5 Tips for Keeping Your Clay in Good Condition

1. Do not let the clay dry too much

    

   The water content of usable clay is usually around 20%. Water is found in the clay particles and between the particles. This water allows the clay particles to slide over each other and makes the clay mouldable.

   However, the clay dries quickly. When you take it out of its plastic packaging, it starts to lose moisture immediately. Even when wrapped in packaging, it loses a small amount of water over time.

    

    

   Drying Problem Prevention Tips:

   • Put your clay in a double plastic bag. Tie the bags securely and remove as much air from the bag as possible before closing the bags. Then put the wrapped clay in a plastic storage box.
   • Try not to store your clay in a very hot room. Storing it in a warm place can cause even clay that has been placed in a plastic bag to lose water and harden.
    

   What to do for dried clay:

   • Sprinkle some water into the clay bag and tie the bag. Let the clay and water sit together for a few days. You do not need to be very scientific about the amount of water. We usually add one and a half cups of water per 10kg of clay, depending on how dry the clay is.

   • If the clay is moist enough to cut, we cut off a piece and wrap it with a wet cleaning cloth. Then we put the clay and damp cloths in a plastic bag and leave it overnight. Usually by the next day the clay has softened again.Is your clay so dry that it cannot be cut?

   • You can make your clay completely dry and then moisten it again with water.

2. Clay is prone to mould

   • You can slice off the mould and use the remaining clay or knead the mould into it.
   • Many ceramicists say that a little mould in the clay makes the clay more plastic and workable.
   • Alternatively, adding a little vinegar to the clay bag can also help with the problem.

3. A bag of clay is the perfect environment in which mould can grow. Clay contains organic substances and under suitable conditions moulds can multiply. Keeping the clay moist allows moulds to multiply.

   However, if you notice that mould is growing when you open your bag of clay, this does not mean that the clay has spoiled and you do not have to throw it away. There are ways to deal with mould on clay.

    

   Recommendations:

4. What to do for freezing clay

5. Maybe you store your clay in a warehouse that is cold in winter. Or maybe your workshop sometimes reaches below zero. In both cases, clay containing water can freeze.

   Normally the clay particles come together in a nice tight structure. But when the clay freezes, the water turns into ice crystals and can pull these clay particles apart.

   As a result, your clay will have a slightly strange texture when it thaws.

   You will also probably find that large crevices have formed in the centre of the clay.

   The good news is that although potting clay looks bad, it can be reused after thawing. However, you will need to compact it well before using it.

   Compacting the clay: This will get rid of the large air pockets in the clay. It will also help realign the clay particles, thus restoring a sense of workability.

4. What to do with contaminated clay

   Another issue that can affect the life of your clay is clay contamination. In general, if your clay is stored in a clay bag, it will not come into contact with dirt in your workshop.

   However, sometimes things can get into your clay. If you use recycled clay that has been used once and then stored in a recovery bucket, the clay is more likely to be contaminated.

   All sorts of things can get into a clay recovery bucket, this is especially true if you work with clay in a school or communal workshop. Everything from pottery tools to paper towels and rubber gloves can accidentally fall into the recovery bin.

   Most of the time, when compacting your clay, you notice whether something has got into your clay. Sometimes, however, small contaminants such as hair and dirt particles can go unnoticed.

   Usually this is not a problem. Often unwanted ‘stuff’ is removed by burning it in the kiln when your pottery is fired.

   However, some contaminants cause problems. One of these contaminants is pottery plaster.

    

   Why plaster is a problem?

   Plaster is an extremely useful thing to have in the workshop. It provides a good surface for compacting your clay or for drying very wet clay that you want to recover. It is also very useful for making pottery moulds.

   The problem with plaster is that it is brittle and friable and flakes can break off and fall into your clay body.

   Unlike other residues in your clay, gypsum does not burn easily when it goes into the kiln.

   Very small traces of gypsum in your clay, such as gypsum dust or small gypsum crumbs, are unlikely to cause a problem. However, even small pieces of gypsum in the clay can cause problems. Here are some things that can happen if your clay is contaminated with gypsum:

   • Pottery may crack during firing.
   • Pieces of clay may break off during the firing process.
   • As the clay absorbs moisture around the plaster, white spots may appear on the surface of the pottery.

   One solution is not to have plaster in your pottery work area. Plaster is not necessary. There are other absorbent surfaces that work well, such as MDF.

   However, we think that plaster is useful for many things, especially for recycling clay and making pottery moulds. You have to be careful with plaster and keep an eye out for any contamination.

5. Do not mix different types of clay

   In general, it is a good idea to keep the different types of clay separate from each other.

   There are also potters who mix different types of clay in their work to create interesting effects.

   However, different types of clay have different properties. They shrink at different rates when dry and behave differently when fired. Some shrink too much in the kiln and can tolerate different temperatures when fired.

   As a result, mixing different types of clay can have unpredictable results.

   Therefore, generally speaking, it is best to keep the different types of clay separate.

6.  

7. Why pottery clay lasts so long without deteriorating?

   Because clay is sold to us in nice, neat plastic bags, it is normal to think that it can spoil like a food product.

   Although commercially available clay has been refined in a processing plant, much of the material from which clay is made is thousands of years old.

   Clay is extracted from the earth and transported to a processing plant. In the plant it is milled, purified and additional ingredients are added to make certain types of clay.

   However, the basic clay material extracted from the soil consists of deposits that have built up over long periods of time.

   Pottery clay is rock that has broken down over a long period of time. The rock is decomposed by rain, microbes and the growth of vegetation. As a result, it breaks down into smaller particles.

   As the rock breaks down, the minerals in the rock turn into a mixture of soil, sand and clay particles.

   Clay is made from silicate minerals such as feldspars, which contain silica. Feldspars are the most common minerals found in the earth's crust. When silicate is eroded by rain and other elements, some components dissolve.

   Aluminosilicates are left behind and it is these residues that form the clay particles that can be extracted from the soil. These clay particles have survived erosion and weathering for thousands of years.

   One of the things that can transform clay particles is the heat they encounter in a kiln. However, the everyday conditions on your pottery work site are not extreme enough to permanently alter or damage the clay layers.

    

   To summarise;

   Pottery clay is made of a hard substance. Whatever you do with it, it can be revitalised.

   Clay can dry out in the sun or freeze in winter. Or it can be left for so long that it becomes a mouldy lump. But pottery clay does not permanently deteriorate and with a little care it can be made workable again.