Bud Vases made with blue clay.
Reclaimed clay is basically just recycled clay. Clay that’s been used but not fired can be reclaimed, and any clay scraps can be reclaimed. When I’m reclaiming my white clay, sometimes I will add stain to the clay to turn the clay a color. Here I will briefly describe that process, and you’ll find a short video with quick clips of these steps at the end of this post.
I make sure any clay scraps or pieces I plan to reclaim are totally dry; this will make it faster and easier for the used clay to break down in water. I dump my dry scraps into some water and give them at least a few days to break down before I attempt to process it.
Once the reclaim is nice and soft, and all broken down in the water, I make sure it’s smooth. Sometimes I will sieve reclaim, if I’m concerned that it’s extra lumpy. But often it can just be blended down to a smooth consistency with a cheap kitchen blender, as you’ll see me using in the video.
I plan to upgrade to a drill with a paint mixing bit in the near future, and save my cheap blender for smaller batches of slip or glaze.
Once it’s blended smooth, it can simply be used as a slip. But for colored slip or for colored clay, at this point the color is added in. I use different ceramic stains (usually Mason stains) to add color to my clay. Sometimes I use cobalt for the blue, it just depends on what’s available and what’s affordable. Either way, the stains are in a powdered form. They can easily be spooned and blended into the slip.
For reclaim without the color, I simply skip the step above.
The slip can then be made into clay; It needs to be dried/firmed back up until it’s firm enough to wedge and use. I use an old pillow case to store and dry the wet reclaim. The pillow case easily hangs off the front of my kiln shed. It usually needs a few days outside, and I come out once or twice a day to knead and punch the bag, to try and keep the clay mixed and drying at a fairly consistent rate (as much as this is possible).
Once the clay is starting to get a bit too dry around the edges, I knead it all together one more time in the pillow case. Then I double bag it all in plastic, and let it sit for a few weeks, so the moisture can even out. This also gives the clay some time to develop some good bacteria, which helps with the clay's elasticity.
After a few weeks, I check the dryness and, if it’s firm enough to handle, I pull the clay out of the pillow case. I get the clay into manageable balls, and I start to wedge. Wedging will help get rid of any air bubbles in the clay, along with ensuring that the moisture content is consistent. It also helps the clay particles to align in a way that will make the clay more user friendly - more elastic and easier to make with.
I try to wedge the clay while it’s almost too wet, just to make the wedging a bit easier. After this first wedging session, I usually need to let the clay dry out a bit more. This extra rest can only help; I’m always very patient with my reclaimed clay. I’ll do 1 more thorough wedging session with the clay before I consider it ready to throw.
The video below shows some quick clips of this process. The clay I’m making here is a light blue, and the pieces pictured here (and shown at the end of the video) came from this batch of blue clay. Reclaiming clay is a lot of work, but it’s rewarding. Free clay! Blue clay! I think it’s worth the effort.
