
Oh I know that drill. Here is Tucson the UV index is much higher than in Georgia, plastic has a lifespan outdoors of about 3 days around here.
@@AncientPottery spray it with outdoor plastic furniture spray paint, it’s UV resistant. Should buy you a few hours out here in the Zone.
Before comparing wet vs dry processing it probably would be best to describe one's goals and what efficient means to you. Are you looking to get workable clay as quickly as possible or does it not matter how long overall it takes but you want minimal involvement and work on your part.
Generally for me I am not too concerned with how long it takes so once the clay has been "dissolved" and strained I will let the slurry settle in the bucket for a week or maybe even a whole month during which time I completely ignore it. Then I pour off the clear water, scoop the clay out onto a flat surface and wait for it to dry out with an occasional moment or two for mixing and testing for dryness. If the clay is approaching a workable state but I have other things on my agenda I will loosely cover it with plastic to slow the drying or even put it in a bucket with a lid on to preserve its state for later finishing. I find this method pretty efficient in terms of my involvement and physical labor but the elapsed time from start to finish can be significant.
I have tried using plaster to dry clay and it does work fairly quickly but what nobody mentions is that it then takes a long time for the plaster to dry out before you can use it again, so in the long run I don't find it that useful.
The dictionary tells me that efficient means "achieving maximum productivity with minimum wasted effort or expense", that is exactly what I am after. Thanks for the tips.
To get a better idea with the temper, weigh the raw clay before you wet it. That will give you an indication of the weight of temper required. Then make some allowance for loss, and you have the amount of temper to add to the wet bucket of clay before you start drying it.
For drying, perhaps make up a pair of four x foot square boxes from a 8x4 sheet of cheap half inch plywood. Make edges from 2x2 lumber well screwed to the ply. That will give you 32 square feed of drying surface and a layer about 1/4" thick for 5 gallons of slurry. To get the clay out just lift the tray onto a side and bang the back with a spade. Repeatedly.
Keep up the good work!
Thanks for these tips.
A few thoughts based on my own (admittedly limited) experience:
- I'm in the UK. So pretty much any clay I find will be wet already! I'll have a drying step regardless of method.
- some clays settle much faster than others. Some of the stuff I've dug from my garden largely settles over a few hours.
- in cold or wet weather (remember, in the UK ;) ) rather than dry outside I'll keep it indoors and pour off the water "produced" over a few days then leave a week to dry, or just use a cloth
Thanks Sam, good info for those in a cool damp climate where there are different considerations than here in Arizona.
Thanks for the info! I'm in northern Sweden and have alot of clay near by. There is no way I can "dry it in the sun in a hot summer day". That's once every two years... 😉
Heh came here to say the same thing. The only dry clay I ever see comes out of an oven. But yeah youd need to find a way to calibrate the grog measurements if adding it in wet and you want to avoid working it in later. If you measure the mass loss a few times between pouring off the water and the final working condition and you find thats a pretty stable ratio, it should be easy to do the math; but I dont know if thats actually the case. I suppose the most set-and-forget method would be to wet process, leave it to dry completely, then grind and add grog. In any case I dont have access to any clay thats sufficiently pure without wet processing; unless I buy it in the store.
Hey Andy! Not sure if its been mentioned in other comments (probably) but I wanted to suggest a better system for a liquid clay drying trough. If you build a 2x4 frame about the same size as that plastic tote with hardware cloth/metal mesh on the bottom side you can line it with a sheet and pour your clay in. If its elevated a bit like up on some bricks, you can get air flow underneath. This system not only evaporates water from the top but also wicks moisture from the bottom. Clay will dry faster and more evenly! Then once its set up you can just pull it out with the sheet, very little cleanup! Hope thats useful. Really appreciate you and all your generosity!
You line it with a sheet of what?
@@somethingstupid699like a bedsheet. It helps even out the drying process.
Plaster does work well. Make a form - mix plaster per directions and pour. tap out bubbles. I have used this method for years and it works great for reclaiming clay. We got away from the clay mixer and would just soak clay in a bin and then plop onto the plaster forms. dry overnight, come back and wedge. Let clay sit for two weeks and it was great! I did this at a community college ceramic class for years.
Thanks for your videos, I have learned a lot! I do have a couple tips for wet processing.
Once it gets to a slush you can pull off an amount of say 200 g, dry it on parchment paper in the oven, and then weigh it again. This will tell you the moisture content. then you can weigh all of the slush, subtract the moisture content number to get the dry clay amount. That'll improve the accuracy of your 20% temper if you added before the clay is dry.
What I've done since I'm in no hurry is simply let the clay completely dry out then put it in a bag and smack it with a mallet until I get a pretty fine powder. I do run it through a screen periodically throughout the process to separate the fine powder from the big chunks and then go back to smashing with the mallet. I am by no means an expert and I haven't done this enough to know how it compares to other methods.
