Dear Simon, you did lose a lot a weight recently. I wish you the best health and hope everything is fine. Thank you for all these years of great videos.
I have had this happen a few times and what I do is use a wire to slice the block into slabs (thickness depends on how hard it is), dip each in water, stack them back up again, wrap it and then leave it overnight to equalize out. To make sure you get it right, you can add water until the weight of the clay matches what is says on the box.
Thank you for this video, very informative. After not throwing for many many years, I have some clay and will start throwing Again! Thank you for your inspirational videos.
Nice wee tour of the gallery. Will give your method a try when next needed. I have had good results in bag immersion method but always looking to learn new stuff. Cheers...Freddie
Thanks for the tip Simon: it’s a little warmer than usual in West Sussex this month, turning my damp scraps into plaster of Paris overnight. I’ve tried the immersion technique (dry clay with added water in a sealed bag submerged in a water bucket). It works brilliantly and is zero work - only you have no idea how sloppy the end product’s going to be. Inevitably you end up too dry or too wet. My mainstay is the wedging -slice technique: cutting slices on a 45 degree wire, slapping together wet and dry slices. But you have to do it 40 times or so, which buggers your wrists. It’s 1.30 am here but I’m off out to needle a lump as per your hint . Regards Raoul
After the summer of abandoning my clay , this did the trick! Back on the wheel TODAY! YEEHAW!Thanks for showing/teaching me that Clay is TheWay! So true,for me anyway💪🏻😊✨
I’ve found that by pouring s half or full cup of water into the plastic bag, sealing it, and turning it over occasionally over a few weeks’ time that the water is absorbed and the clay softens nicely.
Simon that is way too much work! Take two shop towels, soak them in water and wrap the clay pug with them. Then tightly close up the plastic bag. Leave the towels on for a day or two and your clay will be ready to throw. I live in the Arizona desert and the shop towel method works perfectly. In fact I just leave the towels on until I am ready to use the clay.
I use a technique similar to this, but my tool of choice is a large screwdriver. Nice big handle to hold onto and doesn’t break off in the clay like a chopstick sometimes does.
Hi,‘I have been watching one of your videos. I was hoping you could guide me in a project. I have been ask by a close friend if I can make some rocks out of her young sons remains. Would be you willing to tell me if that is possible and what the method would be? My plan was to be add some to my reclaimed clay but I want to make sure I do it correctly. Thank you so much.
Have you considered making a clay piece, maybe a vase, and then turning the ashes into a glaze for the vase(or whatever you make)? I plan to make a beautiful pot before I die and formulating a glaze to be made with my ashes. Of course a potter will have to complete the glaze firing for me😇. Maybe I will ask Simon if he will😆😆😆
Hello Simon, Thanx for all the great videos and all the advice you're giving out for free. I just discovered your Etsy shop and I found quite amusing that in many videos you encourage us to make our own tools but then people go to the shop and buy the Essential tool kit for 60€!!!! I am not a full-time potter (maybe one day) but I think part of the fun is to make our own tools as well. Obviously, all the better for you to get this kind of brainless customers.. maybe one day, you just don't have to sit at the wheel anymore!! Hahahaha. Still, I find it absolutely amazing that those simple tools one can buy for 10€ end up selling to 60€. You should try to put the price up to 100€ and see if they're still selling!! ;-)
Essential tool kit is $49 not 60€ ! The simple tool kits you can buy for €10 yes …those tools will be a hindrance more than a help !! …I do not take 10€ tools and try and sell them for 60€, I design from experience better tools. You speak like I am trying to take some advantage ? If I was why would I show people how to make their own tools with my videos ?? Yes free videos. Seems you have a lot to say, but you have not thought through what you are saying ?
All your reduction kilns and yet I see almost all brown, come on, where are the copper reds? The Juns? The celadons? Temmoku? Wait I guess that’s brown usually but if I had a gas kiln it would be bright reductions colors all the time! I need to live vicariously for about 2-3 years when I hopefully get a fast fire wood kiln and a soda kiln (or maybe salt, I can’t figure out how to decide)! In the mean time I’m going to see if I can get my raku kiln up to at least cone 5, if I’m super lucky maybe cone 8, but even if that actually works and I can get anything to turn out since I doubt I’d be able to hold temps for a normal 9 hour firing, so I’d have to get my glazes to work in probably 6 hours if I’m that lucky, I’d be very limited to when I can use it considering I live in MN and yeah, raku kiln can’t come in the house.
Dear Simon, you did lose a lot a weight recently. I wish you the best health and hope everything is fine. Thank you for all these years of great videos.
I have had this happen a few times and what I do is use a wire to slice the block into slabs (thickness depends on how hard it is), dip each in water, stack them back up again, wrap it and then leave it overnight to equalize out. To make sure you get it right, you can add water until the weight of the clay matches what is says on the box.
That’s 100# of clay I can reclaim without waiting for a pugger! Thank you Simon!
