Jennifer Rhinesmith on sun 20 jul 97
To all of you folks out there who don't have a clay mixer and pug mill,
how do you get the lumps out of your recycled clay? I have been trying
lots of things and can't get them out and today's throwing was very
frusterating with lumps in my clay. Thanks for any advise. Jennifer in
Alpine-hot and dry here today.
George Mackie on mon 21 jul 97
Jennifer - if wedging wont do the trick you pretty well have to dry it out
and pound it down to small bits and then rewet it, dry it out in plaster
boxes or whatever. Or thats what i find. George
On Sun, 20 Jul 1997, Jennifer Rhinesmith wrote:
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> To all of you folks out there who don't have a clay mixer and pug mill,
> how do you get the lumps out of your recycled clay? I have been trying
> lots of things and can't get them out and today's throwing was very
> frusterating with lumps in my clay. Thanks for any advise. Jennifer in
> Alpine-hot and dry here today.
>
Zoya Geacintov on mon 21 jul 97
You might try screening the clay in the slip stage. Youcould use a window
screen or perhaps a kitchen sieve and put the slip into pant legs to dry
alittle(a tip from that book by Ceramics Monthly), then wedge as normal. The
pant legs should be heavy denim from the salvation army or such and are tied
at the bottoms hung out side todry , oh yes and cut the pants in half for
easier handeling. This woked quite well when I worked at Westcote Bell
Pottery in High Falls, N.Y.
P.S. Hello to the Branmans!
Hope this helps. Zoya in L.A.
Rick Sherman on mon 21 jul 97
----------------------------Original message--------------------------
To all of you folks out there who don't have a clay mixer and pug
mill, how do you get the lumps out of your recycled clay? I have been
trying lots of things and can't get them out and today's throwing was
very frusterating with lumps in my clay. Thanks for any advise.
Jennifer in Alpine-hot and dry here today.
---------------------------------reply-----------------------------
Jennifer: I know the feeling! I've had the same experience. I now do
the following and have no problems.
1. Let clay scrap dry thoroughly
2. Break up large pieces after drying into chunks no large than 1".
Trmmings are no problem as they are already small enough.
3. Slake with water for about one day. Use the throwing water because
it has collected all the "fines" from clay used in thowing. Use
just enough water so clay as the consistency of your breakfast
oatmeal.
4. Lay out on plaster slabs and let dry out to throwing consistency.
5. Wedge until uniform and then use the "old" wedging technique of
throwing clay over stretched wire to cut up any lumps. This takes
time but is worth it.
The only problem I have had with the fininshed result is that some
clays are weaker after firing, usually because some of the ball clay
has been lost. I suggest using 1/2 recycled with 1/2 new clay.
RS
Karen Gringhuis on mon 21 jul 97
J - Soak the recyle in lots of water. Order a mixer attachment
from Axner (they're on this list) for your power drill. Blunge
the recycle & water mix to pudding & until it's smooth. Let
is sit a day or 2 & get as much water off the top as possible.
I blot up the final water w/ used paper towel, anything handy.
Pour pudding n to a plaster bat - yes, you may have to invest
time to make same - & you will have wonderfully lump free
PLASTIC clay. I thin blend this half & half with virgin
clay & I love it.
If you have round plaster bats, use one or 2 of these & dry out
the pudding bit by bit.
IMPORTANT - buy a mixer attmt. with an outside ring around theblades or else the blades will cut into the bucket & leave
plastic bits in your clay. And do NOT NOT NOT buy one which
is painted i.e. not stainless steel. The paint can peel
off in the clay. More work to seive (yes I really did!)
it out of the recycle.
TIP - the bucket in which you blunge - cut a hole in the center
of its lid. Put the stem of the mixer thru the hole BEFORE
YOU PUT THE LID ON THE BUCKET & you will not splatter yourself.
