I always slow down when passing construction sites, if I see those big pretty chunks of clay I stop and ask for some. I've never been told no, they just look at me crazy and say, "Sure, take it." The first time I found clay I was 8 years old playing around on the construction site my father was working on and I have been hooked every since. I'm glad i found your channel today, thank you.
@AncientPottery3 жыл бұрын
I'm glad you found my channel too. Thats a great tip for finding clay, thanks for sharing.
@GrannyGooseOnYouTube2 жыл бұрын
Hi Deanna, I've always been shy about asking but seems by your account it was fine to ask. I've found a pretty good clay, a huge amount, tossed on the sides of dry irrigation canals. Gotta get resourceful, right? Best wishes.
@jaxv942 жыл бұрын
i took clay home as a kid working with my dad
@mitchellbarton79152 жыл бұрын
Imagine the income they could make selling that clay. Could fund a lot of good work with that.
@rorshankcon27082 жыл бұрын
Clay wouldn’t be $25 a bag anymore 😂
@katieking69053 жыл бұрын
Here in North Carolina you can’t help but find clay anytime you dig. Great for pottery, annoying for gardening! I dig a bright red clay in my yard and after slaking it down and passing through sieves it works beautifully for handbuilding, throwing, and firing to cone 04. No temper added!
@AncientPottery3 жыл бұрын
Awesome, that’s something special you have there.
@ziptiefighter2 жыл бұрын
Thankyou for the reference to "cone 04". I had to research what that meant since I am a total pottery newb. I am in Wisconsin and also have abundant clay on my property...down about two feet and it's unavoidable. I'm also an avid gardener. I stumbled onto Andy's vids when looking into DIY ollas.
@TheBesilas Жыл бұрын
I have that in my yard what method do you use to process it???
@katieking6905 Жыл бұрын
@@TheBesilas i use the wet method, watering it down to slip then using a mesh screen
@charlottesmom Жыл бұрын
Lucky duck, all I have in my yard is rocks!
@hhwippedcream Жыл бұрын
You live in a geologist's dream. So privileged to hear you speak to it with applied experience and wisdom.
@AncientPottery Жыл бұрын
Thanks
@Seagull_House Жыл бұрын
this video is unintentionally a really good guide for worldbuilders on how societies can access clay, and which ones have more than others, and which types they have
@josephleblanc88523 жыл бұрын
Very informative and great presentation. Thanks. I’m a palaeontologist in Alberta Canada and I spenD hundreds of hours searching for fossils in our clays. You mentioned a loose clay of the Naco formation. There is a place in Arizona called Kohl’s Ranch. It is in this loose clay that you will find many fossils. Especially brachiopods and crinoids.The clay was once hard and compacted into rocks but has since been ground back into clay particles. This frees the fossils. The Naco formation is middle Pennsylvanian inage or about 300 million years old.
@AncientPottery3 жыл бұрын
I am familiar with Kohl's Ranch. Thanks for adding your expertise.
@tuntutuliakdan3 жыл бұрын
Howdy Andy, I built my house in Oregon, right on top of a clay deposit. When having a well drilled, I found it's 30-40' to water and then there is an old river bed with sand and gravel. The old neighbors had dynamited pockets, filled them with dirt and grew their apple trees in the pockets. there is about 3 feet of dirt, then 30 feet of clay under my feet anywhere on the property. I dug a pond about 5 feet down. I holds water very well all year. I keep dreaming of things to do with all the clay. I work about 2000 miles from home (Alaska 9 months out of the year), so don't get to spend a lot of time playing with it, but if you're ever in/near/by Oregon in the summer, please do stop by. I can make anything out of it, but once it is out of the ground, I end up wearing it on the bottom of my shoes; it doesn't go away..... Dan heading to Oregon (home) soon.
@AncientPottery3 жыл бұрын
Clay can be a blessing or a curse if you live on top of it. I know many places here in Arizona have broken foundations because they were built right on top of clay. I'll bet that Oregon clay would be great for making pots, maybe when you retire...