I'm totally pleased to see more of your experiments with wet processing clay. This is much close to my multi-strainer method.
Thanks.
Thank you for all the work, time, and energy that you put into making these videos. It is greatly appreciated. I am new to pottery and I am learning much from your channel. Keep up the great work!
Great, I am glad to help.
Me too! I just processed my first batch and it was half sand. I live in NC where the soil is very sandy. I’ll keep trying! Thanks for all your videos.
I live in Iowa and just started refining my own clay from the dirt I dig myself. I have been wet-processing with different sized screens. What I have found is that I can separate several grades of sand, which then can be used for other projects. The finest sand I use as my clay temper. It is a long process but I find it very therapeutic and gratifying. Still have much to learn!
Hello brother Andy. I found your channel while searching for better ways to wet process clay, I am now a subscriber. I am in four corners in SW Colorado. The clay I have access to here is a wonderful ancient marine deposit, it has just the right amount of shale sands in it to not need added temper, it fires a nice peachy pink. My biggest problem is removing organic matter, to do this I wet to a thick milk and pour through a fine screen and then let it sit and pour off the remaining floaters. To dry it I use a drywall knife and spread it as thin as possible in a plastic kiddy pool from the dollar store. It takes about 3 - 5 days to dry out in the sun. I dry it completely to hard flakes, break it up with a hammer and store it dry in 5 gallon buckets. Then just use like normal dry clay. I now run mine through a corn grinder ;) thanks for that tip! I don't have a good camera but I can try to make a video. I guess the biggest difference is that your looking for a final useable product at the end of the process, I am just removing organics and storing dry clay for later. I also only do about 5 gallons at a time, so I am not in a hurry. Love your channel, keep it up.
There is a lot of great clay in that area. You should attend the SW Kiln Conference Sept. 24 - 26 in Blanding UT. www.swkiln.com/
@@AncientPottery That is really cool, thanks for sending the link. Blanding is not far from my house. I have only started trying my hand at pottery since finding your channel. I originally got into processing the clay for building bread ovens and various "cob" type stoves. I am very interested in cooking with wood. Naturally I think I was hooked by your video on cooking in that boot shaped pot. Perhaps a video on uses of various types of earth ware would be interesting? Anyway, thanks for your response, perhaps we will see you in Blanding
I am seriously looking forward to the third video on wet processing clay. There's just something deeply satisfying about seeing water and clay mix.
What? I’m not making another.
@@AncientPottery It's very entertaining though!
@@jimlahey5354 😄
Andy, not only are your videos chock-full of helpful information, but they’re a pleasure to watch. You’ve got such a great attitude. Thank you for these
Glad you enjoy them.
i did the exact same thing as you did here, but i left it outside in the sun at 32c for a week before it was dry enough to bring in and bag up. then the temper, as you say is hard to add into it. so for me the grinder is best.
but!
i had a problem with temper, so i had to wet process some clay to see how much temper came out of the raw material. turned out that the raw material had almost enough temper naturally, when i added the 20%more it wasn't good. so basically i do a small batch of wet process to give me an idea how much temper is in the natural clay.
the grinder is the way to go once i know how much temper to add.
great video
thanks
tom
Great tip. Of course the climate makes a huge difference, here in Tucson in the summer it is super hot and dry.
as far as the plaster things goes, use #1 pottery plaster, it will set with fewer (or no) pin holes. I would mix up a couple of gallons and pour it into that long plastic container a few inches deep (between 2 1/2 and 4 inches) and tap it a bunch to get as much of the air out as you can, then let it cure for a couple of weeks. I wouldn't bother unmolding it from the bin, leaving it in the bin will make it less likely to brake. I would mount it on legs (or put it on a table) under some kind of cover to keep the rain off (in a shed, or an overhang, or heck just make sure to cover it with the lid when it isn't in use). The plaster will wick moisture away from the clay pretty quickly, or if you flood it it can keep a piece workable in a bin for days. Here have a few videos about making plaster bats. These are mostly about reclaiming clay rather then harvesting wild clay, but I think the processes are probably similar enough to work.
ruclips.net/video/4mTI91Xebm8/видео.html
ruclips.net/video/ZciM2V6dudQ/видео.html
If you do have to dry clay on your work bench (or I bet it would even work in the bin if you made sure to drape it over the edges) again get a canvas cloth (like a small drop cloth, or a hemmed canvas square) and put the clay on top of that to wick the moisture out from both sides of the clay. Once the clay is dry enough to be handleable it will peel away from the canvas.
Thanks, great info. Someone else suggested that #1 pottery plaster, too, I had never heard of it before so I am going to check that out.
Andy, This was a trip down memory lane for me. The first time my grandmother got me involved in wet processing clay was 76 years ago. You were much cleaner than we were, and our clay wasn't contaminated with organic matter.