Karen Gringhuis
Vince Pitelka on mon 21 jul 97
>To all of you folks out there who don't have a clay mixer and pug mill,
>how do you get the lumps out of your recycled clay? I have been trying
>lots of things and can't get them out and today's throwing was very
>frusterating with lumps in my clay. Thanks for any advise. Jennifer in
>Alpine-hot and dry here today.
Jennifer -
If you dry your scrap thoroughly, slake it down in plenty of water, pour off
the excess water, mix it thoroughly with a drill-mounted jiffy-mixer, pour
it out on plaster bats or on plastic sheets on the table, floor, patio,
lawn, etc., dry it to working consistency, harvesting it constantly as the
exposed clay gets stiff enough, and wedge it thoroughly before using, there
should not be any lumps.
- Vince
Vince Pitelka - vpitelka@DeKalb.net
Home 615/597-5376, work 615/597-6801, fax 615/597-6803
Appalachian Center for Crafts
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
Elca Branman on mon 21 jul 97
If you let your clay dry completely before you recycle it,and hit it with
a hammer so the dried lumps are no bigger tan an egg,you then drop it in
water,let it slake, don't mess with it till it is slaked ,pour off excess
water,and lay on bats to or newspaper on floor or hang in dripping bag,
hwhichever way you get the excess water out. THEN you wedge it...no
lumps.
Elca Branman
Branman Potters ,Stone Ridge, N.Y.
in the Hudson Valley
elcab1@juno.com
Stern HQ on mon 21 jul 97
Jennifer, I find that I get lumps in my reclaimed clay only when the clay
I am reclaiming isn't bone dry when I add water to reconstitute it. If
there is any significant water in the pieces then there are lumps in the
reclaimed clay and it's almost impossible to get them entirely out. Try
breaking up the clay to plan to reclaim into the littlest pieces you can,
let them dry and dry and dry some more. Then add water and let the clay
soak for a while, pour off the extra water and sponge any off that won't
pour off. Then let that sit a while. Then pour the stuff onto a plaster
surface, put plastic over the whole thing and check it. You will want to
turn it over and let the part that didn't touch the plaster touch it since
the part originally touching the plaster will be ready to wedge before the
stuff on top is. Then wedge the h--- out of the whole thing. Voila.
Hope that helps. Forgive the runonand on and on sentences. Jeni in
Denver
On Sun, 20 Jul 1997, Jennifer Rhinesmith wrote:
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> To all of you folks out there who don't have a clay mixer and pug mill,
> how do you get the lumps out of your recycled clay? I have been trying
> lots of things and can't get them out and today's throwing was very
> frusterating with lumps in my clay. Thanks for any advise. Jennifer in
> Alpine-hot and dry here today.
>
David Hendley on mon 21 jul 97
Jennifer - I think the best way to ensure lump-free clay is to let your
scraps dry out completely, then add them to water or throwing water. A
half-dry chunk will not slake down and become slip again. Once you have a
thick slip, dry it to throwing consistancy. I use plaster "sinks", as my
daughter calls them, to dry the slip. They are about 12" X 18" X 4" deep
with a 9" X 14" X 3" depression to pour the slip in (home made).
David Hendley
97 degrees in Maydelle, Texas
At 12:07 PM 7/20/97 EDT, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>To all of you folks out there who don't have a clay mixer and pug mill,
>how do you get the lumps out of your recycled clay? I have been trying
>lots of things and can't get them out and today's throwing was very
>frusterating with lumps in my clay. Thanks for any advise. Jennifer in
>Alpine-hot and dry here today.
>
>
Lisa or Ginny on mon 21 jul 97
Jennifer Rhinesmith wrote:
> To all of you folks out there who don't have a clay mixer and pug mill,
> how do you get the lumps out of your recycled clay?
I wedge mine on a plaster slab.
--
Lisa Skeen
Living Tree Pottery & Soaps
http://www.uncg.edu/~lpskeen
YesIAmRU?
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