Mechanical help mixing recycled clay?

Hi folks!

Up until now, I have been recycling my clay manually, but this is holding me back when it comes to doing repetitive exercises on my wheel, as I think about all that clay I will then have to moosh and dry and wet and dry and knead.

We have spent quite a bit on equipment for the workshop lately, so buying a new machine is out of the question, though I might get lucky and find a used one at a more sensible price.

But - my husband is really great at building things, so I thought maybe some of you could give me ideas that would make my process easier, if not easiest, if you know what I mean.

At the moment, I hang my remixed clay in a pillow-case, but what with other drying clay and standing water, etc., the humidity in my studio is so high, that the clay takes ages to dry to a workable consistency. I don't really have any other place to hang it, though.

Anyway - you guys are so great sharing your experiences and ideas, so I though I would ask for input :-)

Thanks!

Marianne

Reply to
Bubbles
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well, a pug mill is pretty much the same as a big meat grinder. possibly your husband can rig up an old meat grinder for you to use as a small pug mill? add a hopper over the inlet to keep the mess down.

give it a shot, and keep your fingers clear!

see ya

steve

Reply to
slgraber

Sometimes its worth belonging to a group where there is more equipment available. In my area here there are three groups that I know of that have pug mills, the membership cost is small. I belong to two of these groups :o) Might be worth checking out. One lady in one group who is financially stretched manages to buy very little clay herself by using clay that people dump at the rooms and are too lazy to recycle themselves, we often see her there grinning away while she is using the pug mill. Whats more she is in her mid 70's and still turns out some very interesting stuff.

Reply to
Xtra News

That's not the system here in switzerland - I don't know of any groups of potters of more than a couple sharing a studio. The studio my teacher has, doesn't have a pug mill, sadly. I don't know of any others close by.

If you have a chance to take some pics of "your" lady's stuff, I would love to see some!

Marianne

Reply to
Bubbles

I might get lucky somewhere with that. But - does such a device de-air as well, or do I still have a lot of wedging to do?

Also - how long would I have to let the clay mature before I could use it on the wheel? Or should I exclusively use it for hand-building?

Marianne

Reply to
Bubbles

i pug & use pretty much right away. although i often have pug clay around for up to a year.

i wedge sometimes but not too much.

i often hand build the pug clay, maybe because i mix it wetter just in case i have it hanging around for a year. some 60% of what i pug is hand built.

i think de-airing pug mills are mainly for production houses or people who pug straight into an extruder.

see ya

steve

Reply to
slgraber

I don't use the pillow case method, i do the following:

Let the used clay get *really* dry, put it in a bucket and pour water over it to cover it. In a couple of days, when it is quite soft, i syphon off the excess water, then i use an electric drill with one of those paint stirring attachments you get in every hardware store and mix it until it is quite smooth, sort of like butter cream. I then spread it on a plasterboard and let it sit, depending on weather conditions, for two or three days, and wedge it. This way it doesn't need to be wedged too much, since all the lumps in it are removed and there is practically no air in it. Works well without too much ellbow grease.

try it. Monika

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Reply to
Monika Schleidt

I have tried it. I even made my own plasterboard, but I am getting bits of plaster flaking off into the clay and a very slow dry even on the board, so I am fed up with it - also as the clay must then take bench space, which I do not have a lot of at all.

How small are your clay bits? I got lumps in my last batch, though the bits were very small, and I think it was because I added water to clay instead of clay to water.

Thanks for the input!!

Marianne

Reply to
Bubbles

Hi, Pug mills are strange beesties and you can get de-airing pug mills but they are v.expensive. Though I don't doubt your hubbies abilities, I should imagine it would be very dificult to make one; they are like big mincers but if you imagine the robust nature of the cast body of a mincer and magnify this by ten!???! If it is possible to build the body, screw etc. you will need a motor that can deal with a lot of torque and as I've used these beesties in a number of schools and colleges I can tell you that the old ones(with tired motors) are hard work; having said that, these are often the best places to pick one up second hand.Catering size grinders/mincers might be the answer for relitivly small amounts.

If you have trouble with the plaster bat 'method' I've often thought that an old stone trough or even thick biscuit fired troughs might work.It might even be possible to make them so they stack, saving bench/floor space. I don't get time to use huge amounts of clay but I save it up and dry it over time (the drier it is, the easier it is to re-constitute). When added to water it takes a day or so to break down. After mixing and syphoning water from the top, I use a similar drying method to the 'pillow case' one. Now, don't laugh at this next bit, it works for me! I have a stone floor in my workshop, so when the recycled clay has matured a bit, I make a huge pile of it, roll up my trousers and take of my shoes and socks(phew!), and wedge/knead it with my feet. After this it needs very little kneading by hand.

Reply to
plodder

If you are talking about the pieces you take off of the wheel and not what you are drying out and rewetting then it really is easier to do it as you go. If you have a good plaster board this is really a easy task that is mindless and a pleasant break from work that calls for thought and attention. I have my plaster board near where I throw. When I trim off clay from a piece, get too much slip built up or lose a piece, etc. I just dump it on the board. I make piles of the size I want to wedge, smash it into a pancake and leave it. I may then need to peel if off the board and turn it over if the top is not drying as fast as the bottom but that is about all. Yesterday I had forgotten one of my piles and half was too dry and the other too wet. I simply wadded it up and took it into the TV room and played with it while watching TV. Nice finger exercise and totally mindless. My plaster board is about 15" by 30". If your plaster board is coming off in pieces then something is drastically wrong with it. The surface should almost be like high quality cement - smooth and solid. It should absorb water much faster than anything else. If you are doing a large batch of clay then just make sure to with the heal of your hand push the clay out to thin layers, fold it over and push it out again until it is not chunky with wet and dry. It should still be soft though. Then wegde it up.

"Bubbles" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@individual.net...

Reply to
DKat

Another material worth investigating is Heat Resistant Insulating Board which is widely used these days in buildings. Here in the UK they are Vermiculite based, which is a safe, heat resistant, insulator. The pieces I use are one inch and half an inch thick (25 & 12.5mm). it is known here as either Superlux or Vermiculux. When not in use I lean them against the wall to dry out, and on the rare occasions a bit gets into the clay it doesn't matter at all!

Steve Bath UK

In article , DKat writes

Reply to
Steve Mills

Thanks, Dkat

I think I will junk my home-made board and buy one. I was also putting the clay on the board as I was turning or throwing, but when bits come off, it isn't pleasant :-)

Marianne

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Reply to
Bubbles

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