Using plaster blocks in the plastic evaporation pan you used in this video should absorb more water per pound of plaster than a plaster tub. Much more of the surface of a plaster block can contact the mud to absorb moisture than the fraction of a plaster tub's surface that is in contact with the mud. Evaporating water from mud will go faster the thinner the mud is spread, the less the pan holding the mud interferes with the airflow, and the faster the wind blows across the mud/clay. Spreading the mud on a heavy plastic sheet or cloth tarp an inch or less thick should dry mud in a few hours in the Phoenix summer. Experimenting with adding salt, borax, calcium carbonate, etc., to clay held in suspension in distilled water, you should be able to find the point where the finer clay particles fall out.
Thanks
It's hard to admire you without envy! Great vid!
Thanks
You could lay a piece of fabric in the bottom of the shallow tub to help wick moisture out. And then I’d just leave it for as long as it takes in the shade and not worry about it. I’d probably have tubs in different stages of drying so I didn’t have to wait for one batch specifically. You could build a shelf to stack them so they still get airflow :) love your videos!
You can add a cap full of lemon juice to plaster of Paris to extend the open time. You can use wet clay to make a mold by putting a rectangular piece into the clear bin you have. That will be the inner part of the plaster vessel. I used this method to make molds for slip casting. I used plaster of Paris instead of drywall compound to restore the inside of my farmhouse, I love that stuff.
Great tip!
@@AncientPottery Glad I could help. Your videos are incredibly well made.
I went with the wet process because I live in the Pacific Northwest and it's already wet. ha ha And even when this material came out of the ground (about 9 or 10 feet down) in late summer, it was damp, so made sense to start here. The material does have some rocks and silt in it, too, so that was another reason I felt using gravity to separate it out, made sense. With that said, I am still waiting for mine to firm up more and become less sticky, even after adding sand. We'll see. ha ha By the way, I used a 5X tshirt with the neck and sleeves tied off, filled it with the still pretty wet clay (still wet enough to pour in there) and then hung it from a tree in the woods for a couple days. Then when the rains came I hung it inside the hut I built over the hole I got the clay from (the hut is COB) thinking the humidity in there would let it dry more evenly. After several days in there it did firm up more, but was still pretty wet. I will try some other ideas next time. Honestly, just making the clay is fun for me. Once I have useable material we shall see if using the clay to make something is equally satisfying. :D
Sounds like you are making progress with using your local clay, that's great. Next comes the fun of making things out of it. Thanks for watching.
Enjoyed watching you struggle with wet processing. The clay I use pretty much requires wet processing. For measuring out the clay I wait till it is workable then separate it out into 1lb balls then I know I have a consistent amount of clay. I don't add temper, but might I suggest pressing the clay into some container to know how much you have? Then you can better gauge how much temper is needed.
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I want to thank you for that wet process video ✌🏼 I made an awesome fire place and sitting area- all natural, all free and best of all it will go back to the earth just like us.
Mixing it was my favorite part 🤭
That is awesome! Glad it was helpful.
You are an honest and awesome man Andy. You did really great with this one. ✌️ Thanks so much for making videos! 😊🌎✨
Thanks
Ha I did the wet method and went away from my house for 2 weeks with the clay in a pillow case. When I came back It was rock solid. So I had to grind it up which took up so much time. I'm gonna try the dry method next.
Yes, that will happen, it requires lots of babysitting.
Hi Andy. I'm in the UK so our clay starts out wet. To get the temper ratio I'm taking a 100 gm wet sample of the processed batch, quickly drying it and weighing the result to know the dry content. I'm then adding temper by weight accordingly to try to get some consistency. So say 100 gm wet might be 64 gm dry, so I would add 160 gm temper per wet kilo to achieve 20% by dry content weight. A quick crush of the sample to measure the volume would allow the same by volume. Thanks for your videos.
I use those plastic baskets with a curtain folded in half in it. Works really well.
It gets all the water out in about 2 days and you don't have to watch over it much.
Nice, thanks for the tip.
Super cool video. Love those slow mo shots.
Thanks, glad you liked it!
It seems to me a combo of the two methods would be best. Wet processing, in my opinion, produces purer clay without most of the possible contaminants, organic and inorganic. But once it has completely dried it can be ground and made into a dry powder. Then it has all the benefits of dry processing, including adding the correct amount of temper and easier storage.
Chinese Noodle Man. 40 years ago I ate noodles in a small hole-in-the-wall shop in Malang, Indonesia. I loved the noodle soup and took interest that the guy appreciated. Now kneading fresh noodle dough has similar difficulties to kneading clay. He had invented a dough smasher. A sturdy table, a U bolt in the middle on the edge, a metal tube about 2 inches diameter and 3' to 4' long with a hook on the end. The noodle man would lift up the handle in the air and insert the lowered hook into the U-bolt. Putting the dough in the middle of the table, he would then put his weight on the tube bringing it down and smashing the dough over and over knead rolling the dough at the same time..
The Key was Leverage did most of the work. Great noodles.= great clay if used the same.