@neurodivergejyn41402 жыл бұрын
@@AncientPottery I’m also in Oregon just West of Portland in the hills. We have a unique property where we’re midway down our mountain with sloping property. Part of it is more or less wetland and we use that for pasture where we have springs all over our property but there is a bunch of clay there in the route down the middle to our kind of clay bog. It’s yellowish showing that it’s high also in organic content. Down a bit further to our creek we have clay deposits down inside (it’s like a 5ft ravine) with green clay? 😳 also brown and reddish clay. How would I tell which KIND of clays these are from the various colors- I know they’re probably all riverbed clay, but the different mineral compositions make it hard for me to figure out how to process them? I think I have a short video up showing them, I can’t remember.
@thomvogan3397 Жыл бұрын
Our farm in eastern Ontario Canada sat on what the locals call blue clay that seemed bottomless. My father cursed it because in the spring when it was wet his tractor would get stuck in it. When it dried out it became hard as rock and he had to break it up with the discs so my mom could plant her garden. My mom loved it because her garden grew amazingly well in it. I don't know its geologic origin but this area was once covered in glaciers and was also once the bottom of an ancient sea bed
@mcRydes3 жыл бұрын
One of the best sources I’ve seen on finding clay
@AncientPottery3 жыл бұрын
Thanks!
@TresonBerry4 жыл бұрын
Just wanted to say you have an amazing channel. Just the niche I'm looking for. Very informative, well made, and entertaining. I'm not kissing no a** but I appreciate your love for the history and art of pottery.
@AncientPottery4 жыл бұрын
Thanks a lot.
@reneesparkes Жыл бұрын
I’m only just getting into pottery but as a kid I used to wade in the lake at my parents’ cottage in Newfoundland, Canada and dig up sheets of what we’d call “pug”…it was dark grey and texturally reminds me very much of the white clay I’ve been using in my class. I could pry up sections about 3 inches thick and as big as I could carry to shore and we’d hand build it into little bowls (which would ultimately break because we had no way to fire it) or dissolve it to slip and rub it all over ourselves as “spa treatments”. Does this sound like something I could make pottery with? I still know all the best spots and am willing to go back in the lake - haha.
@AncientPottery Жыл бұрын
Interesting, maybe decent clay.
@kc-gl9wv4 жыл бұрын
Thank you Clay dude
@AncientPottery4 жыл бұрын
Any time!
@sinksalot88603 жыл бұрын
Not in to pottery per se, but building a greenhouse and storage building using on-site materials. Thank you for your interesting videos on the subject. These videos will be useful for my projects.
@AncientPottery3 жыл бұрын
Thanks, I am glad to hear that you are enjoying my content.
@DracoriaDreadlord Жыл бұрын
I'm from MN. We have the Decorah shale formation. The shale does make for good clay, just takes more work as the clay is compressed and needs to be agitated ( I use a paint mixer on my drill) to loosen up the clay from the shale it has been pressed into.
@TheRainbow-us9wx3 ай бұрын
Just watched a few of your videos on finding and processing wild clay and I have no idea if I'll ever use this knowledge but I love that these videos exist and that I have learned something new. Thank you!
@AncientPottery2 ай бұрын
You are welcome
@winderofcoils Жыл бұрын
Love your channel. My son kept telling me that he could make clay easily because we're surrounded by it, but I was skeptical and about to order a bunch until one of your videos popped up in my recommendations, which kind of makes me wonder if my phone is "listening" to us, haha, but anyway thanks for the information!
@AncientPottery Жыл бұрын
Awesome, listen to your son. Ha ha.
@JuanAntonioGarciaHeredia4 ай бұрын
To answer your question, yes, they are listening to us. Thats what cookies are for, easier for companies to advertise content to you
@mirabehn-stormysynapse Жыл бұрын
This is a wonderful intro to riverine minerology. Thank you!
@AncientPottery Жыл бұрын
You're very welcome!
@jennyfranklin5142 жыл бұрын
This is super fun. Our local weather has not been agreeable with clay collecting, but I know right where to go. The colors are absolutely AMAZING; Pinks, Burgundies, Orange, Brown.
