Is it common to find clay sediment in streams? We have plenty of them here, never really thought about going to find clay in them.
Jerry, Do you have a kiln to go with the pottery wheel? The reason I ask is that a kiln is a great tool to use to turn eggshells to ash <calcium phosphate>. They get far hotter than a BBQ and in fact you can also turn oyster shells to ash. chunk
Even the ceramic cookers like the Big Green Egg (brand name) makes quick work of egg shells. It's easy to hit 900F+ which is good if you're making pizza and want the New Yawk crust. Pretty expensive toy for burning egg shells and making pizza though......
So I work for a stone importer mostly countertops and floor tiles etc..... So there is rock dust from rocks from all over the world china Germany India Egypt etc we fabricate also so we literally fill up a 55 gallon drum a week with this dust .... Then we trash it . Can I use this ..... Its super fine powder everywhere in the shop just sweep it up and sift it right?
Hiya byokbobie, I am a retired granite fabricator/tile setter and am intimately familiar with the whole rock dust paradigm in that industry. Yes, I believe you could use the rock dust you create in the fab shop without any problem. In fact, it is a good way of disposing this material rather than a landfill IMO. The only concern I might have is that in the shops I worked in, there were some residual sealers that were used in the manufacturing process that found their way into the sludge. Welcome to Grasscity, chunk
Thanks chunk I thought about that and decided to only use it from parts of the shop that are "clean". I am loving this forum doing lots of reading gettin ready to go completely organic.
I fugured that one out, I posted it above somewhere. I don't have a memory for who said what and when for insult for some reason...it was the mag thread, TLO. I don't have a long noobie memory, but I think metalhead might stay and hence not be a noobie much longer. Hey, 'TLO'...isn't that the organic man in the skunk magazines tag-line...no wonder I pissed that person off so much!!! They much really like that magazine persona, and I stepped on it. Nice to at least know what I did wrong No, metalhead was the nice poster. I have been trying to help both tho...sometimes I only remember being called something, don't always remember who exactly. age. lack of effort. I have a kick ass single bag method written down somewhere that I made for a friend once, I should find that and post it. You plant the plant in the open topped bag, with some holes poked into it. You ammend the bag, let it sit a month, plant a plant in the top. I used to do that with tomatoes years ago, just added a wire frame,,,as a teenager, the 'less effort cuz i'm a teenager method'. more coffee...
I went by 'feel'. You, as a gardener, would know what it's supposed to feel like, you add the clay dry, wet the soil, use your hand as the guide. We used to coil and pinch pots, make animals, but a wheel would be a good addition...hmmm. Good thought!
I have. I went and got some from the counter top guys, also some pretty chunks that I mauled under a carpet into powder. Granite, marble, all kind of rocks. My soil is jet black and 'shines' like starlight when light hits it
Chunk, boy would I love to have a kiln. The pottery we make can end up comimg out pretty cool, but without a kiln, its virtually useless except for decoration. Mebbe someday, cuz I really enjoy it. Having a whole lot of the clay available for free helps too... jerry.
You folks would do quite well adding clay or native soil to your mixes. As long as the source is "clean" (no 'cides' leaching into your repository). Just don't add too much or you could end up with a soil that is not pourous and will not drain well (air and water). Otherwise, every great soil mix will have a bit of "clay" material in it. One of the bestest ways to build a higher CEC reserve. And that isn't my opinion, rather the soil PhD's opines. Less is best! Do it! There is a lot to be understood regarding clay material in the soil. More so than that required for producing Gumby or bricks. The benefit of clay is CEC first, tilth second.
Wee, ur so right - that's all I need is more electric spent...*lol* We're already at like $350/Mo right now! I know its winter and everybodies stuck inside but $350? Too much! A kiln would be so awesome, tho! We would love to be able to glaze the silly little pieces we do turn out. It is pretty cool having actual pottery grade clay right here on the property - this stuff is pure and clean - no other junk mixed in. The several deposits we've found are right in the stream. Jerry
Possum, thanks for clearing that up! Curious - do you think that my clay would compare to the Azomite I now purchase, or is this a different animal altogether? I thought I read that the Az was made from clay deposits... Jerry
StickyFiskers Check out Grill Dome from Atlanta, Georgia. The founders are from India where their families have been involved in building Tandoori ovens for 500+ years. They turned this ancient device into a modern one with hi-tech ceramics. They also are far, far less money than the Big Green Egg plus these come in 5 or 6 colors.
From the little I can remember from a bit of research a couple years ago, the only known deposits are the one in Utah and one in S. America. Peru or Ecuador IIRC. Where I'm at, finding anything BUT red clay is a miracle. It is funny watching the cats trying to bury anything after a dry spell though. Wet
wetdog Do you have a ceramic supply house in your area? One of the big ones selling wheels, bulk clay, etc. Not the cutesy-wutsey places for old blue haired ladies. You may have more options than you think. LD
An excerpt from the textbook of the botany class I'm currently taking: Here's another excerpt that describes the size of a clay particle: Good post Possuum, chunk