kelleyisfj Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 Hi, I am setting up a small studio in my condo and know that something has to be done with the water I use. I really can't just dump it out off my balcony. I used to work in a large studio and they had a contraption set up under the sink but I really can't do that. So far I've been putting the water in a bucket, letting the water settle and pouring the top water into the kitchen sink. That still leaves water with clay particles and slurry at the bottom. Would appreciate suggestions. Thanks, Kathleen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meisie Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 Hi, I am setting up a small studio in my condo and know that something has to be done with the water I use. I really can't just dump it out off my balcony. I used to work in a large studio and they had a contraption set up under the sink but I really can't do that. So far I've been putting the water in a bucket, letting the water settle and pouring the top water into the kitchen sink. That still leaves water with clay particles and slurry at the bottom. Would appreciate suggestions. Thanks, Kathleen Not sure if this works because I've only been working at home for 7 or 8 months or so but I clear as much clay out of my buckets and splash pan as I can then use one of the glaze sieves with a fine mesh and pour the clay water into that while it's in the sink. Any lumps left stay in the sieve and I can scrap them out, the water runs through and some of the really small stuff turns to a very fine sand which I think is okay to flush down the drain and won't clog the pipes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Campbell Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 I've been doing this for many years ... I have a large bucket that sits in my sink that I use throughout the day to clean up, the clay settles really quickly so the water that overflows is usually clear. I keep the drain opening covered with an old t shirt or towel so any water that overflows has to go through it as a filter. At night, I let the clay water settle. In the morning, I cover my drain with an old towel or t shirt and pour the clearest water through it. It drains slowly and catches a lot of the smaller particles. I put the thick bottom stuff in an old pail to dry out, then just put it out in the yard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
meisie Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 I've been doing this for many years ... I have a large bucket that sits in my sink that I use throughout the day to clean up, the clay settles really quickly so the water that overflows is usually clear. I keep the drain opening covered with an old t shirt or towel so any water that overflows has to go through it as a filter. At night, I let the clay water settle. In the morning, I cover my drain with an old towel or t shirt and pour the clearest water through it. It drains slowly and catches a lot of the smaller particles. I put the thick bottom stuff in an old pail to dry out, then just put it out in the yard. Oh I like the idea of fabric. Never really thought of that and I should of because I also bake and have used cloth often to add spices to mixtures when you want the flavor but not the actual spice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam S Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 Since I don't have easy access to a sink I'm really careful about how much clay goes into the water bowl at my wheel. I keep any trimming, cut off, so on to the side of the bowl and that goes into a recycling bucket. I use a two bucket system for the water. I have a 5 gallon bucket with a few bricks stacked inside. On top of the bricks is a smaller bucket with holes punched all around it starting about 4 inches from the bottom. I used an awl. I pour my waste water into the small bucket which catches the heavier/larger clay waste. Once the 5 gallon bucket fills to the base of the smaller bucket I pour that water through a glaze seive lined with cheese cloth. At that point it can go down the drain but during the summer I use it in my garden and flower pots. Every so often I scrape out the slurry from both buckets, let it dry and toss out under the trees. Since you're in a condo I supose once dry you could dispose it in the trash. It is biodegradable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
centered Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 I love your 2 bucket idea. I'm off to the store to get a smaller bucket. thanks for sharing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seasoned Warrior Posted February 2, 2011 Report Share Posted February 2, 2011 I use my studio basically only as a pottery studio and I have 55 gal drum sunk into the ground just outside the studio that the sink drains into and then I have a pipe at the top of the drum so that when the water gets higer than the pipe it flows out. Every once in a while I get ambitious and muck the clay out of the bottom of the drum. Since the system drains outdoors I don't really pay too much attention to it but it does seem to be effective (there is always. My system works kind of like a huge "p" trap. I've also seen a deice that replaces the "p" trap in your sink that is suitable for an apartment. In the ad the system attaches to the tailpiece on the sink and then the drain into the wall but it has an enlarged "p" and it can be unscrewed and drained. To me the commercila system looks like it would be convenient but Chris' system seems like the simplest and most cost-effective and really hard to beat. Regards, Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kelleyisfj Posted February 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 Thanks everyone! I think I'll use the fabric filter technique and use canvas, since it is so thick and might catch more particles. Kathleen Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Campbell Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 Canvas might not work as well ... the t shirt material sinks right down and blocks the sides of the drain too. I think the canvas could be too stiff and water could get past it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denice Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 Hi, I am setting up a small studio in my condo and know that something has to be done with the water I use. I really can't just dump it out off my balcony. I used to work in a large studio and they had a contraption set up under the sink but I really can't do that. So far I've been putting the water in a bucket, letting the water settle and pouring the top water into the kitchen sink. That still leaves water with clay particles and slurry at the bottom. Would appreciate suggestions. Thanks, Kathleen I have a fairly complicated 3- 5 gallon settling system that works well but I still consider the bucket in my sink the heart of the system. I let the bucket fill up during the day while I'm working and let it settle over night. In the morning I pour the settle water down the drain into my settling buckets and start over again. You do have to clean slurry out of the bucket but it's a small price to pay to keep you plumbing clean. I don't have to be as carefull as I am with my settling system but I worked with a bucket alone for twenty years and old habits are hard to break. Denice (Wichita, KS) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyndi Posted February 5, 2011 Report Share Posted February 5, 2011 This was an excellent post and so timely. On the same line I would like to know about laundering. Do any of you have problems w/washing your clay clothes, aprons, towels, rags, etc. in your personal washer/dryers. When I wash my regular dark clothes a whitish residue ends up on them. Don't know if it is from the washer or dryer. Would like to hear some input on this. Thanks for all the wise counsel on this forum. Cyndi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GEP Posted February 5, 2011 Report Share Posted February 5, 2011 This was an excellent post and so timely. On the same line I would like to know about laundering. Do any of you have problems w/washing your clay clothes, aprons, towels, rags, etc. in your personal washer/dryers. When I wash my regular dark clothes a whitish residue ends up on them. Don't know if it is from the washer or dryer. Would like to hear some input on this. Thanks for all the wise counsel on this forum. Cyndi. My studio towels get so chunky with clay, I'm scared to put them in my own laundry machines! Once a year, I take my pile of clay-covered towels to a local laundromat. This is a really big laundromat with dozens of laundry machines running 24 hours a day, so their drains are always moving. I know other pottery studios who use the same laundromat. So far, they haven't told us that the clay is causing any problems. Mea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Campbell Posted February 5, 2011 Report Share Posted February 5, 2011 I always pre soak my towels in a bucket of water to get the worst of it out. Same with my clothes if they are filthy. My washer let's me add an extra rinse cycle so I do that when I wash them. No problems so far! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.