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Harvesting wild clay



 
 
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  #1  
Old August 15th 05, 09:51 PM
mr y
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Default Harvesting wild clay

OK, so I'm a newbie, and an urban refugee to boot. Can any of you point me
in the direction of websites and/or publications that discuss how to
identify and collect clay from the wild? I'm doing fine on store-bought,
but I'd like to try to expand my horizons a bit.

Thanks
Mr Y


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  #2  
Old August 15th 05, 11:56 PM
Bubbles
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"mr y" wrote in message
news:Ve7Me.30024$084.22376@attbi_s22...
OK, so I'm a newbie, and an urban refugee to boot. Can any of you point
me in the direction of websites and/or publications that discuss how to
identify and collect clay from the wild? I'm doing fine on store-bought,
but I'd like to try to expand my horizons a bit.


Hi Y

I am a newbie too, and I was just today contemplating over the advantages of
having a "standard" clay to work with. If you harvest clay from your
surroundings - if you don't get it all from one huge deposite - each batch
will have different properties - plasticity, firing color, etc.

If I may be so bold .... I would suggest that you start out with bought clay
that is made to a standard mix and wetness, so that you can learn the skills
first and worry about the clay's own properties later.

I would strongly recommend Clay: A studio handbook by Vince Patelka
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...927089-8943860
I am only up to about page 50, but have learned tons that 3 pottery
"teachers" haven't taught me. This book should be every newbie's first
purchase!

Anyway - that said - I would say that if you are a newbie, start with
techniques and experiment with clay later.

Marianne


  #3  
Old August 16th 05, 12:25 AM
Steve Mills
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Look for building sites where they are excavating the foundations. If
the area has clay, that is a pretty good way of finding it.

Dry it out, break it up, and mix in LOTS of water to make a REALLY
sloppy mix. Run it through a coarse sieve to get the grit and other
rubbish out.

Next mix in some cider vinegar to help it *mature*, pour it into cloth
bags (old Jeans legs, pillow cases, etc.) and hang it out to stiffen.

The next bit is trying to make stuff out of what you've scavenged,
seeing if it will *work*, and finding out how high it will fire.

Have fun.

Steve
Bath
UK


In article Ve7Me.30024$084.22376@attbi_s22, mr y
writes
OK, so I'm a newbie, and an urban refugee to boot. Can any of you point me
in the direction of websites and/or publications that discuss how to
identify and collect clay from the wild? I'm doing fine on store-bought,
but I'd like to try to expand my horizons a bit.

Thanks
Mr Y



--
Steve Mills
Bath
UK
  #4  
Old August 16th 05, 01:19 PM
Bob Masta
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Default

On Tue, 16 Aug 2005 00:25:51 +0100, Steve Mills
wrote:

Look for building sites where they are excavating the foundations. If
the area has clay, that is a pretty good way of finding it.

Dry it out, break it up, and mix in LOTS of water to make a REALLY
sloppy mix. Run it through a coarse sieve to get the grit and other
rubbish out.

Next mix in some cider vinegar to help it *mature*, pour it into cloth
bags (old Jeans legs, pillow cases, etc.) and hang it out to stiffen.

The next bit is trying to make stuff out of what you've scavenged,
seeing if it will *work*, and finding out how high it will fire.


To add to that excellent advice, I'd just like to point out that
my "garden" clay is good only up to about cone 2 as a body
clay. I suspect that this type of clay is what the vast majority
of people ahve nearby... not good stoneware clay and not
porcelain, etc.

However, although it's only a mediocre low-fire body clay,
it's an excellent GLAZE at cone 6, like Albany slip. So you
can probably find some use for your clay, no matter what
firing range it turns out to be.

Best regards,


Bob Masta
dqatechATdaqartaDOTcom

D A Q A R T A
Data AcQuisition And Real-Time Analysis
www.daqarta.com
Home of DaqGen, the FREEWARE signal generator
  #5  
Old August 16th 05, 03:28 PM
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exactly - i dug a tree hole once & the dirt at the bottom looked nice &
fine.

~ made a great brown @ cone 10!

see ya

steve

  #6  
Old August 17th 05, 10:03 PM
Eddie Daughton
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'n how you tells is you puts a bit in some STONEWARE clay pinch pots and you
fires it to 1000 C and then a bit to 1060 C and then a bit to 1200 C and
then a bit to ^ 10....
(Otherwise if it is a low fire clay you will end up chipping bits of it off
your nice expensive shelves for EVER such a long time....)
Hugs
Eddie
wrote in message
oups.com...
exactly - i dug a tree hole once & the dirt at the bottom looked nice &
fine.

~ made a great brown @ cone 10!

see ya

steve



 




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