"Mercy sakes alive!" Haha i love this wholesome goodness. :) Quickly becoming my all things clay channel.
I was really depressed today, but not im going to go dig in my local area and make my own clay to create with! thanks dude!
I did about 200lb of raw wet clay at once. I strained mine 2 or 3 times through a paint strainer, levigated, strained, levigated and then just let it sit in a tub for a couple days until it was a thick slip. That took about a week. Then I pillowcased it in about 2gal batches, but as it stiffened I smacked it around on a piece of plywood, periodically. It came out even consistency and wedged out just like it was commercially packaged. It was time consuming, but not that much effort.
Yeah, thats a lot of plaster and it saturates quickly. Once it does, it gets fragile, so it has to be really thick; I usually fill the container about ¼ to ⅓ full, to make a slab. That said, I use a plaster slab for small amounts. I usually get my clay way too wet, so it has become easier to just over wet it and throw it on a slab to dry to the right consistency.
Thanks, great information.
I recently became interested in processing clay as a project with my daughter. We like your videos. We have only done it once with dirt from our yard. For us the wet method was the cheapest as the bucket and water we had. The pillow case was the hard part. We plan on processing more maybe, we will make a video. Thanks!
Glad to hear it, it is a fun project to do with kids.
I fell in love with Acoma up pottery. When I spent some time in that area. Maybe some time you could do; me on horse hair pottery? Soon we will start make some pinch pots. I like I can help her connect to the ancients.
Excellent audio choices for this video I just adore you to pieces
Thanks a lot!
Love the videos. Trying to save up for a house but still getting into pottery this helps a ton.
Great! My wife is a realtor so we can help with both of these goals.
I saw the other mentioned video 1st and left a comment suggesting wet is better.
It looks like you've got it.
Thanks for your clay videos!
Cool, thanks
That's the exact same strainer I use! Yes! But, I had not thought to use a shallow evaporator. Instead, I'd been letting the five gallon bucket kinda do its thing. Which worked okay for making slip. I still have to use the pillowcase to firm up the final clay. I'll certainly chat a bit in depth and bring samples this September, if that is okay. Thank you for another awesome and informative video!
Yes, looking forward to discussing this with you Mike.
I have used sheet rock without fiberglass and lay down paper towels so the paper won’t peak off. And flip the clay and wedge at time to keep a consistent wetness.
I thought about sheet rock but wasn't sure how durable it was for repeated uses.
@@AncientPottery I find the sheet rock dries fairly quick. Just need to make sure you have paper towels to line it before putting the wet clay on. I like shop towels because they are sturdier.
Even on your small lot, the electric cement mixer might still come in handy as a labor saver instead of your grinder. BTW, I like that you can go barefoot on your paving stones in 112 degree temperatures. That's truly *primitive* pottery! :)
I have a cement mixer and my original plan for this video involved using it. But since I had so little clay to process I thought the drill might be a better option. The barefoot scene was early in the morning before the pavement heated up. I rarely wear shoes unless I have to, one of the biggest advantages of being a RUclipsr is that my employer does not require that I wear shoes to work.
I keep a large, shrimp boil type pot beside my wheel with water and clay and add to it over time with wet scraps. I always dump my throwing water in the pot. Once it gets full(about 300 pounds), I mix it with a Harbor Freight mixer. This goes onto plaster about an inch or so thick as needed for each day. I leave it there for one day, not turning it over so I have a wet side and dry side slab. This goes into an extruder with an inch by 2 inch hole in the plate which makes long “bars” of clay. I run it through twice. The clay that comes out is way better than store bought clay in ease of throwing. I think bacteria grows on it which makes it more slippery with less water. It definitely has a bad odor until it dries on plaster. For a studio pottery, it is all you need. I throw pound to pound and a half pots this time of year and large pots in the fall to help fill a wood kiln. I can throw the big pots with store clay and cannot tell much difference, but on paper thin walled one pound cups, it is significantly better.
Two things I noticed.
Try using a siphon to remove water from the washed clay, that y´should disturb much less of it and yield a larger amount. Just get some hose and put the source bucket up high.
The idea behind the plaster mold is the same as the gipsum/plaster mold for slip casting. The plaster is sucking out a huge amount of water causing the contacting clay to dry faster.
I would personally source clay, wet process it and then dry it to measure exact.
I don't have a grinder so I mix all of mine wet. I put mine in a big bin like yours and lay cardboard or newspaper down on top of it. Helps it dry so much faster.
Thanks for the tip.
I like these educational videos on old school skills and techniques. Maybe a hole in the ground or other form with a shower curtain (underneath and on top) could work as a "solar dehydrator." Thanks for the video.
You're welcome.
