I came with just the slightest interest in digging my own clay and here I find the clay wizard. Totally unexpected and I am blown away by the depth of your knowledge. A true artisan.
Your doing what is known as a soil texture test when your feeling for the percentages of grease and grit. This is a common test used in the field for trying to understand what you are working with. Thanks for these videos!
thank you so much im always going past clay spots even when i went riding on my moto with my friend and he found it i thought it was just dried mud, my friend took a sample one day but didn't know it was clay and he told me it was just dried mud. but thanks i can now make clay and do some pottery for my family
Great info. I love the way you teach. Right to the point with a smidge of humor and a total lack of verbosity. Thank you so much! I was wondering. . .why not build a frame for your block of plaster and stretch canvas over it. Wouldn't this keep any plaster from sneaking into your sample? Just a thought. I have a 2 single frames with not so thick plaster so I can put a 'dry' block in if needed. I hope to build a larger bloxk/wedging unit that will be a permanent feature in my room.
Wanting to keep the clay close to natural isn't lazy, it's wise. A potter has to find the time best way of doing things according to their own nature. Thanks for the info, I live in a clay rich area and there is some excavating going on, I think I'll go out with a bucket and gather a bit o' dirt!
do you get a better clay if you pass the slip through a finer sieve eg 500 microns eg to remove any fine silica grit ?? clay particles tend to be 0.1 microns and smaller !!
Hello, I'm so glad to see videos on this subject. It's good to hear the wisdom of others in a sometimes trying profession. I have a question about the clay. I have dug, slaked, and sieved a batch of clay, but it presents me with a unique problem... The Clay is full of: 1) very tiny bits of sand, 2) very tiny black particles, 3) and "micro-glitter" of some kind I have tried using water to extract the clay from these pollutants but they are stubborn. I just wondered if you have any advice. Please and Thank You!!!
Yessss clay is delicious I love the brown, the white kaolin clay, the red clay and the grey sour clay dirt. I live up north so I have to get my family to send some from South.
And i thought my aunt was crazy when she mentioned of eating clay before lol. It definitely looked good when he poured it on the plaster but not that willing to try it lol
Of course they say that only the clay from there works. And then they mix it with some sand that's fine, but saltless, because it's not from a beach. Do you think I can still make vases and stuff out of slaps, maybe coils, even with reduced elasticity? Thanks.
I have a problem with the clay I dug up. I live in West Texas and I dug up some red clay out by one of the local lakes. I processed it out to this point (the very beginning of the video) and it keeps cracking when I try to do the plasticity test. I'm guess that it is not very plastic at all but I was wondering if I should start over with new clay from some where else or if I can salvage this clay by adding something to it. thank you love the videos
thank you George. You can try adding some ball clay. maybe 10 to 20 percent will do. Mix it with the slip when you first mix the clay with water (after you screen it)
+wildmudpottery thank you a lot for the advice! this is my first time trying anything like this and thanks for the directions. one last question where might I be able to get ball clay?
Thank you for this video. I am a beginner. Just got my 50 lbs. of grey clay. I wedged it. Then I tried to make a coil and it was cracking. Does this mean that the clay they sent me is too old and dry? It seems odd that it is cracking as soon as I unwrapped it and tried to shape it. Should I send it back? Also, would you know for how long I can leave the clay on the shelf, after let's say I made a plate, or a cup? It may be months before I can get to a kiln. Can I fire it after months of it drying on a shelf? Thank you in advance for any assistance you may be able to provide
Hi, after 5 years. He goes over the cracking issue in this video.... clay has a lot of textures. Read a book by Sunshine Cobb (Mastering Hand Building) for your questions - hope you got your information answered at some point. Clay has personality-different 'clay bodies' have different needs. They may absorb water quickly, stay wet a long time, etc. So, talk with someone about what you want, or learn more about your particular clay.
so i followed video how tos about how to make your own clay and i dug up 15 lbs worth. i filtered it nicely and it is very moldable. but i don't have a way to fire or harden it. i tried a pit fire (which i knew wouldnt be very hot but i made a small cup to try it anyways) and i let it simmer to embers and i put the clay cup in it and completly covered the fire pit shut. and i let it sit and i checked it in the morning and the clay was broken (i wasnt suprised) and he clay cup crumbled in large pieces. it was hard a little but i could snap it in my hands. how should i harden my clay?
Experiment with it. Make up a few different batches with adding differing amounts of temper and keep track of each. Make up something small and easy to form, like a small bowl or even just a thin square block with each of the batches. Fire them all together and see how they turn out.
you could also weigh it, and the before dry and after dry measurements will tell you the percentage of water it was by weight, that with the shrinkage measurement and you could more predictably measure it's shrinkage based on it's water content.
