pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET on sun 1 apr 07
Hi Wayne, Michael, all...
I still feel there is much to recommend time and controlled evaporation and
having batches of Clay rendered into Slurry/Slip/Soup, entering the sequence
and lined up for their eventual turn as they become ready, or are allowed to
become ready...
Takes no electricity, needs no tech, is happily 'quiet' in it's
process...and will never let you down...even as it also gives one something
to look forward to in a nice way.
Phil
l v
----- Original Message -----
From: "WJ Seidl"
> Michael:
> I believe you're thinking more along the lines of a cyclonic extraction
> filter, utilizing a slightly conical drum, where solids settle to the
> bottom
> while the unit spins the liquids out. Those lend themselves to conveyors
> underneath, and trap door systems at end-of-cycle to facilitate solids
> removal. (I've been looking at those too.)
>
> But....Watching the washing machine spin one day, I had a similar idea.
> If something at 1800 rpm can wring water out of clothes (ours has a 23
> inch
> tub diameter), it can certainly do it for clay.
> Roughly 1000 times the force of gravity...cool! That would work.
> Perhaps a "bag" liner for the tub. It might work as manufactured, with
> regard to the bearings and transmission setup. I was thinking of a
> removable
> bag that could be (manually) pulled from the unit when it finished and
> inverted to empty. The agitator would have to go, or maybe just beef up
> the
> top with a cross-member to stabilize it. One would be limited to about 25
> pounds of clay / 200 pounds of slurry per batch, water being 8.6 pounds
> per
> gallon, that's no more than about 20 gallons per batch (leaving a little
> wiggle room for the weight of the clay.) A new batch every hour or so.
>
> Thinking a little further outside the box, why not a set of four or six
> pant
> legs, filled with slurry and velcroed closed, placed vertically along the
> sides of a washer tub ,and put through a long spin cycle.
> "Honey, is the warranty on the washing machine expired yet?" SMACK!
> The water expelled could be collected as a terra sig material with a
> little
> more settling.
> Still, a great idea well worth testing. And I could put it next to my
> ball
> mill dryer setup, and no one would be the wiser . I might not need a
> filter press after all. Used washers are cheap! So what if it only lasts
> a
> year or two?
>
> That wouldn't do for commercial production though. One would have to hire
> help to continually load and unload the machines.
>
> Great idea Michael!
>
> Best,
> Wayne
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