Additions To Raw Clay

[MMB]

Ever since I moved to the NE Georgia area I had been interesting in testing the clay that forms the entire ground area around my home. I first dug up a bit while digging a fire pit around 3 feet deep. I was digging in the rain to make it easier since the ground is so hard. I saved a bunch and tried processing it down by the usual breaking apart and sifting. The end product still was not so nice. I had started to dig a wine cellar on another part of our property, which is now my pit fire pit, and decided since I was so deep (4 to 6 feet) Id collect another lil sample. This time I decided to take a cup at a time and throw it into a bucket of water and blend it up with a paint mixer. Immediately after to make sure everything was suspended I poured it over a frame that I had wrapped nice and tight with some of my silk screen silk. I figured the threads on that quality of silk are woven good and close, extra close to be exact, and would act as a perfect filter. I poured over the frame till if refused to let anything more through, which actually happened pretty quick. It settled in a day and I siphoned off all the water I could and blended it again then poured it into a cotton pillow case that hung in a bucket with holes a the bottom. After a couple of days I was able to transfer the silky smooth clay onto a plaster slab. It felt great, kinda like a slip consistency, no grog. As it slowly dried more on the slab it did crack and separate into medium sized pieces although once it got to a good consistence I was able to kneed it. It felt like a typical red clay. I ended up testing it out yesterday in the kiln making a lil pinch pot and it successfully fired to ^06. I later this week plan to try ^7, of course it will be sitting in another vessel just in case the worst happens.

 

I did notice that its plasticity lacks a bit. It will crack when stretched too much. You can smooth out the cracks and it will be fine. I have some Coarse, Medium, and Fine grog that I was going to test with. Would the addition of a lil bit of bentonite help as well? It might of been a bit to dry when I handled it, so i guess some more tests will be underway.