I have red clay and yellow clay in my property. The yellow one is really waxy, the red one is just like the one you buy. However, they all fail in elasticity. Talk about making a twistie like you, I can't even make a ring around my finger; but deep inside, I know that clay is good for something. Isn't there any natural way to condition it? I have no idea what flux or feldspar are in nature. I know that 2 hours from here (in Costa Rica), there is a very famous potters' community. (to be continued
why not make the strip 10 inches? The longer it is the more accurate you can estimate the shrinkage. Also, after picking the piece up and wobbling it around, I doubt it will still be 5 inches.
10 inches is too long to do a slump test. every clay will slump at 10 inches. To test absorption you need to submerge the test bar in water . 5 inches makes that easier..... but I could have been doing it wrong for the past 50 years. Doing things your own way is what ceramics are all about. Good luck to you. P.S we actually should be measuring in metrics to be more accurate.
Five inches jumped out at me. Double the figures, they become one tenth of 100 and all the math flows in my head. Sure it multiplies error, but I'm betting is close enough for mud werks. #oldmath
if you use metric figures there's no conversion needed. I made a test slab out of Mississippi red clay, but I just carved a 10cm line in it and let it dry for a couple weeks and then did a crap 'bisque' firing in a camp fire. After firing the line is 9.7cm so 3% shrinkage. I broke the brick to look inside it and it wasn't cooked all the way through, but it did ceramify as it is insoluble in water now.
I came with just the slightest interest in digging my own clay and here I find the clay wizard. Totally unexpected and I am blown away by the depth of your knowledge. A true artisan.
Finally a video on this that is straight and to the point without over elaboration, yet extremely informative...thank you.
this guy is the bob ross of clay,,lol
you mentioned firing clay (you dug) in a kiln you built...could you please do a how to build video of your kiln?
Thank you! From Alaska! I've got glacial clay two feet down on my property and your videos are very detailed and helpful!
Great set of videos , thank you 👍
Your doing what is known as a soil texture test when your feeling for the percentages of grease and grit. This is a common test used in the field for trying to understand what you are working with. Thanks for these videos!
I...am going to give this a try...surely there's some around here...gonna have to wait til spring though I bet. Thanks for the video....from 2011. :)
Thanks for all the things you taught me in this video! You are awesome!
Great video and explanation.Thank you for sharing.
holy crap you are like everyone else said......the smartest and most layed back potter I've very heard......
Thank you for this knowledge! you are awesome!
this is incredibly informative. well done
thank you so much im always going past clay spots even when i went riding on my moto with my friend and he found it i thought it was just dried mud, my friend took a sample one day but didn't know it was clay and he told me it was just dried mud. but thanks i can now make clay and do some pottery for my family
Great info. I love the way you teach. Right to the point with a smidge of humor and a total lack of verbosity. Thank you so much! I was wondering. . .why not build a frame for your block of plaster and stretch canvas over it. Wouldn't this keep any plaster from sneaking into your sample? Just a thought. I have a 2 single frames with not so thick plaster so I can put a 'dry' block in if needed. I hope to build a larger bloxk/wedging unit
that will be a permanent feature in my room.
Wanting to keep the clay close to natural isn't lazy, it's wise. A potter has to find the time best way of doing things according to their own nature. Thanks for the info, I live in a clay rich area and there is some excavating going on, I think I'll go out with a bucket and gather a bit o' dirt!
It is a fun and rewarding journey. Good luck
your awesome with making clay
do you get a better clay if you pass the slip through a finer sieve eg 500 microns eg to remove any fine silica grit ?? clay particles tend to be 0.1 microns and smaller !!
Wow who would've new my friend are always digging and the dry crap is clay! I can't believe it was in front of us
Hey i was wondering how would you pure it further if it wasnt clear enough?
Hello, I'm so glad to see videos on this subject. It's good to hear the wisdom of others in a sometimes trying profession.
I have a question about the clay.
I have dug, slaked, and sieved a batch of clay, but it presents me with a unique problem... The Clay is full of:
1) very tiny bits of sand,
2) very tiny black particles,
3) and "micro-glitter" of some kind I have tried using water to extract the clay from these pollutants but they are stubborn. I just wondered if you have any advice. Please and Thank You!!!
Maybe get a strainer with the tinniest holes you can find
I would of dried some in oven and started eating it. It looks good. I haven't eaten any clay yet. I love the smell when it starts raining.
Yessss clay is delicious I love the brown, the white kaolin clay, the red clay and the grey sour clay dirt. I live up north so I have to get my family to send some from South.
+Lady Chunk i love kaolin clay sooo good!
And i thought my aunt was crazy when she mentioned of eating clay before lol. It definitely looked good when he poured it on the plaster but not that willing to try it lol
Of course they say that only the clay from there works. And then they mix it with some sand that's fine, but saltless, because it's not from a beach.
Do you think I can still make vases and stuff out of slaps, maybe coils, even with reduced elasticity? Thanks.
thank you so much for the video
Saw another video where the guy made his test piece 100mm instead of 5 inches. Makes the shrinkage math even easier.
