Trimmings

If you make pots, then you have clay to recycle.  It is just the nature of the beast.   I get asked a lot of questions about how I handle recycling.  There are a lot of methods – but the best one is the one that you will follow through with.  For me, I do a combination of things.

In my multi-tiered system, there are 3 stages of clay that can be recycled: wet, dry, and slurry.

Reclaimed wet clay

Wet clay:  My first approach is to reduce the amount of clay that I must recycle.  This means that all wet clay accumulated during throwing is dealt with right away.  Wet clay includes any clay that comes from throwing the pot, collapsing a pot, cutting a rim, etc.  I put it in a bag or in a margarine tub.  (I prefer the margarine tub because the bags get messy.)  At the beginning of the next throwing session, this clay is wedged and used.  Whether you have your own studio or work in a community studio, anyone can recycle her throwing clay in this way.  You will be amazed how much clay you can reclaim.

Clay scrapings

Dry Clay:  In my system, dry clay is any clay that is too hard to be re-wedged immediately.  This includes trimmings, hard clay, scrapings, extra mug handles, extra teapot spouts, extra lids, pots damaged prior to firing, etc.  There are 2 methods for dealing with dry clay.

1.  If the clay is ‘marginally’ dry, I cut it into small pieces, spray with water, store in a bag, and re-spray periodically until the clay is moist enough to re-wedge.  Marginally dry clay includes trimmings from a soft-leather hard pot, recently pulled handles, or bagged clay that is too stiff.  This is another way to reclaim clay that anyone can do.

Collection bucket

2.  I collect dry clay in a shallow bin and in a kitty litter container.  Any pieces of clay that are larger than a few inches are broken into small pieces.  Clay in the shallow bin is allowed to dry until it is bone-dry then it is added to the kitty litter bin.  (I don’t worry about drying all the clay completely because it wedges well enough for me.  But if you want a very smooth clay, then dry all of the clay until it is bone-dry before re-hydrating because only clay that is completely dried out will dissolve in water.)  When the kitty litter bin is full, I add enough water to cover the clay and allow it to hydrate for several days.  I stir it occasionally and add additional water as it hydrates.

Hydrating the clay

After the clay is hydrated, I decant the excess water and lay they clay on hardibacker board.  Hardibacker board is what is used to install tiles.  You can purchase a piece at any home improvement store for under $20.  It stashes easily (standing on its side); therefore it is a better choice than plaster for my small studio.  It is also easy to cut so you can trim one piece into several manageable sizes.

After the clay is laid on the hardibacker board, it is allowed to dry for a while.  It is flipped multiple times until it is dry enough to wedge and store.  During the drying process, I flip the clay onto a fresh hardibacker board which helps expedite the drying.  Do not allow the surface of the clay to become over-dry because it results in lumpy clay.  You can dry the clay to the stiffness of your preference.

Drying clay on hardibacker

This method is the most time and space consuming.  If you have limited space, then don’t try to recycle large amounts of clay at one time.  Even if your primary studio is a community studio, you can still reclaim your dry claim.  However, this method also takes attentiveness.  It is such a travesty to over-dry the clay and have to start the process over.

Slurry

Slurry:  Slurry is the clay in the bottom of the throwing bucket.  If I need to make slip, I use the slurry because it saves me time.  Otherwise, I decant the throwing water and pour the slurry into the kitty litter bin with the dry clay to help hydrate the dry clay.  However, if you don’t recycle dry clay, you can collect slurry in a container and lay small amounts of it on hardibacker board to stiffen.  There is no need to dry the slurry to a bone-dry state.

I am constantly amazed at how much clay I reclaim; so, of course I had to quantify it.  In one throwing session when I threw one 25 lb bag of clay, I collected 3 lbs of wet clay and 4 lbs of trimmings.  Although the amount of clay varies with they type of pots thrown, reclaiming clay means I save money and have more clay and can throw more pots.

Note:  Not all clay bodies recycle well.  Slurry from a groggy clay or porcelain is often not good for re-use.

A final note:  In the spirit of transparency, Julie handles about 90% of our recycling, for which I am very grateful!

Chips and Salsa

Veggies and Dip

Cookies and Milk

Special thanks and appreciation to A La Mode Photography!

As I was making the cookies, I was musing about commission orders.  There are two kinds of good commission orders.  One is when a client wants to purchase a pot that you make regularly – this is very affirming and usually do-able.   The second is when a client wants a pot that you don’t make but the request inspires you, makes you stretch, or try some new ideas.

Then there is the bad commission.  This is an order that is beyond what you do or what you want to do.  A bad commission can have parameters that won’t work because you know your abilities and you know your materials (clay body, firing capability, and glaze characteristics).  If you can keep from being drawn into a commission that isn’t a good fit for you, you can avoid a lot of frustration and keep from making work that is below your standard.

“You know the old adage that the customer’s always right?  Well, I kind of think that the opposite is true. The customer is rarely right.  And that is why you must seize the control of the circumstance and dominate every last detail: to guarantee that they’re going to have a far better time than they ever would have had if they tried to control it themselves.” Charlie Trotter (chef)

I can waste a lot of time piddling around the studio before actually getting to work.  Tharp’s advice is spot on.  Although I am very good about cleaning up after working in the studio, perhaps, I can make more of an effort to plan what I will do when I get come back into the studio.

Sous-potters nap in the sun while I work in the studio

In eastern NC, spring is filled with yellow, pine pollen and it seems to be overtaken by summer heat very quickly.  So spring isn’t one of my favorite seasons.   But, since I have been ‘potting’, my appreciation of this time of year has grown.  I enjoy the longer days because I can spend more time in the studio before it begins to feel too late.  Since I am outside more often so I notice how the light changes during the day.  And, although, I do minimal gardening (limited to few potted flowers), I get a lot of pleasure watching them bloom.  Pottery has brought so much to my life.

So when I make teapots, I make extra lids.  I used to make 2-3 lids per pot.  But I became more efficient and began making 6 lids for 5 teapot bodies with the same diameter.  In the last year, I began limiting myself to 1 lid per teapot (much to Julie’s relief).  However, as a result of my risk-adverse approach, I have quite a stash of lids.  In fact, I have a stash of lids at my studio and another stash at Julie’s studio (buckets-o-shame).

Initially, the cost of a well-fitting lid was a spare lid which seemed like a small price to pay.  But, the extra lids are not a complete waste.  Lids with protruding knobs make great apron hooks.  I also use the bisque lids as models for lid-type or knob ideas for the pots that are in progress.  And, of course, there is always a need for glaze testers!