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Lesson Plans


Re: recycling clay

[ Thread ][ Subject ][ Author ][ Date ]
Maggie White (mwhite)
Sat, 11 Sep 1999 17:35:58 -0700

Davissw wrote:
>
> Does anyone know of a good way to recycle clay used in ceramic classes. My
> principal won't agree to get a pugmill and I have two large ceramic classes.

Well, I've got a pug mill and even after all the advice from the
group, I still can't get clay from it. So I stick with my good
ol' five-gallon buckets.

I start with two buckets of each of the clay bodies we use, white
and terra cotta. As they start getting low, I transfer clay from
one to the other, so now I have one bucket of each clay, and two
empty buckets. The empties are the designated recycling
buckets. All hard scraps and trimmings get thrown in, along with
the excess slosh--actually a very watery slip--from the potters'
wheels. As the scraps get squooshy and soft, I glop that into
the clay buckets.

Sometimes I do have to use the recycling buckets to mix a new
batch (I buy the dry clay and mix it myself); in that case I hide
the new batch for a few days while it gets really saturated.

Hope this helps. Check back in the archives from last spring for
a lengthy discussion on recycling clay.

Maggie

  • Reply: George Martin Rex: "Re: recycling clay"