@AncientPottery2 жыл бұрын
That's great, the anticipation waiting for the weather to clear up...
@jennyfranklin5142 жыл бұрын
@@AncientPottery It's GLORIOUS, today. =D
@copperkingrecycling6342 жыл бұрын
Awesome video. Great tutorial. I'll be using dried clay to make metal casting sand and your video really helps me with locating clay deposits.
@AncientPottery2 жыл бұрын
That's great, glad to help!
@nathanallen64114 ай бұрын
Hey, I am absolutely digging your content ! I’m in northern Vermont. Out here we have high levels of play in our subsoil. It’s a gray clay. When I was outback, running the kayak out of little creek, I came across huge bed of smooth, gray clay under the water. It’s like it has been washed clean! I’m hoping to go back this Summer and start breaking out some lumps and processing it. I can’t wait! Your channel has giving me the confidence that I can actually do this. I’ve never done anything with pottery, but I want to so bad. I love the southwest, and the rich native history. I’m going to see if there is some Northeast Native American techniques For pottery and see if I can emulate that.
@AncientPottery4 ай бұрын
That sounds cool. There is Native pottery in the northeast. Have fun!
@DraftingandCrafting4 ай бұрын
Thank you for this video, I had just sourced some wild clay prior to watching this without much of an idea what I was doing. Luckily my old foraging trick of using place names was also useful here, I collected from "clay wood" in my local area. Now to binge watch all your content so I can begin my experiments in earnest. What a fantastic resource you are providing, I am very grateful.
@lyrebird9749 Жыл бұрын
Really interesting. I love how you've taken a bunch of people interested in craft and given us a nature documentary! I'd also be keen to see you do a follow up video of types of clay found in tropical, coastal or alpine regions (if you ever travel outside your state) . Thanks.
@AncientPottery Жыл бұрын
Thanks. The same clay types exist around the world, the only type of clay we are lacking here in Arizona is glacial clay. This is an old video and could use an update now.
@ericasimonson8737 Жыл бұрын
I live in Juneau, Alaska and we have what appears to be very clay-like deposits around our glacial lakes and rivers. We always call it silt -- and it's super slick to walk on! Would that make good pottery? Just happened on your channel for the first time. Very interesting!
@AncientPottery Жыл бұрын
Hmm, interesting. I know people in Alaska who use glacial clays, the difference between silts and clays would be that the clay is plastic and moldable and dries hard. Give it a try
@colleenmcbride36562 жыл бұрын
My boyfriend just picked some alluvial clay up for me. He found some that looks like it was washed up on the side of the road with the rain It looks really pure with maybe a little bit of plant matter. I'm so excited!
@AncientPottery2 жыл бұрын
Great!
@hcree177626 күн бұрын
I love this channel and I’m not that into pottery! But the production is phenomenal and the information is great!
@mountainwolf12 жыл бұрын
Thanks for sharing your knowledge we have a pond and a stream in our woods and that is where i find my clay for Yaki-ire=clay tempering of swords and knives. I found your channel by trying to learn how to remove the dirt from clay.
@AncientPottery2 жыл бұрын
Great, thanks
@Nichama704 жыл бұрын
Thank you for creating these videos!
@AncientPottery4 жыл бұрын
Glad you like them!
@RubberJunk13 ай бұрын
I live in a valley and clay is everywhere, if I dig anywhere I hit clay. Its both a blessing and a curse.
@robmarshallofficial Жыл бұрын
Thank you for this video. It’s helping me locate clays better
@AncientPottery Жыл бұрын
Glad it helped
@bonniehyden9622 жыл бұрын
Here in Deep East Texas we have red clay and blue, "Gumbo Mud"...clay. I didn't grow up here so I was familiar with the Gumbo mud until I helped my husband dig a well. We started hand digging but eventually resorted to pushing a steel pipe into the ground passing through gumbo mud. Husband told me if I wanted some out of the pipe I'd better get it while it was wet because once it dried I wouldn't be able to get it. Of course, I didn't listen. Yup. Next day when I attempted to retrieve the now dry substance out of the pipe...it wasn't budging. That pipe got used for a gate...with gumbo mud still intact. For all these years I've threatened to collect our mud and try my hand at firing some pottery. You've inspired me to get off my duff and get it done!
