Reclaiming clay, or how I stopped throwing money in the bin
Trimmings, collapsed pots, the slurry at the bottom of the splash pan: in a busy month that is easily a third of the clay I buy. For years most of it went in the bin because reclaiming felt like a chore. This winter I finally set up a routine that takes about twenty minutes a week.
The routine
Dry it completely. Everything goes into a shallow tray and dries bone dry. Dry clay slakes down evenly; leather-hard lumps stay lumpy for days.
Slake in a bucket. Dry scraps go into a bucket and get covered with water. Overnight they fall apart into a smooth slip on their own.
Pour onto plaster. I cast a thick plaster slab from an old bag of plaster and a cardboard box. The slip goes onto it about four centimetres deep and the plaster pulls the water out. In a warm studio it is ready to wedge in a day or two.
Wedge well. Reclaimed clay is a little short at first. A couple of weeks resting in a sealed bag makes it noticeably more plastic.
Reclaim isn't worse clay. It is clay that hasn't had time to rest yet.
I now buy noticeably less clay, and the reclaim throws beautifully once it has rested. The only rule is never to mix bodies: one bucket for stoneware, one for porcelain, clearly labelled.