shanas Posted March 7, 2020 Report Share Posted March 7, 2020 I have a relatively new home studio and have too much waste water and don't know what to do with it. I had been dumping all my throwing slop plus trimmings into a 5 gallon bucket. My plan (someone suggested from the studio I used to attend) was to siphon off the water into another bucket, then siphon that into another bucket so I was left with mostly clear water and dump that in my yard. Well, I have siphoned off the clear water and dumped it in my yard, and have a slurry of clay and trimmings that were in the bottom of the bucket that I am going to reclaim, but I have about 3 gallons of slippery clay water. It doesn't seem to be "settling" anymore and I don't know what to do with it. Any advice on what to do with it or how to dispose of it? I am also not sure what to do going forward. Should I reuse the throwing water from session to session? It seems to get stinky and I wasn't sure if that is healthy. Appreciate the help! Shana Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liambesaw Posted March 8, 2020 Report Share Posted March 8, 2020 Just keep using it to throw with, you don't need clean water to throw. I too off my throwing water bucket until it is about half slip and then pour the water off and recycle the slip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanas Posted March 8, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2020 Thank you! What do you do with the water that you pour off? Where do you put it as I know it should not go down the sink? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Beller Diesel Posted March 8, 2020 Report Share Posted March 8, 2020 I siphon the clear water out and just dump it. The slurry that doesn’t settle out should be mixed with your trimmings or botched pots and reclaimed that way. If you don’t return the fine particles to your reclaim it gets short. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liambesaw Posted March 8, 2020 Report Share Posted March 8, 2020 27 minutes ago, shanas said: Thank you! What do you do with the water that you pour off? Where do you put it as I know it should not go down the sink? I pour it into another bucket that I use for throwing water. Throwing water can be used indefinitely. I should add that I use a crock pot for my throwing water so it actually never gets smelly. The heat from the crock pot kills anything before it can grow. If you get smelly water just toss it in the garden I guess, but sounds like a waste of perfectly good water to me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanas Posted March 8, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2020 Thank you for the tips. I am still unsure what to do with the 3 gallons of slippery water. I can use it for throwing, but I have so much. What would happen if I dumped some of it in my yard? I have some un-landscaped areas in my yard, is it safe for the ground? Sorry, these may be obvious answers, but as I said, I'm pretty new at this. I have also recently gotten a new clay body that I'd like to starting throwing, and this current bucket of slippery porcelain water wont' work with my speckled gold clay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanas Posted March 8, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2020 @liambesaw Do you keep the crock pot on at all times? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liambesaw Posted March 8, 2020 Report Share Posted March 8, 2020 8 minutes ago, shanas said: @liambesaw Do you keep the crock pot on at all times? No, I have an appliance interval timer connected to it. I press a button and it stays on for 2 hours. That's usually enough for it to get nice and warm and last for a throwing session. As far as throwing it in your yard, it's fine, there's nothing in porcelain that will be toxic, it's just clay, Feldspar and silica. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JohnnyK Posted March 8, 2020 Report Share Posted March 8, 2020 Just think about where the clay came from to start...if you don't want a big white spot in your yard, just pour it into a gallon bucket and just splash it into the yard. The clay particles will filter down to the ground in the next rain or sprinkler session... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanas Posted March 8, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2020 Thank you both. I figured it was fine going back to where it came from, but just wanted to be sure. I'm in Seattle so it will wash way over the next 2 days without a problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
liambesaw Posted March 8, 2020 Report Share Posted March 8, 2020 1 minute ago, shanas said: Thank you both. I figured it was fine going back to where it came from, but just wanted to be sure. I'm in Seattle so it will wash way over the next 2 days without a problem. Hey neighbor! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rae Reich Posted March 8, 2020 Report Share Posted March 8, 2020 If you want to dry out that old slip so that you can trash it, "glue" with a bit of slip a coffee filter over the hole in the bottom of a red clay unglazed planter and pour in your excess slip. It might take a while to dry in your climate, but it should firm up enough to discard as a solid. As your throwing skills improve, you will find that you can throw using less water (or, more slippy water) and have less to discard/recycle. You might find yourself using less water just by switching from porcelain to stoneware. Throwing with slip instead of water helps you to retain the fine particles that make the clay plastic and responsive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanas Posted March 8, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 8, 2020 Thank you @raereich. I am noticing I'm using less water. And I didn't realize throwing with slip instead of water is a better idea. Thanks for the tips! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stephen Posted March 9, 2020 Report Share Posted March 9, 2020 great thread? Never really thought about this. I have been dumping out my throwing water in yard for years and have never seen any ill effects but I have never let it build up and dump between each session. Never thought about throwing with slip and using porcelain I find too much water is a problem anyway. I'm pretty sure everyone's right and its fine to toss or keep. Clay always seemed too cheap to me to waste too much time trying to recycle but I do re-pug anything that gets tossed off wheel into a bucket and stays soft. Hate dealing with dry clay personally. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joseph Fireborn Posted March 10, 2020 Report Share Posted March 10, 2020 I have been tossing the clay water in my yard for 5 years. I haven't seen any signs of negative effects. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Benzine Posted March 10, 2020 Report Share Posted March 10, 2020 23 minutes ago, Joseph Fireborn said: I have been tossing the clay water in my yard for 5 years. I haven't seen any signs of negative effects. Of course you haven't seen anything. The super-intelligent ants you created live below the surface... For now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Min Posted March 10, 2020 Report Share Posted March 10, 2020 On 3/7/2020 at 3:57 PM, shanas said: I had been dumping all my throwing slop plus trimmings into a 5 gallon bucket. My plan (someone suggested from the studio I used to attend) was to siphon off the water into another bucket, then siphon that into another bucket so I was left with mostly clear water and dump that in my yard. Just going back to this part of @shanas original post. If that works for the clay you use then great but many of the ones I've used don't slake down well unless they are bone dry first. I find that clay that is between being bone dry and useable consistency doesn't slake well. If you have this issue then I'ld save the throwing slops in one bucket and trimmings and scrap in another. Let the second bucket of clay dry out completely then fill it with water and leave it alone overnight without mixing it up. In the morning the clay will be slaked down with a layer of water on the top which can be siphoned off. Then add the clay slops from your throwing to the wet slaked clay and mix it up with a paint mixing attachment on an electric drill and dry it out on plaster or however you planned to dry it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shanas Posted March 10, 2020 Author Report Share Posted March 10, 2020 Thanks for all the tips for all aspects of my issues. I'll have some things to figure out still it seems! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Callie Beller Diesel Posted March 11, 2020 Report Share Posted March 11, 2020 17 hours ago, Benzine said: Of course you haven't seen anything. The super-intelligent ants you created live below the surface... For now! I for one will welcome our new ant overlords...as long as they let me keep making pots. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
douglas Posted March 13, 2020 Report Share Posted March 13, 2020 Pour the slip in with your saved trimmings and slop and reclaim the clay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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