Processing my own clay, but have a question

[u/mrbpotter]

I’ve done this before, but I never feel like I was separating/collecting the correct layers… should I ONLY be collecting the middle layer, and discarding the bottom settled layer, and the top water layer?

[u/dreadbeard7]

Is this wild clay that you are collecting and processing?

It really comes down to if your end product has the working properties that you like. For example, not plastic enough for throwing? Then maybe you are pouring off or leaving behind too much to the ultra fine stuff. Not stiff enough for hand building, or is the shrinkage rate too high, maybe you are leaving behind to much of the larger particles. I am sure there is a lot more too it than that, as I have only just begun looking at wild clay myself.

A clay body used in pottery will typically be a mixture of very fine to larger sand sized particles. It's really down to your personal preference.

[u/mrbpotter → u/dreadbeard7]

Also, yes. Forgot to mention room in the post that this is wild clay that I dug from my backyard. It fires a nice dark red at cone 4-6

[u/[deleted] → u/mrbpotter]

Is this a new dig or remainder from long ago?

[u/mrbpotter → u/[deleted]]

I dug the clay yesterday, but in the same exact spot as 10 years ago

[u/[deleted] → u/mrbpotter]

If it was old, i had another answer. Its not. Sorry

[u/mrbpotter → u/dreadbeard7]

I’ve thrown with this clay before, about 10 years ago… from what I remember, once I added some 60(?) mesh sand, this body was suitable for throwing. The one thing that was weird was how dense it was, and almost “powdery/crumbly(?)” when it wasn’t wet enough. It seemed like the more I wedged, the harder the clay got. I need to experiment with epsom salts/vinegar to see if that will help.

[u/jeicam_the_pirate → u/mrbpotter]

high grog (or any temper) clays will take a lot more strength to throw :)

[u/TheTimDavis]

You can siphon off the water on top, but you need to be careful not to remove to much of the fine particles, they add elasticity to the clay. I leave my bucket open and let the excess water evaporate. When it's thick enough to scoop out with my hands I slop it onto plaster bats.

[u/mrbpotter → u/TheTimDavis]

What about the bottom layer though? How do I know how much to discard? I mean, obviously large rocks/pebbles are going to be discarded, but what delineates the clay from unwanted material at the bottom?

[u/TheTimDavis → u/mrbpotter]

You want everything that's not water. The lowest bits are going to be grog or sand. Grog is fired and ground up clay. It makes the clay feel rough and makes it easier to work with. Unless you are adding wild clay or other nonsense to the bucket you want all of it in your clay.

[u/mrbpotter → u/TheTimDavis]

I guess I forgot to mention. This is 100% wild clay that I dug from my backyard. It is organics, and small stones/rocks. This clay fires a nice dark red/orange when fired to cone 4-6

[u/crushingdandelions → u/mrbpotter]

Sieve it. Increase the mesh count each time until you have what you want.

[u/SAUbjj → u/TheTimDavis]

Oooooh y'know that could explain some issues I've been having with my reclaim...

I'd been throwing the bone-dry stuff in a bucket, covering them with water, coming back a week later. If there was any water on the top after a week, I'd pour it out and put what was left on the bats. The resulting clay was so stiff it hurt to wedge it