I think adding the temper before it gets firm is too much of a guessing game, as you indicated. Watching this gave me an idea that is worth trying, I think. Once the wet clay is ready to dry, either build something from 2x4 boards or use a table that is inverted. The legs are pointing up in the air. Tie a bed sheep with loose thread count to the four corner legs. Put your plastic tub under it to catch the water. Pour the wet clay into the center of the sheet and let it drip into the tub as it will be suspended over the tub. If you build the frame you could just let it drain onto the ground. This allows it to drain from the bottom like a pillow case and allows air and sun exposure on top and bottom. Once it gets dry then remove the tub and untie the corners to transport the clay inside. This seems like the fastest drying process to me. Andy, you may have to do one more video....:-)
That's a good idea I'm going to try it. I have and old shed table perfect for this idea. Thank you
Great tip. The next video may have to wait a few months.
Having a fan blow across the surface is a HUGE time save for this! Even a light but consistent breeze will noticably increase the rate drying, especially in the sun with dry weather. Like others were saying, you can add something that wicks water away and gives it more surface area to dry like an unused bedsheet. Also darker colors absorb more light energy, this will also speed up evaporation if you're using a bedsheet/cloth. The biggest variable for drying is surface area, that's the only place water can escape the material.
Try the plaster paris. It's easy to make the slab, draws off water fast, clay doesn't stick. Take care the plaster doesn't flake in to/on to your clay.
Yes! I want to make something like this, I just need some plaster of Paris working tips.
@@AncientPottery I made a small slab after buying some P of P from HomeDepot, I think it was DAP. I just followed the instructions on the package, noting the amount of water and appropriate amt of P of P, stirring the P of P into the water. When it was watery/pasty I poured it into a tin casserole pan to about an inch thick and let it dry for 24 hours.
When using the slab, I just apply the clay like spreading frosting on a cake. Then just monitor the drying progress. Don't want to let dry too much, obviously, so might be able to remove the clay as a blob and flip it over, or just knead it from there.
I've yet to try No. 1 Pottery Plaster, which sounds better, but the above has worked well for me.
I live in Florida and have a two car garage with a concrete floor. I soak my dry clay in water till soft and then drain off the water. I then mix it with my Ryobi drill with a mixer bit like yours. I then poor the clay sludge out on old towel on the garage floor to absorb water. I move the towels about every 8 hours to a dry location. I does take a few days to dry out enough to flip ( from half of the towel to the other half and then cover with the remaining half. I check it periodically for dryness. Once ready I cut into blocks and wedge. Works perfect for me. I process about 20-25 lbs at a time.
Awesome, thanks for sharing your process. I have never thought of using a concrete slab to absorb the moisture. I think in a drier climate like Arizona this might not work as well with the top and edges getting crusty before the rest is ready.
I have not read ALL the comments so this may have been said. However in case it was not...How about weighing the clay and figuring out the 20%. Weigh a 5 gallon bucket first, then fill with the wet clay and use the difference. I really liked the idea of adding the temper material to the large flat and then stirring it in. Our problem here in Michigan is we stay pretty humid so I think adding a fan over the plastic container would be a must! Keep making the videos I am learning a lot!
Thank you, this sounds like an easily doable solution.
That method will not take into account how much of the weight is from the water itself., and you will end up with more than 20% temper when the water is evaporated.
To get a proper proportion is to add the temper to the clay before the water. Instead of using pillow cases, I use canvas paint drop cloth. This keeps the clay in and lets the water out. You can also use cutt off legs from worn out jeans after sewing one end closed.
Cast blocks of plaster of paris, then put the blocks in the buckets scrape adhered clay after they absorbed the water add new dry block. Sundry the blocks.!
Good advice, thanks.
I like the pillow case method you showed ,I tide it to wood handle set over 5 gal bucket to catch drip clay
Good, I'm glad you found a way to make it work for you.
Still trying to learn when I can mess with it ,it has been wet here
I'm not a potter, but I had a thought regarding the lost clay and the temper. What if you used this method simply to purify the clay and let it dry out in a thin layer in the bins? I'm not certain, but I think from there it shouldn't be too difficult to crush and grind and then accurately measure your temper.
Yes, that could probably be done. Honestly though, I just did this video for my RUclips followers who process clay this way, I just never use this method.
I think is the better way, a mix of both kind of process. I do it like this, I purify the clay with the wet method, I let it dry completely and now if I pulverize it and start mixing the ceramic paste 🎉
I wait sometimes a week or more before refining. By the way the last stuff to settle is best. The bottom clay layer(s) of the bucket can be culled due to grit etc.
The top layer is gold.
So true, thanks!
Disclaimer: I am not, nor have I ever made clay in my life (so this may be an ignorant question, please be kind)
I see this debate between wet and dry processing and it seems to me that the best solution (for clay quality and ease of collection) would be to combine the 2.
Use the wet method to isolate the purest clay you can (and if you believe in wet aging it, then you can do that too), but then rather than try to collect the clay at the 'perfect' time and then wrestle with introducing temper into it and then storing it in sealed containers to keep it usable, why not let it dry out completely, then dry process it?
