How To Forage Wild Clay
Foraging wild clay may seem like a no brainer, but knowing these simple tips and tricks can make finding and gathering clay a lot more enjoyable.
The first thing you want to think about before heading out onto your clay foraging adventure is what to put the wild clay in? A 5 gallon bucket could work, but do you really want to haul a 5 gallon bucket full of clay, half a mile back to your car? I think not. If you have the option, bring a backpack with you instead.
Make sure you pick the right back pack for your needs. Do you need something sturdy that can handle 40-50lbs of raw material? Or do you want something less bulky and light weight that can help you collect samples from around the area. Whichever backpack you decide, make sure it is free from damage.
After selecting a back pack, the next thing you should do is line the inside with a 4mil or higher contractor bag. These will help keep your back pack nice and fresh. It will also help with any organic or inorganic material cutting or damaging your back pack.
Once your back pack is set up, find something around your house that could help you dig up the clay easier. This could be a gardening hoe or hand shovel, like I have in the above pictures, or it could be something less obvious that could help loosen the soil. Either way, whatever you choose, it should be able to be stored in your bag, before and after gathering wild clay.
The last thing you should think about before heading out is, how long will I be gone and where will I be looking? Depending on where you’re going and how long you’re going to be out, always be sure to tell someone if the location is off the beaten path. And always remember to bring a snack, water and some form of protection from the sun.
Now that you’re packed and ready, you’re next thoughts should be where to look. Maybe you already have an idea in mind about where some good clay is, or maybe you saw some on one of your latest hikes or walks in your area. Make sure that you have the appropriate attire on for the environment you will be in and then head out!
If you don’t know where to look that’s okay too. Start with an area that has a lot of water around. Maybe a local river or stream, or even a lake or pond near you. There is a good chance that you will eventually find pockets of clay on the banks and shores of these bodies of water. To learn more in depth details on what to look for read this previous post on “How To Find Wild Clay“.
After prospecting the area you should find a spot that you would like to gather and test for clay content. To do this easily and efficiently, just take off your back pack and take out a bag for it to sit on so that it doesn’t get dirty from the environment. Then keep a plastic liner in the bag and open it up and fold the top, down over the back pack, so that your test material only drops into the plastic bag and not your back pack.
You want to make sure that when you are foraging your wild clay that you are only taking as much as you are willing to process. Processing wild clay can be time consuming in large quantities, even when doing the process efficiently.
To gather the clay, begin by surveying the top soil, making sure that the surface has the qualities of clay, and then proceeding by digging into the clay with your hand tool. Scoop the clay directly from the earth and drop it into your back pack lining. If you see any big organic materials such as twigs, leafs, etc. then be sure to take those outs as well before leaving. This will help keep native plants in their environment and help with your processing time.
After gathering up some clay in that area you can close up your trash bag and put your pack back on to go look for more areas or head out. If you wanted to get multiple samples from multiple different locations around the area then make sure to bring enough bags to keep your samples separate. And if you really want to stay organized, bring some masking tape and a sharpie to label the different bags and samples.
With these tips on foraging clay you should have no problem gathering clay for your next ceramic project! If you want to learn more about wild clay and how to create with it, visit Higher Perspective Art and browse through hours of FREE CONTENT!
