Chris Schafale on thu 19 mar 98
Greetings all--
As a member of the "setting-up-a-basement-studio" crowd, I was
wondering -- what are other folks doing with all the muddy water, to
keep the clay from clogging the drains? So far, I'm using the very
low-tech multiple bucket system, reusing my throwing water (which
creates fabulous slip, I've discovered), letting the clay settle
out of wash-up water & reclaiming as much as possible. I've created
a makeshift wash-up sink from a Rubbermaid tub with a spigot 2/3 of
the way up, so that I can let it settle and then drain off the clear
part at the top. This works OK, except that I seem to be generating
more muddy water than I have room to deal with. The main reason for
this is that the water in my wash-up sink gets gets very very cold in
my unheated basement, so I keep adding hot water, which means more
buckets, etc. I've considered using an aquarium heater to keep the
temperature more bearable --anyone ever tried this? I'm also not
sure at what point the water is clear enough to put down the drain
without eventual long-term problems. So far I'm not glazing at home,
so haven't faced the question of what to do with potentially toxic
glaze waste yet (mystery glazes, here I come?). Would appreciate any
advice or feedback, from the pros or fellow novices. TIA
Chris Schafale
Light One Candle Pottery
Christena (Chris) Schafale
Light One Candle Pottery
Fuquay-Varina, NC
candle@nuteknet.com
JLHclay on fri 20 mar 98
I've worked for 2 other potters, one production potter the other more of a
potter sculptor & worked out of my own studio for 20 years. Not a sink between
the 3 of us. Your idea with the aquarium heater is great. Resist adding more
water, let the clay settle & use the clear water on top. Here in Tucson I
have 2 black 5 gal buckets filled with water tightly covered sitting in the
sun. Warm water by 10;30 am. NPR ran a piece today on water shortages around
the world. Your conservation efforts are ahead of the times. I never thought
of not having a sink as a hardship. jlhclay
millie carpenter on sun 22 mar 98
Chris Schafale wrote:
, so I keep adding hot water, which means more
> buckets, etc. I've considered using an aquarium heater to keep the
> temperature more bearable
Chris,
I have a hot plate and an old tea kettle that I got at a yard sale. I
simply dip one of my unsalable mugs in the cold water and fill the
kettle, heat it and do it again until I have warm water for both
throwing and washing.
also on the recycling of water. I keep dipping out the water to pour
over the dried scraps so it seems to keep it down to a managable level.
also I don't cover some of the bbuckets and the water evaporates and I
guess gets sucked out by the dehumidifier.
Millie
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