You'd have the purest clay, with a known ratio of clay to temper and you could store it indefinitely in its dry form for use when needed. What am I missing?
Yes you could combine and get the best of both worlds. But you would also increase the amount of labor involved, so a trade off.
I love your high quality videos! You seem to know everything and everyone in ancient pottery. Best of all, you've given me the courage to a hobby I've been thinking about for years, every time I dig up all this clay. Whether planting trees, or putting down stepping stones, whatever, I end up with tarps of bright red Georgia clay, which we use to move it as it is heavy. Where to move it? I have really wanted to try pottery. I'd like to make mugs, soup bowls and a tagine. I had no one to teach me, and then your video popped up and I'm thrilled. I really like this no-work method of letting it dry out, so as not to lose what you've harvested. You've shown us the pitfalls and advantages of several more methods to purify the clay, and with patience, I'm sure one will work for me and the local clay!
That's great, I hope your local red clay works out for you.
Thank you. I very much enjoyed your video on testing a wet process method. I'm new to your videos and I'll be working my way through many of them, I can tell. I live in the Central Valley of California and there's natural clay all over. I've toyed with the idea of using some but never tried it because it seems so laborious. I think it's time to try it out.
Thanks and welcome. It is a bit laborious but also fun and rewarding.
Patience is a virtue
And I am short on that one.
I find myself processing it dry if the clay is more pure. If there is more sand in it I like to use the wet method, but I do use a hanging cotton pillow case. I use a metal screen meant for gold panning and fits atop a 5 gallon bucket. For wet processing I like to only work with 1/3 of a buck of clay because in the end I will be adding more water and too much clay in the pillow case means the outside could get too dry while the inside will be too wet. It’s just more manageable. When I first filter through the screen I spray the stuff stuck in the screen with a water hose to remove more clay from the big particles, plant material etc. Layer I stir up the clay particles and carefully drain the top level off into another bucket leaving the sand behind in the bucket. And repeat and repeat. I’ve never come up with a magic way to add a known percentage of temper to wet processed clay. I just keep adding it and kneading it in when still a little on the wetter side until I like the feel and the clay starts to behave the way I want. Dry processing is better for keeping to known percentages of temper and for long term storage too. By the way, for temper I use tuff (volcanic sand/ash). I can collect it locally and sift it and get all I need without spending any time grinding any of it.
Awesome job , I don’t mind wet clay processing , to me it’s not work it’s fun , the results in the end and have awesome clay to play with , definitely my kinda thing . I’ll check out the grinding method to make clay never done that one , interesting , love the video , thank you for sharing. 👍
You are welcome. There are no right or wrong answers in pottery. Different methods of working work for different potters and different clay bodies. Find what works best for you.
@@AncientPottery ...Thanks mate , I agree , there is always a method that suits someone differently, 👍
ive been playing around with methods, a denim, or old jean material tightly sewn into a drawstring bag, test the jean material first make sure it only passes fairly clear water, make multiple drawstring bags for multiple drying bags, and then use a pot for drying, one of the ones with a hole in the bottom for dripping dry, i process a lot of the stuff, but this is my own method.
if you suspend a bath towel into your bucket is seems like it would wick the water up to where the circulating air would evaporate it more readily. that would also increase the surface area and may end up negating any possible "van der wals" attraction exerted by the sludge. Anyhow, just a thought.
yes, I have done that, it does help a little
Owh hell yeah, I just posted a comment on the previous video, but now i feel silly cuase you've already improved your process ! Nice !!!
Praise the Potter! Thanks for this!
Excellent tutorial on wet-processing clay.
Thank you!
Awesome Andy thank you
Hi Andy, I've recently stumbled upon your videos and have enjoyed your content. I think I can give some tips on how to "wet process" your clay a little more efficiently. From what I understand of your "dry processing" method, it will likely be faster than "wet-processing". The main benefits of wet-processing would be:
1) Better control of the actual size of the particles you're collecting;
2) Higher clay recovery (if you don't want to waste the clay);
3) Dust control. Griding/pulverizing and sieving dry soil is extremely dusty, and that dust can cause long-term breathing trouble if exposed regularly
All of that being said, if you don't *really* need to separate the clay-sized fraction from the silt-sized fraction, and you are able to do things outside or where the dust isn't a concern with a mask, then I'm not sure how much of a benefit there is for "wet-processing" method (sedimentation). I have very little experience with making pottery as of now, so I'm not sure how important the particle size actually is, but it seems like your dry processed "clay" works just fine.
I may be able to put a video or two together once things slow down a bit this summer. Maybe one focused on the physics and chemistry of what is going on, and another that is more applied. Soil scientist here and I run a soil testing lab in academia (for whatever that's worth).
I love your videos. You make me laugh in a good way. Thank you for educating us
You are welcome and thanks for watching
Tony Soares has a great video on how he wet processes large amounts of clay at one time.
Yes, Tony processes a volume of clay and has a great process. I discuss it in this video.
