How to find local clay banks?
 

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to find local clay banks? How
to test the clay found ? Any suggestions? Comments?

Thank You,

David Smith

In a word... Ask.... Ask about, esp. gardeners (they do a lot of digging...)
also ask @ local gardening stores... there are also geological maps, local
knowledge, was ther a brickworks near you? in UK that is a good sign...
As for testing,3 small samples fired to 1000 C/ 1060 C/ and 1260 C will give
you a good idea of how well it fires (make a small thumb pot with a
stoneware clay to put each sample in...) You CAN test for lime using
Hydrochloric acid (DILUTE) if it fizzes lots than it's full of lime, no good
for e/ware but might be good for once fired stoneware... Best test tho is to
make a small pot from it (after you've done the firing test above) and see
if it stays together, (flaking off with white bits in the centre is lime
spit...Cracking up with white bits is the same but worse.....)
Good luck
Hugs
Eddie
"David Smith" wrote in message
...
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to find local clay banks? How
to test the clay found ? Any suggestions? Comments?

Thank You,

David Smith

also, ask the local kids!

when i was around 7 to 14 years old we all knew various clay sites in the woods
and by the streams. at the time we didn't know much about clay in gerneral.
we just would play in the woods all day. meanwhile we sure knew that woods
pretty well!

the area was langhorne pennsylvania; just north of philadelphia. that region
has/had a lot of clay. the whole area from ohio thru new jersey is a good clay
site.

see ya

steve







Subject: How to find local clay banks?
From: "Eddie Daughton"
Date: 9/20/2004 4:23 PM Pacific Daylight Time
Message-id:

In a word... Ask.... Ask about, esp. gardeners (they do a lot of digging...)
also ask @ local gardening stores... there are also geological maps, local
knowledge, was ther a brickworks near you? in UK that is a good sign...
As for testing,3 small samples fired to 1000 C/ 1060 C/ and 1260 C will give
you a good idea of how well it fires (make a small thumb pot with a
stoneware clay to put each sample in...) You CAN test for lime using
Hydrochloric acid (DILUTE) if it fizzes lots than it's full of lime, no good
for e/ware but might be good for once fired stoneware... Best test tho is to
make a small pot from it (after you've done the firing test above) and see
if it stays together, (flaking off with white bits in the centre is lime
spit...Cracking up with white bits is the same but worse.....)
Good luck
Hugs
Eddie
"David Smith" wrote in message
...
Does anyone have any suggestions on how to find local clay banks? How
to test the clay found ? Any suggestions? Comments?

Thank You,

David Smith










steve graber

I have recently been looking for clay deposits here in western Washington
state and have found quite a few. They are all over the place but it seems
that MOST of them are within 50 yards of a river. Is this coincidence? Or I
suppose it could simply be because there are so many rivers and streams up
here. Whatever the reason it seems to help me find them.


Does anyone have any suggestions on how to find local clay banks? How
to test the clay found ? Any suggestions? Comments?

Gary:
A small lesson in geology would be helpful, perhaps.
You can consult any of the known books, such as Rhodes
"Clay and Glazes for the Potter", or the Hamer and Hamer
Dictionary, but it all boils down to this:
Clay is formed from sediments washed (or carried in
some cases by glaciers) from deeper deposits by the
action of water (tides sometimes too, can unearth clay).

The action of the water allows a filtering of the sediment,
so all like-sized particles settle in about the same area
(resulting in clay). Sometimes this occurs in a slower bank
(bend) area of a river, sometimes on a stream bed,
sometimes in a pond situation where the water evaporates.
It also explains why you often find it in layers, with sand
either above or below.

Finding clay close to water is not unusual. It's actually the
first place you should look g. Remember that not only
the action of water, but the action of water over time plays
an important role here. You probably won't find it "right"
on the bank (though you might if the stream or river runs
through a clay deposit). Usually, it is located "nearby",
a result of a "recent" settling, where the river or stream then
changed it's course, allowing the clay deposit to remain in
place, and undisturbed. Recent in geologic terms, anyway.

