Raw clay
The clay is full of rocks and other impurities that may burn away or explode in the kiln
Digging a pond to collect the clay
Compacting the soil so it doesn't contaminate the clay
Digging raw clay, rocks and roots included
Dumping clay in a pile above the pit
Digging a well in the clay pile
Adding water
Mixing water so it becomes muddy (Clay particles become suspended in solution)
Draining the clayey water into collection pit
This was repeated several times, the collection pit being topped up as the water level decreased
Note all the rocks left behind in the upper pit
The lower pit is left to settle
It is now free of rocks and other impurities
The refined clay is taken out of the pit to dry on the ground
To source the grog, old broken roof tiles were used
Grog is finely crushed up pottery. It is added to clay to prevent it from cracking while being fired.
The small pieces of ceramic prevent thermal shock in the pottery as the temperature changes.
Adding grog to clay and mixing it in. This will help dry out the saturated clay as well
Clay ready for pottery
Making round clay disks to form the pottery on. They have no central rotor to turn on and so are not true pottery wheels
A layer of ash helps prevent the pot sticking to the discs.
Forming the base of the pot, note the disc can be turned instead of the potter moving, making it easier to form
Making several pots simultaneously, adding layers to some while the others dry is efficient use of time.
Coils are added to build up the pot
Measuring is important so as to ensure they all fit into the kiln
Forming the pots on discs allows them to be moved (it was going to rain here)
I found it faster to flatten coils into long slabs to add to the pot rather than use round coils
Each layer needs to be melded with the one below, inside the pot and out
Roughly completed pots
Smoothing pots with a flat piece of wood while still moldable
This compresses, strengthens and thins the clay wall
Burnishing the stiffened but still damp clay to give it a glossy, semi waterproof finish
Burnishing flattens the clay particles so that collectively they form one smooth surface (note the difference before and after)
A shell can be used also to burnish clay
Drying out the pots till they are bone dry before firring. Damp pots explode and spall in the kiln due to steam escaping
Dry pots ready to fire
Making a clay sluice as well as pots
Scoring the clay to catch the heavier sand
Sluice ready to fire
I'm going to fire some bricks as well. This will make the firing more worthwhile, making use of otherwise empty space.
Putting the pots on top of the bricks where they will be protected from sharp temperature changes.
The pots are upside down to trap the rising heat inside and bake more fully
The sluice then goes on top
Fire by friction
Pushing the lit fire into the ash pit of the kiln first and adding wood here
This slowly heats and further dries the pottery before the proper firing commences
Covering the pottery with broken tiles to trap the heat in
Now adding wood on top of the grate for the proper firing
In a short time the flames come trough the top of the kiln
The wood is added for 1hr 30 min until the pottery at the top is glowing red hot
The next day, the cool kiln is opened
A ringing noise when struck indicates the pottery is well fired and structurally sound, a hollow sound indicates cracks
Terracotta xylophone
Extra fired bricks always come in handy for later use
Brick stack
Water test for the pots
The pot survives the water test and will make a handy bucket for carrying water
Testing the sluice
The sluice works but the grooves are a bit deep catching coarser sand rather than the finer magnetite I'm after for iron ore
Next time I'll make shallower grooves like I did with the first sluice
Processing clay is much easier now using the sedimentation method, allowing a higher quality clay to be obtained with less labor
Processed clay