Tony's method is infinitely scalable. Plaster of Paris is not necessary. I use a trough made of a single layer of cinder block. A 4 inch layer of sand in the bottom covered with a folded microfiber bed sheet. You will lose a minor amount of clay the first time or two, but the clay that seeps through forms a base that inhibits further loss. Pour your liquid clay into the trough and cover it with canvas or some other shade material. And then just walk away and leave it alone for a few days.
My preference is to combine the wet and dry processing methods because my source has a lot of rocks in it that I need to remove. I take the raw clay and blend it in a bucket like you did and then let it sit for 1 minute to let rocks and large pieces sink. Then I pour off into a clean bucket and let it sit for 24 hours. Pour off clear liquid then the rest into a drying tray and I just let it dry out completely. Collect and store the dry pieces until i need to use it then treat like dry process.
Gloria Gadsby (sp?) Has a good explanation of how he reclaims clay from trimmings, it seems a lot like what you're trying to figure out
Florian (autocorrect...
Thanks
I added a link to a quick video that shows how to make a plaster bat. I have made a few. Even a plaster countertop which made it super easy. But I have portable smaller ones as well. It’s truly not difficult. I promise.
Thanks. I don't see the link though
I don't see a link. If love to see what you're talking about
I make a wooden or brick surround on top of absorbent brick or concrete base eg the footpath or driveway for concrete - anywhere for brick. Make the surround the size you want so that the batch of slip when poured will be about 2-3 inches deep or less. The deeper the pool the longer it will take to dry. Drape an old linen sheet or sheets or any absorbent cloth big enough into the surround with the edges over the sides. As the slip dries roll the clay and mix it by lifting the edges of the sheet and rolling the clay towards the centre of the mass and pushing it down to mix with the wetter clay. You can move the clay to a drier patch of concrete also simply by lifting or pulling it along with the sheet. At this stage you can dispense with the surround. If you need to go away for however long simply cover or wrap in a plastic sheet.
Great tip, thanks.
Thanks for the video. I'm in the process of building a forge and needing clay to line it with. My soil is super rocky mixed in with the clay so we process seems to be the only way. I'm gonna have to steal the tub idea. Gonna just let the sun do the hard work and let it run for a few days.
That's cool, glad I could help.
Thank you so much for all your help and hard work.... Your videos are so fun.
Thanks, glad you like them!
The dry way certainly looks easier but the wet way needs less equipment I think, and depending on circumstances may be more convenient so probably swongs and roundabouts...for me I think wet processing is probably more accessible
Thanks for sharing
when i process my clay i put a towel in the bucket and poor the clay into the towel the ends of the towel hang out of the bucket and they act like radiators to draw out the moisture
Oh wicking the moisture out. Good idea.
You should have used the pillow case method but put the pillow case on a rack in that tub. You get the majority of your clay relatively quickly and then collect the fine powder once the water evaporates. Just a thought.
Simon leach has a great video on plaster board and I have made them and they work well!
Thanks, I love Simon, I will look that up.
living in AZ your clay that you're harvesting is usually great for grinding, here in Oklahoma we have allot of clay but it's usually damp so it gums up grinders so wet processing is easier for us.
Just dry it first. I have lived in Oklahoma and know how it is.
After wet processing the clay, and before adding temper, you can take the lump and rip it into tiny pieces (does not need to be too small) and put it on either a towel, or parchment paper on top of a cutting board you don't like, and leave it in the sun. After a while some pieces will be dryer than others, which is ok, since you can collect the dried pieces and crush them with a hammer, or rock. If a piece isn't dried, while others aren't, then it's a sign that it isn't small enough, and you can crumble it smaller. Sometimes the outside of a big piece will be dry, and inside still wet, so it is safer just to take the whole pile, and crush it into a finer powder, then spread it out again. If you do this over and over again, then you will have a powder as if you dry processed it. Then tempering is much easier.
I dig clay from my backyard and need to wet process clay to concentrate it. It looks like your clay is pretty pure.
Yes the method used can depend on the quality of the clay
Try adding alum to the slurry to flocculate the particles.
Cheapest bag of plaster , mix it with very cold water to slow the setup , no need to make it thick for it will set up slower even if it’s a bit runny. Set that plastic container on a fairly level surface and just poor it in. After it hardens you can drill a handful of holes in the bottom of the plastic to help drying of clay and your plaster after use. That’s my process
Thanks for sharing.
Those trays are usually made of non UV resistant material that will quickly break down in direct sunlight. If you are going to use it outside, i recommend doing it out of direct sunlight.
Terracotta is porous. It'll let water through but not the clay particles. It'll even wick up moisture and evaporate it on its outer surface. Perhaps you can revisit the pillowcase method but use it to line a very large terracotta flower pot. The cloth is better at wicking moisture and the pot minimizes clay losses. It's still a slow process, but it's now a set and forget task with little involvement. It also won't solve the uneven moisture issue, but the labor of wedging could be handled with a machine instead.
