How To Bulk Process Wild Clay
How To Bulk Process Wild Clay
In this version of processing wild clay I will explain how to process your clay in bulk. This could potentially save you hours of processing time if done correctly.
If you’re looking to process in smaller batches, check out this post on “How To Process Wild Clay“
Here is a list of the items you’ll need:
- 20 Gallon (or higher) Storage Container x2
- Mesh Fiber Glass Screen
- C-Clamp x4
- 20V Hand Drill (any lower than 20v could fry the drill motor or just not mix the clay due to low power)
- Cement Mixer Drill Attachment
- Pillow Case
- 5 Gallon Bucket x2 ( I suggest going to home depot or lowes directly)
- 1″ Wooden Dowel x2 (I suggest finding a long straight stick to cut in two, or a sapling that needs culling, if you can find either)
- Scissors
Step 1 –
Take the lid off of your storage container and place the screen over the top. Get some scissors and cut the sheet of screen so that only 1-2 feet protrude from the sides (optional)
Step 2
Take your 1″ wooden dowel rods or sticks and place them at the edge of the screen, long side. Begin rolling the screen up with the stick/dowel. Attach two C-Clamps firmly onto the rolled up screen with dowel/stick and the inside of the storage container.
Step 3
Repeat the same process on the other side until your container looks something like this. Try to get the screen as taught as possible (this will be hard to do with a stick that is warped or bent)
Step 4
After creating the sieve container, your next step is to add your wild clay to your other storage container.
Step 5
Begin filling the container with water so that you can easily mix your clay into a slurry
Step 6
Break the clay into smaller pieces as you add it to the container. Keep the hose running on low as you break apart and add more clay.
Step 7
Use the cement mixer attachment and power drill to mix the clay and water into a slurry
Step 8
Add a second layer of loose screen to the sieve container. Let it lay loose and unrestrained, but make sure there is ample screen to protrude over the edge of the container.
Step 9
Take your 5 gallon bucket and scoop the clay slurry. Pour the clay slurry onto the screen mesh.
Step 10
Use your hands and a pressurized hose or hose attachment to spray any larger clumps of clay or thicker viscous clay.
Step 11
Take the loose top layer of mesh screen and dump the contents. Place the screen back on the sieve container and repeat step 11 and 12 until you are satisfied. When finished, take off the clamps and screen and put the lid back onto the container.
Step 12
Wait for 24-48 hours for the clay particles to settle and the water to surface on top. Pour off the excess water. Make sure to do this slowly and gently so that you pour off as little clay as possible. Conversely you could also use a siphon to get the top water layer out.
Step 13
Pour the remaining clay into a 5 gallon bucket that has a pillow case liner. You can use the other 5 gallon bucket to scoop the slurry if the container is too heavy to pick up.
Step 14
Take the pillow case out of the 5 gallon bucket and tie the top. To make untying the pillow case easier, I suggest tying the top of the pillow case with a string instead of the pillow itself. Also, if the pillow case is hard to get out of the bucket because it is creating suction as you pull, then place a hole at the bottom of the 5 gallon bucket to break the vacuum.
Step 15
The last thing to do is to let the slurry sit in the pillow case for 2-3 days (depending on the weather) and check periodically to make sure it hasn’t stiffened.
Finished
