Thank you Norm Stuart. Save the Darvan gel-like reclaim for wheelwork!

Hi,

It has been awhile, but I have been very busy reacting to the advice given with great success, . This was exactly what I needed to do Norm. The clay restoration from slip to wheelwork experiment was done with 2x additions and I tested Bentonite Calcium 100# as well as Bentonite Calcium, "albeit at double the cost "..the. 300#.  There has been no noticeable difference between the 2 grades. I have thus decided to go with the cheaper 100# Bentonite.

For a detailed recipe and technique go to the brilliant article by: Thomas Anderson as follows.

Clay Restoration ---DIGITALFIRE.COM---

Thomas Anderson • May 6, 2019

Also a summarized method below:

SUPERCHARGE THE PLASTICITY OF CONE 6 RECLAIMED CLAY

Reclaimer contents is as follows:

50% Bentonite and 50% ball clay.

Remember to mix these 2 powders together in a plastic bag by shaking well. Bentonite is almost impossible to mix with slip or water slurry because of incredibly fine particles. This new powder will now mix readily with water to form clay on plaster with similar feel to clay that needs "repair".

These proportions fire as a tan-buff stoneware at cone 6.

Method:

Mix in 50 grams of above "reclaimer" stock, to 1kg of problem, gel-like clay to fix it for wheelwork.

Flatten both "patties" on a bat and fold both into each other 20 times to create 1 million layers! (wedging or pugging should do)

Result: Perfectly even throwing clay and incredibly plastic!

Note: The wobbly, shearing, thixotropic effect of the Darvan recycled slip is gone!!!!

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I'm glad.  You just needed to experiment until it worked right.

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