Though a pug-mill would be ideal, it's not exactly hobbyist friendly. However, a heavy-duty kitchen stand mixer using a dough hook might just work. If not, then a meat grinder attachment with an endplate of appropriately sized holes could do the job.
It's a thought, though I'm not sure if it'll work.
I have used terra cotta in the past. You can buy a big flower pot and just close the hole in the bottom with a little plaster. Unfortunately the clay dries MUCH slower in the terra cotta than it does in a pillowcase. Thanks for chiming in with your tips.
I got one of those gold mining pans sets and Ive been using itby putting a cloth on top of it and set it over a bucket then I'll get clay stratify it in water run it though a paint screen and into the reservoir with the cloth on top. For the cloth I used an old blanket we were going to throw out anyway. Then after a while the water will slowly drip down into the bucket and you can usually help the clay to be mor manageable by squeezing it in the cloth to ring out the clay. Ive noticed cloths really help with that I also saw another video where he was using a sponge that might help once all the clay has settled with what you are doing
It seems to me that you should allow time for the clay to settle in the bucket and pour out the water until water stops settling to the top of the bucket. Then, simply store it or add temper and use it. I like the wet processing over the dry method because you can eliminate most contaminants / organic matter on the sifting process and it leaves you with a purer clay.
It takes enormous dedication to one's craft to revisit something that obviously annoys them this much. You have my respect, sir.
Edit: I just remembered something my grandpa used to say. When he was asked "is there a better way to do x?", the answer was almost always, "Yeah, pay somebody else to do it for you." What a legend.
a dry aired place like that makes dry processing viable. but in a huge variety of places the residual plantmatter hard rock and already wet materials dispurced through the ground makes dry processing more demanding and more difficult.
Just now got suggested this channel by The Algorithm, Allseer, Allknower; and man am I happy about it. Thank you for this. I may even join your Zoom meetings. Thank you!😀
The algorithm is a weird thing. Some times it holds me back but right now it is pushing me out like crazy. Glad you enjoyed it.
I basically follow Tony Soares's method, but with pillowcases, as I do not have a bath to let it sit in to evaporate.
That definitely does the job
I have never done my own clay but as for grinding! I’d use my larger electric corn grain grinder vs the small hand grinder. It is fully adjustable and similar in design with metal plates and can be coarse ground then progressively finer and much faster. I use mine to break apart flax seed pods to release the seed I damaged and ready for machine winnowing to remove the seed. I think it would be a good fit for grinding clay.
How long would your grinder last?
A kitchen oven will not get hot enough to fire pottery.
@@granmabern5283 I think the grinder would last a good long time. What you would do is set the grinder to bust up larger clods then progressively getting tighter to make the clay finer and finer. Before using the grinder you would want to sieve out the stones and large debris. Stones can muck up the process. Because the steel plates will not grind against one another the plates should last a good long time. The electric one is much larger than the hand ones and uses a motor to do the hard work . Im so glad I purchased this. Now I have another purpose for my grinder.
i use an old plaster slip mold for a large bowl. of course it has to be bone dry between batches. remove top clear water with a flat grout sponge rather than pouring and mixing.
patience!
I am just barely getting into collecting and processing my own clay. I wanted to dry process mine because it looked much easier but my clay source had a lot of organic materials (mostly bits of tumble weed) scattered throughout it and I couldn't think of a good way to rid the clay of those materials while the clay was still dry. Getting the water out of the clay has been a bit of a pain for me as well
I saw the previous video where we were outdoors seeking Clay; I think this is fun, interesting, and amazing! - but time consuming! TIME IS MONEY, so i get why people would rather buy clay than hunt for it, filter and process it over hours, to have a product where $$ can buy you time. (and surplus, if you're looking to.. i dunno, build a house. vs these buckets of 1-brick worth of clay. vs. small projects like, i dunno clay sculptures.)
I have to do all my clay Like this it's full of roots and cold it hard work I Lured from Tony
roots can make good temper too
Hi Andy , here’s a thought. 100%. Cotton canvas tarps are available at Harbor Freight. The cost breakdown makes them much cheaper per yard than fabric at stores. They could be sewn into pillowcase size bags for levigating and the tighter weave will save on clay leakage . If no one in the family can sew you could go to the local college and I’m sure a student would be glad to run up a few for a little cash donation. I knew a couple gals in college who used to take in projects from the local folks that way for extra funds. Just a thought👍🏼
Great suggestion. They don’t even need to be sewn into bags, you could just place them on the ground with some boards or bricks around the outside to make it a shallow pool.
@@AncientPottery
I think I like your idea better. Less effort🤣
Would this be the same canvas as they use for paint drop sheets?
@@Noniinthebush
Yes, I believe they are 👍🏼. My brother calls them drop cloths but I think of them as tarps.
@@renpixie oh great , I have some of those. Thanks for the reply :)