Hope that helps, and happy hunting,

--
Wayne Seidl
Key West, Florida, USA
North America, Terra
Latitude 81.45W, Longitude 24.33N
Elevation 3.1 feet (1m)
"Gary Dickson" wrote in message
...
I have recently been looking for clay deposits here in western Washington
state and have found quite a few. They are all over the place but it seems
that MOST of them are within 50 yards of a river. Is this coincidence? Or
I
suppose it could simply be because there are so many rivers and streams up
here. Whatever the reason it seems to help me find them.


Does anyone have any suggestions on how to find local clay banks? How
to test the clay found ? Any suggestions? Comments?

Find a Bureau of Land management office. They usually will sell maps that can
point you in the right direction. Just tell them what you're looking for.

Regards,
June
http://www.angelfire.com/art2/shambhalapottery/

You can look in the yellow pages under top soil. Find the one that is the
crook that delivers clay instead of good sandy garden soil and you could
have a whole 15 yard truckload dumped in your garden. Ask me, I know from
experience. Just a few days ago that very thing happened to me. Only problem
is I wanted sandy garden soil not clay. Hmmmm. Now was I ripped off or is
this a gift from god. Being a potter I'm going to try it out. I grabbed a
hunk of it and wedged it. It passed the bending test right off the bat. I
could have clay for life.

Crystal


"David Smith" wrote in message
...
| Does anyone have any suggestions on how to find local clay banks? How
| to test the clay found ? Any suggestions? Comments?
|
| Thank You,
|
| David Smith

Crystal,

Call me ignorant, but what is the bending test?

all the best,

Alistair.

"CNB" wrote in message ...
You can look in the yellow pages under top soil. Find the one that is the
crook that delivers clay instead of good sandy garden soil and you could
have a whole 15 yard truckload dumped in your garden. Ask me, I know from
experience. Just a few days ago that very thing happened to me. Only problem
is I wanted sandy garden soil not clay. Hmmmm. Now was I ripped off or is
this a gift from god. Being a potter I'm going to try it out. I grabbed a
hunk of it and wedged it. It passed the bending test right off the bat. I
could have clay for life.

Crystal


"David Smith" wrote in message
...
| Does anyone have any suggestions on how to find local clay banks? How
| to test the clay found ? Any suggestions? Comments?
|
| Thank You,
|
| David Smith

roll a coil, and bend it in half. if it's nice and plastic it'll bend without
getting cracky at the bend joint.

steve






Subject: How to find local clay banks?
From: (alistair)
Date: 9/25/2004 1:54 PM Pacific Daylight Time
Message-id:

Crystal,

Call me ignorant, but what is the bending test?

all the best,

Alistair.

"CNB" wrote in message
...
You can look in the yellow pages under top soil. Find the one that is the
crook that delivers clay instead of good sandy garden soil and you could
have a whole 15 yard truckload dumped in your garden. Ask me, I know from
experience. Just a few days ago that very thing happened to me. Only
problem
is I wanted sandy garden soil not clay. Hmmmm. Now was I ripped off or is
this a gift from god. Being a potter I'm going to try it out. I grabbed a
hunk of it and wedged it. It passed the bending test right off the bat. I
could have clay for life.

Crystal


"David Smith" wrote in message
...
| Does anyone have any suggestions on how to find local clay banks? How
| to test the clay found ? Any suggestions? Comments?
|
| Thank You,
|
| David Smith








steve graber

Wow! Where do you live and who do I call?! I have been looking for clay for
a couple of months now -- just in my spare time so I'm sure the answer is
out there. But, I have not found a good clay for what I want to do. I
learned of a place where they use to mine and process clay for bricks and
pipes 30-100 years ago -- this past weekend I went and found several
different types of clay all within a few miles. They seem promising -- but
we'll see. I started processing two samples today!

On 9/24/04 2:58 PM, in article
, "CNB"
wrote:

You can look in the yellow pages under top soil. Find the one that is the
crook that delivers clay instead of good sandy garden soil and you could
have a whole 15 yard truckload dumped in your garden. Ask me, I know from
experience. Just a few days ago that very thing happened to me. Only problem
is I wanted sandy garden soil not clay. Hmmmm. Now was I ripped off or is
this a gift from god. Being a potter I'm going to try it out. I grabbed a
hunk of it and wedged it. It passed the bending test right off the bat. I
could have clay for life.