April 12, 2002, Newsletter Issue #85: Recycling your clay

Tip of the Week

How to Recycle clay
1. Dry out all your old clay and keep it in a bag for recycling until you are ready.
2. Tip all the dried clay into a bucket and fill up to the top level with water. (Wear a dust mask).
3. Let soak for a few hours (best overnight).
4. The clay should have a soft consistency - slushy, that is! Add more water if necessary.
5. If available, mix the soft clay with a drill mixer attachment. (Sometimes available in hardware stores).
6. Tip out the soft clay onto a large plaster bat for drying out.
7. When the bottom half has dried a bit, turn over.
8. When the clay has the right overall consistency, cut up into small chunks and wedge.
9. To homogenize the clay more, cut up and intermix different chunks and wedge again.

Quick Re-cycling
Clay recycling: Dry the scrap clay on the bisque kiln or in kiln room (this loosens clay particle bonds--critical step). Slake (wet) it by pouring water over scraps in 5 gallon bucket. Let it sit for a while, then poke with stick to mix and debubble it. Pour off excess water into another bucket. Leave in kiln room till dry enough to spread on boards. Wedge when workable, store when proper consistency.

Recycling tips
Tips:
1. The soft clay will actually harden on the underside faster than the top, because the plaster is soaking up the moisture.
2. Keep an eye on what sorts of clay are going into the mix, as this will influence the firing temperature.
3. This is also a good time to make paperclay!

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