The Christian Homesteading Movement
(Page 8 of 8)
March/April 1971
By Hal Smith
Raw clay can be found almost anywhere—in the subsoil, along river banks, or at the bottom of creek beds. Once you have found a good source you are ready to make pottery.
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If the clay is almost pure it can be used as it is. If it is mixed with stones and leaves, let it dry out, crush it into a fine dust, and screen it. (Horse hairs from tail and mane make good screen.)
A finely crushed "tempering" material can be mixed with the raw clay to help prevent it from cracking when it is fired. Tempering can be made from old pottery, clam shells or lava.
The clay dust and tempering are next mixed with water and kneaded to a dough-like consistency. If the clay is too wet and sticky, either add more powder or work it in the sun. It is best to work in the shade once it is just right for working.
Make something simple like a handle-less cup or a small bowl for your first try. Roll out coils and wrap them around one at a time to build up your piece evenly.
Pinch and smooth the piece to a solid evenness with your fingers.
When it is all finished let it become perfectly dry but don't leave it in the hot sun or it may crack.
Under intense heat clay turns into a form of rock. The last step to make a lasting cup or bowl is to build a bonfire over and around your pottery.
The pottery will blacken here and there if you put it directly into the fire (but this doesn't hurt it structurally), so you may want to cover it with an old tin pail or use an oil drum for a kiln. Rocks will also do.
In any case, it is how hot and long-lasting your fire is that matters. The pottery must cool slowly and it is good if the wood ashes from the fire cover it while it is cooling. This takes about twelve hours or more.
A good time for this big fire is a night you would like to celebrate, like a birthday.
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