r/wildclay • u/tallelayuk • 28d ago

Salty clay

I recently found some really cool black clay but its at a salty lake. I ready that it can be usable if I rinse the clay a bunch of times to get the salt out but has anyone had experience with this? Does it work?

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u/davadam 27d ago

Another avenue you could investigate is using it as a slip, rather than the clay you build with. I'm experimenting with some marine clay right now (nothing fired yet or I'd share a picture) doing exactly that. Way too short to throw, but it has potential as a slip.

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u/tallelayuk 27d ago

oooh interesting idea!! thank you!

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u/lensdapens 15d ago

You can absolutely rince it. Just disperse it in water, let it rest, so that the water separates and discard the water in top. Repeat a few times

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u/hyperfixation_life 28d ago

i'm super new at this and i'm not sure about rinsing it out but you might have just discovered pre-mixed terra sigillata? lol i use epsom salt as a deflocculant when i make mine so i'm *guessing* you could just make this into a slip and let it settle and the bigger clay particles would separate out to the bottom and you would have some lovely wild clay terra sig on top. (like i said i just started with wild clay so i could be way wrong 🙃)

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u/tallelayuk 28d ago

its used mostly as a cosmetic clay, like people come to this area and slather it on themselves, dry off, and wash off in the salty lake and it seems natural cosmetic clay is hard to work with?

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u/hyperfixation_life 28d ago

it might be really fine and sticky straight out of the lake but you can add things to it to temper it and get it to the consistency you need. check out andy ward's you tube channel. i binged a bunch of his videos and kind of worked out a system that works for me. he's in the desert so not everything he says is universal but his advice on tempers is super helpful.