I have a problem with the clay I dug up. I live in West Texas and I dug up some red clay out by one of the local lakes. I processed it out to this point (the very beginning of the video) and it keeps cracking when I try to do the plasticity test. I'm guess that it is not very plastic at all but I was wondering if I should start over with new clay from some where else or if I can salvage this clay by adding something to it. thank you love the videos
thank you George. You can try adding some ball clay. maybe 10 to 20 percent will do. Mix it with the slip when you first mix the clay with water (after you screen it)
+wildmudpottery thank you a lot for the advice! this is my first time trying anything like this and thanks for the directions. one last question where might I be able to get ball clay?
this helped me to thanks
Thank you for this video. I am a beginner. Just got my 50 lbs. of grey clay. I wedged it.
Then I tried to make a coil and it was cracking. Does this mean that
the clay they sent me is too old and dry? It seems odd that it is
cracking as soon as I unwrapped it and tried to shape it. Should I send
it back?
Also, would you know for how long I can leave the clay on the shelf,
after let's say I made a plate, or a cup? It may be months before I can
get to a kiln. Can I fire it after months of it drying on a shelf?
Thank you in advance for any assistance you may be able to provide
Hi, after 5 years. He goes over the cracking issue in this video.... clay has a lot of textures. Read a book by Sunshine Cobb (Mastering Hand Building) for your questions - hope you got your information answered at some point. Clay has personality-different 'clay bodies' have different needs. They may absorb water quickly, stay wet a long time, etc. So, talk with someone about what you want, or learn more about your particular clay.
excuse me Mr Clay professor, what is the drying out slab made of and where do I obtain one.
Plaster
Nice.Thank you.
best video ever
I am curious. What happens when pieces of plaster are incorporated into the clay?
charles vereschagin i have the same 1st name as you weird
can you make pinch pots with clay with no elacitity?
so i followed video how tos about how to make your own clay and i dug up 15 lbs worth. i filtered it nicely and it is very moldable. but i don't have a way to fire or harden it. i tried a pit fire (which i knew wouldnt be very hot but i made a small cup to try it anyways) and i let it simmer to embers and i put the clay cup in it and completly covered the fire pit shut. and i let it sit and i checked it in the morning and the clay was broken (i wasnt suprised) and he clay cup crumbled in large pieces. it was hard a little but i could snap it in my hands. how should i harden my clay?
Sounds like you might need temper. Take that broken mug and crush it up, mixing into the moist clay. It should help with cracking.
+Brad Woodfield yeah i did do that in the very beginning of the process. it would help if i did it again?
Experiment with it. Make up a few different batches with adding differing amounts of temper and keep track of each. Make up something small and easy to form, like a small bowl or even just a thin square block with each of the batches. Fire them all together and see how they turn out.
Hey alyssa for firing smaller things you can use some bricks and a weed burner should get you to the proper temp.
you could also weigh it, and the before dry and after dry measurements will tell you the percentage of water it was by weight, that with the shrinkage measurement and you could more predictably measure it's shrinkage based on it's water content.
I have red clay and yellow clay in my property. The yellow one is really waxy, the red one is just like the one you buy. However, they all fail in elasticity. Talk about making a twistie like you, I can't even make a ring around my finger; but deep inside, I know that clay is good for something. Isn't there any natural way to condition it? I have no idea what flux or feldspar are in nature. I know that 2 hours from here (in Costa Rica), there is a very famous potters' community. (to be continued
why not make the strip 10 inches? The longer it is the more accurate you can estimate the shrinkage. Also, after picking the piece up and wobbling it around, I doubt it will still be 5 inches.
10 inches is too long to do a slump test. every clay will slump at 10 inches. To test absorption you need to submerge the test bar in water . 5 inches makes that easier..... but I could have been doing it wrong for the past 50 years. Doing things your own way is what ceramics are all about. Good luck to you. P.S we actually should be measuring in metrics to be more accurate.
Could drywall work instead of plaster board?
Drywall should work just fine.
where are the most likely places to find clay, pls explicit
OK I obviously meant slabs, not slaps...
are you gonna sell it
I have gray clay I molded it right out of the ground
Five inches jumped out at me. Double the figures, they become one tenth of 100 and all the math flows in my head. Sure it multiplies error, but I'm betting is close enough for mud werks. #oldmath
if you use metric figures there's no conversion needed. I made a test slab out of Mississippi red clay, but I just carved a 10cm line in it and let it dry for a couple weeks and then did a crap 'bisque' firing in a camp fire. After firing the line is 9.7cm so 3% shrinkage. I broke the brick to look inside it and it wasn't cooked all the way through, but it did ceramify as it is insoluble in water now.
FIVE STARS,,,,thannnnnnk you
5 is an even number
be careful
I know this sounds crazy but can you eat it
I mean odd
looks like poop