Facing Ignorance with Grace

In just a few months I will reach the two-year anniversary of my studio groundbreaking. And outside of the studio itself, I don't have much to show for it.

I took my first pottery class forty years ago, and have joined a community pottery class a handful of times since then. While my throwing has remained relatively OK, my lack of studio experience has put a damper on my progress. I'm not one to dive into new territory without chewing on it a good long time. I'm proud to say that for once in my live, I'm simply rolling with it and not letting the shortage of progress dampen my mood. I don't have to rush into anything, and I have nothing to prove. It does take my brain some time to process new information, so I'm letting it all happen organically and in it's own time

That said, I've just cleared a major hurdle - clay recycling. Not that it's that difficult. It was just one more thing that I'd never done before and I found it intimidating. Instead, I admit to finding it zen-like and enjoyable. It's physical and repetitive, and requires little to no mental energy. I wished I'd started doing this a long time ago.

Buckets of wet and dry scrap clay

Slacked and sieved clay "pudding"

Dried clay ready for kneading

I've read less-than-positive comments about using "reclaimed" clay as if it's a lesser matieral. I think it's an improvement, and always preferred studio pugged clay over new bagged clay. The ability to blend clay to a texture that works best for you is a gift.

My Process:

For wet scrap (sludge from wheel) - strain off the excess water and sieve (#100 mesh). If it's thick enough (i.e. pudding consistency), it's ready for drying.

For dry scrap - crush dried clay in as small pieces as reasonable. Throw in a bucket cover with water about 2-ish inches over the top of clay. Leave for at least 24 hours until the clay is completely slacked. Sieve with #100 mesh screen.

I found that combining the two batches gave me the perfect consistency for drying. But I believe either batches would dry well on their own.

The most common method for drying out reclaim seems to be plaster bats. But I really don't need anything else in the studio that can break, take up space, or contaminate the clay. Instead, I used Hardie board and it worked brilliantly. I can cut down the boards and store them behind the kiln. And being cement boards, the are tough as... cement. For extra protection against contamination, I put sheets between the boards a clay. Best of all, the clay was nearly dry within 24 hours.

Only 8 more buckets of clay to reclaim, and I'll be back at the wheel. Hopefully with a plan and a mission.