DJ Brewer on mon 1 feb 10
I have several one gallon ice cream containers that I use for scrap
clay. I keep it in the large Bailey's splashbasin surrounding the
wheel. I close it between sessions so it does not dry out. When it gets
full, I put the lid on it and get another one out to fill. Every once
in a while, I empy the contents of a gallon bucket onto a 12x12 saltillo
tile to drain (because its usually pretty mushy) and put another square
saltillo tile on top of it. The cost of each 12x12 saltillo tile is
around $1.50.
I leave it there for about an hour. The saltillo pulls all the water
out of the clay. Then I grab a couple of handfuls of the clay and start
wedging it. I gradually wedge up the entire "gallon" of clay that way,
and then put it into whatever sized amounts that I want for throwing.
I am a "hobby" potter -- or more accuately an "enthusiast" potter (which
means I spend more on pottery equipment than I make, but my husband lets
me do it anyway).
I would never dream of getting a pug mill. I don't have the room for
it, or the need. Recycling scraps is VERY easy with my above outlined
method. I don't waste much clay at all. I live on one of the largest
clay deposits on earth -- the Texas Gulf Coast. All the homes around
here have cracked foundations from the whimsical expansion and
contraction of the gumbo soil (read 6 inches of topsoil and the rest
clay) that our homes are built on.
So, I dig clay out of the earth, too, and fire it to cone 10. It comes
out a ruddy rich brick red. Maybe one day I will make saltillo tiles of
my own out of it.
So, forget buying a pugmill if you are just a hobbyist. Get yourself a
couple of saltillo tiles and wedge away!
much love
DJ
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