Great idea! Thanks Simon. ❤
Yes it does work ! I still do this.
Thank you for this video, very informative. After not throwing for many many years, I have some clay and will start throwing Again! Thank you for your inspirational videos.
Nice wee tour of the gallery.
Will give your method a try when next needed. I have had good results in bag immersion method but always looking to learn new stuff.
Cheers...Freddie
Thanks for the tip Simon: it’s a little warmer than usual in West Sussex this month, turning my damp scraps into plaster of Paris overnight. I’ve tried the immersion technique (dry clay with added water in a sealed bag submerged in a water bucket). It works brilliantly and is zero work - only you have no idea how sloppy the end product’s going to be. Inevitably you end up too dry or too wet.
My mainstay is the wedging -slice technique: cutting slices on a 45 degree wire, slapping together wet and dry slices. But you have to do it 40 times or so, which buggers your wrists. It’s 1.30 am here but I’m off out to needle a lump as per your hint .
Regards Raoul
Helpful. I have definitely had 25 lb bags of clay never used, dry out on me. Looking at them right now. Lol
After the summer of abandoning my clay , this did the trick! Back on the wheel TODAY! YEEHAW!Thanks for showing/teaching me that Clay is TheWay! So true,for me anyway💪🏻😊✨
Thanks for the tutorial. I have sone clay that needs this treatment before I throw tomorrow afternoon!
I’ve found that by pouring s half or full cup of water into the plastic bag, sealing it, and turning it over occasionally over a few weeks’ time that the water is absorbed and the clay softens nicely.
Nice tip!! I have a bag to soften. Will try it!
Where have you been Simon? We missing your videos. Hope all is ok and to see you back soon.
Hi Simon. I hope you are well. Miss your videos.
Its a very nice place to have your shop, I did a Video on it last year.
Simon that is way too much work!
Take two shop towels, soak them in water and wrap the clay pug with them.
Then tightly close up the plastic bag. Leave the towels on for a day or two and your clay will be ready to throw.
I live in the Arizona desert and the shop towel method works perfectly. In fact I just leave the towels on until I am ready to use the clay.
Exactly ! Sooo Much easier …
I use a technique similar to this, but my tool of choice is a large screwdriver. Nice big handle to hold onto and doesn’t break off in the clay like a chopstick sometimes does.
Many thanks, i always have trouble with the right soft to hard!
Какая красота!!!!!
Hi,‘I have been watching one of your videos. I was hoping you could guide me in a project. I have been ask by a close friend if I can make some rocks out of her young sons remains. Would be you willing to tell me if that is possible and what the method would be? My plan was to be add some to my reclaimed clay but I want to make sure I do it correctly. Thank you so much.
Have you considered making a clay piece, maybe a vase, and then turning the ashes into a glaze for the vase(or whatever you make)? I plan to make a beautiful pot before I die and formulating a glaze to be made with my ashes. Of course a potter will have to complete the glaze firing for me😇. Maybe I will ask Simon if he will😆😆😆
Hello Simon,
Thanx for all the great videos and all the advice you're giving out for free.
I just discovered your Etsy shop and I found quite amusing that in many videos you encourage us to make our own tools but then people go to the shop and buy the Essential tool kit for 60€!!!! I am not a full-time potter (maybe one day) but I think part of the fun is to make our own tools as well. Obviously, all the better for you to get this kind of brainless customers.. maybe one day, you just don't have to sit at the wheel anymore!! Hahahaha. Still, I find it absolutely amazing that those simple tools one can buy for 10€ end up selling to 60€. You should try to put the price up to 100€ and see if they're still selling!! ;-)
Essential tool kit is $49 not 60€ ! The simple tool kits you can buy for €10 yes …those tools will be a hindrance more than a help !! …I do not take 10€ tools and try and sell them for 60€, I design from experience better tools. You speak like I am trying to take some advantage ? If I was why would I show people how to make their own tools with my videos ?? Yes free videos. Seems you have a lot to say, but you have not thought through what you are saying ?
Dude, you just leave an original edition of A Potters Life out? Wouldn’t those be worth a lot of money? Maybe just…behind glass or something?
Кусок глины в ведро с водой вечером, утром можно работать)))
All your reduction kilns and yet I see almost all brown, come on, where are the copper reds? The Juns? The celadons? Temmoku? Wait I guess that’s brown usually but if I had a gas kiln it would be bright reductions colors all the time! I need to live vicariously for about 2-3 years when I hopefully get a fast fire wood kiln and a soda kiln (or maybe salt, I can’t figure out how to decide)! In the mean time I’m going to see if I can get my raku kiln up to at least cone 5, if I’m super lucky maybe cone 8, but even if that actually works and I can get anything to turn out since I doubt I’d be able to hold temps for a normal 9 hour firing, so I’d have to get my glazes to work in probably 6 hours if I’m that lucky, I’d be very limited to when I can use it considering I live in MN and yeah, raku kiln can’t come in the house.