Adding plasticity to reclaim

[baby potter]

Hi everyone, 

I’m noticing my reclaim is coming up short, even though I’ve saved all of my throwing water and slip. (For reference, the clay bodies I am trying to reclaim are Laguna B-Mix with Sand and another already reclaimed B-Mix I got from a studio, both ^10). I went to my local clay supplier and asked what they recommended to add plasticity and they said bentonite and EPK so I bought those. My reclaim is on plaster slabs right now, almost ready to wedge, and I’m trying to figure out how much of each raw material to add to my clay. I’m also unsure of how to incorporate the materials into a clay that is not in its dry state. Can anyone point me in the direction of a good recipe to follow?  Thanks in advance! 

 

Baby potter

[Min]

This came up the other day, might help. https://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/41668-midfire-clay-short-when-recycled/  Given your reclaim is already on plaster slabs if it is still fairly wet I'ld put it back into a bucket with some more water and add the blunged bentonite or ball clay/bentonite and slurry mix it again with the plasticizers. The smaller the clay particles the greater plasticity you will get from them, bentonite is much finer than ball clay which in turn is much finer than EPK. 

[Denice]

I add some ball clay to my 5 gal bucket of reclaim when I add more waste clay,  just a handful and mix it in.   I like to work with a clay that has more body to it so I can hand build with the recycled clay.   I also use it for the original piece when I make a mold,  you have to toss the original piece and first mold pull.    Denice

[Pres]

When recycling clay for the ceramics classes before summer vacation, I would add a few ounces of vinegar into the pug mill. Over the Summer months the clay would set in 50gal plastic buckets with damp towels with a water vinegar soak in them. Every Fall the recycled clay was better than the clay direct from the boxes. Students noticed the difference and I did take the time to explain that the organic material in the vinegar had chance to age the clay with organic material.

best,

Pres

[Hulk]

When I've used Nerd's reclaim mix, a very small amount (a quarter cup to about three gallons of reclaim slurry; OM4 is the ball clay I'm using...) makes a discernable difference.
Verticals cracks shortly after throwing - Studio Operations and Making Work - Ceramic Arts Daily Community

 

[Piedmont Pottery]

I like to use Veegum T to fix short batches of reclaim.  I keep a tub of hydrated Veegum next to the pugmill.  After each batch is mixed, I test for shortness, and if needed, put in a small scoop full of the hydrate Veegum and mix some more.  Veegum is expensive, but it doesn't take a lot to fix a batch of clay.

[baby potter]

On 5/4/2024 at 8:42 AM, Denice said:

I add some ball clay to my 5 gal bucket of reclaim when I add more waste clay,  just a handful and mix it in.   I like to work with a clay that has more body to it so I can hand build with the recycled clay.   I also use it for the original piece when I make a mold,  you have to toss the original piece and first mold pull.    Denice

 

On 5/4/2024 at 10:21 AM, Pres said:

When recycling clay for the ceramics classes before summer vacation, I would add a few ounces of vinegar into the pug mill. Over the Summer months the clay would set in 50gal plastic buckets with damp towels with a water vinegar soak in them. Every Fall the recycled clay was better than the clay direct from the boxes. Students noticed the difference and I did take the time to explain that the organic material in the vinegar had chance to age the clay with organic material.

best,

Pres

 

On 5/4/2024 at 10:28 AM, Hulk said:

When I've used Nerd's reclaim mix, a very small amount (a quarter cup to about three gallons of reclaim slurry; OM4 is the ball clay I'm using...) makes a discernable difference.
Verticals cracks shortly after throwing - Studio Operations and Making Work - Ceramic Arts Daily Community

 

 

On 5/8/2024 at 8:51 AM, Piedmont Pottery said:

I like to use Veegum T to fix short batches of reclaim.  I keep a tub of hydrated Veegum next to the pugmill.  After each batch is mixed, I test for shortness, and if needed, put in a small scoop full of the hydrate Veegum and mix some more.  Veegum is expensive, but it doesn't take a lot to fix a batch of clay.

Thank you all for your advice! Still doing some research on how much of each material to mix in, and I’ll reply with my findings.

[Callie Beller Diesel]

Bear in mind if you’re using someone else’s reclaim, they might not have been as diligent about adding their throwing slop back as you have been.

Another solution is to mix your reclaim with some new material. IDK if Laguna sells dry mix of their clay bodies, but at the studio I’m working at we add a 50 lb dry bag of Plainsman M340 to a 50 gal bucket of reclaim slop, as that’s the main clay body we work with. After a day or 2 of slaking and about a week on the drying rack, it gets pugged. It’s been great to use.