Reclaiming Clay

[Rondas Originals]

I work with commercially prepared earthenware clay and sometimes slipcast with a different brand. The broken pieces have ended up in the same bucket. Will my reclaimed clay be ruined?

[Mudlark]

I work with commercially prepared earthenware clay and sometimes slipcast with a different brand. The broken pieces have ended up in the same bucket. Will my reclaimed clay be ruined?

 

[Icyone2]

I work with commercially prepared earthenware clay and sometimes slipcast with a different brand. The broken pieces have ended up in the same bucket. Will my reclaimed clay be ruined?

 

 

***Warning, I am still doing experiments and am only a beginner at trying this

 

I have recently done this on purpose, similar happenstance but my clay is a pressing clay, my slip a different brand that we have not been able to get so we were running low.

 

I have no idea what I was doing so I googled making slip and am in the trial and error phase of seeing if I can combine lots of scarp pressing clay (pug mill is out of service and I have rebuilding it, plus it scares me to death)

 

I started with this link here

 

http://www.nmclay.com/Customer_service/Slipmaking.htm

 

I narrowed the list down a bit as I knew my pressing clay had some of the ingredients and we have a super osmosis water filter dohicky at our studio

 

so far the only thing I have added is a bit of soda ash (using Arm & Hammer washing soda as it has no additives and is Sodium Carbonate - soda ash)

 

Wish I would have kept better track of the amounts for future reference as I sort of just guessed.

 

I did a test casting of pure recycled and it came out of mold fine, I've since added a about 4 gallons of it to my existing slip and it has cast fine too.

 

My first test piece is in kiln as I write this as I'm hoping I have no problems with glaze fit as I added no talc as I figured my pressing clay and the existing slip had it already.

 

So far so good.

 

here is another resource I used as it has a bit more info on adjusting. I'm a googler, when I need to figure out something I just google like crazy.

 

http://www.lagunaclay.com/support/art-of-slipmaking.php

 

 

 

 

 

[Rondas Originals]

Thanks for the info. I hope your experiment is a success.

 

 

 

 

I work with commercially prepared earthenware clay and sometimes slipcast with a different brand. The broken pieces have ended up in the same bucket. Will my reclaimed clay be ruined?

 

 

***Warning, I am still doing experiments and am only a beginner at trying this

 

I have recently done this on purpose, similar happenstance but my clay is a pressing clay, my slip a different brand that we have not been able to get so we were running low.

 

I have no idea what I was doing so I googled making slip and am in the trial and error phase of seeing if I can combine lots of scarp pressing clay (pug mill is out of service and I have rebuilding it, plus it scares me to death)

 

I started with this link here

 

http://www.nmclay.co.../Slipmaking.htm

 

I narrowed the list down a bit as I knew my pressing clay had some of the ingredients and we have a super osmosis water filter dohicky at our studio

 

so far the only thing I have added is a bit of soda ash (using Arm & Hammer washing soda as it has no additives and is Sodium Carbonate - soda ash)

 

Wish I would have kept better track of the amounts for future reference as I sort of just guessed.

 

I did a test casting of pure recycled and it came out of mold fine, I've since added a about 4 gallons of it to my existing slip and it has cast fine too.

 

My first test piece is in kiln as I write this as I'm hoping I have no problems with glaze fit as I added no talc as I figured my pressing clay and the existing slip had it already.

 

So far so good.

 

here is another resource I used as it has a bit more info on adjusting. I'm a googler, when I need to figure out something I just google like crazy.

 

http://www.lagunacla...-slipmaking.php

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Icyone2]

That was a long story but I think you will be fine. Not sure how much of a mix you have though.

 

I've recently just ordered some sodium Silicate liquid for another deflocculate besides the soda ash just in case I get too thick as I've started on the second 5 gallon bucket.

 

Figure if I fail and it does not cast well I'll just make a bunch of paper clay with it.

[Annamaria Gundlach]

I work with commercially prepared earthenware clay and sometimes slipcast with a different brand. The broken pieces have ended up in the same bucket. Will my reclaimed clay be ruined?

 

 

I teach where there is lots of different clays discarded by the wheel throwers. I wedge and recycle and sculpt with all the clays. I only low fire and have had no problems. I also love slipcast clay for repairs which I apply to all clays and there's never been a rejection or crack. Try some small tests and see if you like the results.

[Icyone2]

So far so good, been casting with my mix just fine. No problems with test piece that was fired then glazed and fired again

[whimsysodafire]

the thing that one must be apprehensive of when mixing two clay bodies is that there are different kinds of kaolins and fluxes in each clay body. a small amount of different clay will not make a difference but over a long time it will also if you mix 1/2 and 1/2 you may have molecular issues or maybe lowering the melting point or worse.