Pottery Pottery Basics

How to Use Local Clays in Your Pottery

Woman making a clay pot

 

Kypros/Getty Images 

Have you ever wanted to dig your own clay? Local clays can make wonderful slips and (when fired higher than the clay's actual maturity temperature) slip glazes. They can also be very interesting clay with which to create pottery. Does clay that is dug straight from the ground need processing? How do you know what temperature to fire it at?

  • 01 of 05

    How to Find Local Clay

    Approximately 80 percent of the earth's land surface contains clay. There is a good chance that there are local earthenware clays near where you live. How do you find it?

    Some of the best places to look for clay include:

    • river banks
    • stream beds
    • road cuts
    • naturally exposed earth such as in canyons or gullies
    • construction sites

    Always make certain to get written permission from the land's owner before digging any clay. It is especially important to get permission when the clay is in a construction area. Follow safe practices, such as staying clear of dangerous terrain or machinery. Never dig clay from National or State Parks or Monuments; disturbing the natural habitat is often illegal and can carry some serious consequences.

  • 02 of 05

    Processing Your Clay

    Clay straight from the ground does need to be processed. The clay will need to be sieved to remove unwanted material such as rocks, twigs, and roots. Sieving can be done either of two ways. The clay can be pulverized when dry and then sieved, or dried, slaked down in water, then sieved.

    The finer the mesh used, the fewer inclusions your working clay will have. I suggest using a 50-mesh screen, although a 30- or 80-mesh will do. Don't go any finer than an 80-mesh screen, as that can negatively affect the clay's usability.

    Once the clay has been cleaned and slaked down, you will want to bring it back to a working consistency.

  • 03 of 05

    Create Test Pieces

    Now that your clay is workable, it is time to create several test pieces. Test pieces should have upright components, so you will be better able to detect deformation when it occurs. Small bowls are a good shape for test pieces. Mark each test piece so results can be tracked. Marking can either be done by incising designators into the clay while it is still damp, or by using oxides or stains to write them on the clay.

    If you want to test your clay for its use as a slip, create test pieces either using the clay body you will be working with, or a white clay body. Either of these should have a higher maturation temperature than you believe your local clay has. Decorate the test pieces with the slip, using various techniques.

  • 04 of 05

    Before Firing the Test Pieces

    As you work with the clay creating the test pieces, you are already conducting your first test. You will inevitably discover the clay's workability. You will also need to test for maturation range.

    When testing for the clay's maturation temperature, make sure you always fire your test pieces on bisqued plates which are larger in circumference than the test pieces and are made of a higher firing clay. Other attributes you may want to test for include shrinkage and absorption rate.

    Continue to 5 of 5 below
  • 05 of 05

    Test Local Clays for Maturation

    Any clay you find will almost certainly be an earthenware. Most other clays must be mined; they are not generally found at the surface. You'll need to run tests on your clay to figure out what range it has for certain, but a reasonable place to jump off of is to assume it will fall somewhere in between cone 06 and cone 02.

    Record all results for your trials and determine if you have discovered the maturation temperature. If not, run further tests. For example, the clay may seem to be fairly mature at cone 02, but you would like to check to see. In that case, run a second series of test pieces, firing them at cone 01, 1, and 2.