rg42@BELLSOUTH.NET on fri 16 jun 00
Hi Shelley-
If you have any questions about this construction, please contact me.
Richard
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Clay Preparation De-watering Tray
Used to extract water from thick clay slurry.
Description:
A dry stacked brick form designed to allow
maximum air circulation around and through
the construction. Water is extracted through
capillary action and evaporation. The tray is
easily extended to increase clay production.
Trays may be located inside or outside if an
appropriate waterproof cover is used. The
height of the tray prevents rainwater from
splashing on the upper bricks. The quality of
the bottom three layers of brick is less
important than the ones in contact with the
clay. These brick should be clean and very
porous. Solid brick or those with holes work
equally well.
A sheet of cloth or burlap is used to keep the
clay in the tray and to prevent overly fast
drying. Other tray designs requiring less brick
will also produce good clay but may require more
time before you can remove the clay. You may
refill the tray with clay slurry without waiting
for the bricks to dry. Trays work in temperatures
above freezing. Freezing dries the slurry so
quickly a hard uneven crust develops.
For best results, view the following diagrams
with a fixed width font like Courier.
This de-watering tray design is adapted form
=93Pioneer Pottery=94 by Michael Cardew, St. Martin=92s
Press, New York.
___________ ___________ ___________ ___________
| | | | |
|_____ _____|_____ _____|_____ _____|_____ _____|
| | | | | |
|_____|___________|___________|___________|_____|
| | | | |
|___________|___________|___________|___________|
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
|___|_____|___|_______|___|_______|___|_____|___|
| | | | |
| 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 |
|___________|_________ _|___________|___________|
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
|___| |___| |___| |___| |___|
Front
_____ _____ _____ _____ _____ _____
| | | | | | |
|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| <-6
| | | |
|_____ _____|____ ______|___________| <-5
| | | | | | |
|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____|_____| <-4
| | | |
| 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | <-3
|___________|___________|___________|
| | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | <-2
|___|_ |___| |___| _|___|
| | | | | | | |
| 0 | | 0 | | 0 | | 0 |
| 0 | | 0 | | 0 | | 0 | <-1
| 0 | | 0 | | 0 | | 0 |
|_____| |_____| |_____| |_____|
Side
___________ ___________ ___________ ___________
| | | | |
| 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 |
|___________|_________ _|___________|___________|
| | | | |
| 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 |
|___________|_________ _|___________|___________|
| | | | |
| 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 |
|___________|_________ _|___________|___________|
| | | | |
| 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 |
|___________|_________ _|___________|___________|
| | | | |
| 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 |
|___________|_________ _|___________|___________|
| | | | |
| 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 |
|___________|_________ _|___________|___________|
Top
Construction:
This small tray is constructed using a little
more than 100 bricks.
Layer 1.
Choose a level place and set the first layer of
bricks on end. This layer requires 20 bricks.
___ ___ ___ ___ ___
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
|___| |___| |___| |___| |___|
___ ___ ___ ___ ___
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
|___| |___| |___| |___| |___|
___ ___ ___ ___ ___
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
|___| |___| |___| |___| |___|
___ ___ ___ ___ ___
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
|___| |___| |___| |___| |___|
Top
Layer 2.
Place a second layer of bricks on top of the upright
bricks. The bricks span the tops of the bricks below.
This layer requires 16 bricks.
___________ ___________ ___________ ___________
| | | | |
|___________|___________|___________|___________|
___________ ___________ ___________ ___________
| | | | |
|___________|___________|___________|___________|
___________ ___________ ___________ ___________
| | | | |
|___________|___________|___________|___________|
___________ ___________ ___________ ___________
| | | | |
|___________|___________|___________|___________|
Top
Layer 3.
Place the third layer of bricks on top of the
previous layer. These bricks span the lower bricks
in the opposite direction. This layer uses 15 bricks.
___ ___ ___ ___ ___
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
|___| |___| |___| |___| |___|
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
|___| |___| |___| |___| |___|
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | |
|___| |___| |___| |___| |___|
Layer 4.
Cover the structure with a solid layer of brick.
You may use splits or full sized bricks for this
layer. Splits are half the thickness of regular
brick. This layer uses 24 bricks.
___________ ___________ ___________ ___________
| | | | |
| 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 |
|___________|___________|___________|___________|
| | | | |
| 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 |
|___________|___________|___________|___________|
| | | | |
| 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 |
|___________|___________|___________|___________|
| | | | |
| 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 |
|___________|___________|___________|___________|
| | | | |
| 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 |
|___________|___________|___________|___________|
| | | | |
| 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 |
|___________|___________|___________|___________|
Top
Layer 5.
This layer forms a wall to prevent the clay slurry
from running off the form. In damp regions this
wall may need to be a single layer thick as in
this diagram. In dryer regions a wall two bricks
high may be necessary to get a good product.
Place a cloth barrier over the layer and tuck the
cloth into the corners. This layer uses 12 to
24 bricks.
_____ ___________ ___________ ___________ _____
| | | | | |
| 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 |
| |___________|___________|___________| |
| ^ | | ^ |
| 0 | | 0 |
|_____| |_____|
| | | |
| 0 | | 0 |
| | | |
| ^ | | ^ |
| 0 | | 0 |
|_____| |_____|
| | | |
| 0 | | 0 |
| |___________ ___________ ___________| |
| ^ | | | | ^ |
| 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 |
|_____|___________|___________|___________|_____|
Top
Fill the cavity with clay slurry. Place another
cloth on top of the slurry to keep it clean. If
the tray is outside place the top in place.
Layer 6. (Optional)
After the slurry hardens slightly, place a few
bricks on top. It isn=92t necessary to cover the
top with these bricks.
Check the hardness of the clay on a regular
basis. Clay should be removed from the tray
slightly wetter than a throwing body. Form a
standard sized blocks of clay, cover with
plastic and store for later use.
Richard Gilbert
Cherryville, North Carolina
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