The picture shows the left over dried paper clay scraps from
my latest workshop. As you can
see, there’s a lot left over. But, since it’s paper clay, I never worry about
this or what to do with it. One of the nice thing about green bone dry paper
clay is its ability to be recycled and reused many times.
When people use regular clay, they tend not to think about
the clay that is going into the thrash because that cost is relatively small. A
typical 25# bag of regular clay can be as low as $6.00 per bag, depending on
the clay blend. Paper clay being more expensive (a 25# bag costs around
$15-17.00) than regular clay requires me to think more frugally. Any paper clay
scraps I throw away means I’m throwing away $$.
Once the paper clay has dried out,
it will last indefinitely. It is one of the methods for storing your paper clay
without it getting moldy. The disadvantage of this storing method is that you
cannot use your dried out clay immediately like you could fresh from the bag. It
will require some planning and time, and it can be messy, especially if you are
reconsituting a lot of paper clay crumbs. My process of slaking the dried out
clay, blending it, and drawing the excess water out till the paper clay is in a
kneable state usually takes about a week, maybe even two depending on the
weather.
If you have stored you dried out
paper clay in sheets, and want to use them as sheets, you can reconstitute (ie
rewet/rehydrate) them as such and can begin using them once the sheets have returned
to their leather hard state. Most of the time, I just roll out my reconstituted
clay into slabs and let it firm up. That way, I have more control over the
thickness of the slabs.
Save all your paper clay scaps.
Recycle and reuse! Make them feel happy again to be part of a new piece of Art.
3 comments:
Hi.. do you put the dry clay in a blender with a little water? And where do you find it in 25# bags. Thanks! Nice blog!
I reconstitute my dry clay in 5 gallon buckets. I break down the dried paper clay into smaller bits to speed up the water penetration into the interior of the dried clay. Usually a day or two under water will soften the clay enough to continue the process of reclaiming the clay.
Aardvark Clay Company, who is my local supplier, sells paper clay in 25# bags. They also carry different types of paper clay. Use the link here to visit their website.
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