@AncientPottery2 жыл бұрын
Sounds cool, I hope that gumbo works good for pottery
@user-vx5gm5tc5o11 ай бұрын
Gracias, had fun watching the video :)
@AncientPottery11 ай бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it!
@onewyatt12 жыл бұрын
Thanks for all the videos, very helpful. Got Sand on top of red clay sand mix above iron ore above more clay then sand potable water zone. All within 20 ft surface here. Nice part is, I have more than 20ft change in elevation on this land. Dig down from top of hill to about 50ft and I have lignite coal. Don't need coal though, trees grow like weeds here. Being retired, I am focused on using resources here in as many of the old way as possible to build my home.
@AncientPottery2 жыл бұрын
That’s cool, everything you need is at your fingertips. I’m glad you are enjoying my videos.
@OrthodoxMidwife Жыл бұрын
I live on a flood plane in Texas absolutely saturated with clay. I’m working on digging it up and filtering it. Hopefully I can make jewelry pieces, pit fire them like you’ve shown us, and I can share this art with the community. I’d also like to make a kick wheel for throwing. I’m so excited to try this ancient art. Thank you for your videos!
@AncientPottery Жыл бұрын
Sounds like some cool ideas.
@mikaylastrong7622 Жыл бұрын
I'm building a wheel with the base and pedal of an antique sewing machine.
@daphneraven67452 жыл бұрын
Andy Wards ancient pottery: Tyvk 4 sharing the benefit of Your knowledge! :)
@AncientPottery2 жыл бұрын
You bet!
@cconover884 жыл бұрын
Thanks Andy, this is a very helpful topic. I live near Albany N.Y., and my yard is full of high quality ancient glacial lakebed clay. It’s about 8 inches down below the top soil and runs about 18 inches deep before a layer of shale below the clay. There appears to be a grey and red variety swirled together in most places. It is extremely sticky when wet. Of the varieties mentioned, what types do you use for what purposes ? For example pottery vs say bricks. I’m curious what what would be the best use for this type of clay that I have. Thanks again for your great station.
@AncientPottery4 жыл бұрын
You are welcome. All of the clays I mention here can be usable for pottery but every individual deposit has different properties so experimentation is required to see what can be done with a given clay. My main clays that I use for building pottery are a primary and an alluvial.
@lailawinfield386 Жыл бұрын
Thank you for showing me where I can find the clay I don’t have a way to get out there but I sure will try
@AncientPottery Жыл бұрын
You're welcome
@continualdark17 ай бұрын
Thank you.
@patriciahazeltine99862 жыл бұрын
I liked this very much and so glad to have found you! I have many years of pottery experiences, mostly all in school. From jr high through 3 different college's. Needless to say I love it, and been away from it for too long. Thanks for the swift kick in the butt!
@AncientPottery2 жыл бұрын
I am glad you are enjoying my content and I am glad to provide kicks in the butt as needed.
@deanasnarky39037 ай бұрын
I thought I recognized those mountains! Bisbee native here!
@AncientPottery7 ай бұрын
I film all over southeast Arizona. I grew up in Sierra Vista
@user-eq6sj9rj2z7 ай бұрын
❤ Absolutely. Love you. I'm really trying to pay attention for the tilt. I absolutely love watching. You are really good at informing about plays because you yourself rent the hardway
@mtj.cynical2 жыл бұрын
these videos are so helpful! i live in arizona and now im going to keep an eye out on walks! ive been expirementing with many forms of homemade clay but finding natural clay seems way more intruiging!
@AncientPottery2 жыл бұрын
Thanks, there is a lot of good clay around Arizona if you keep your eyes peeled.
@alabamatechwriter6959 Жыл бұрын
Thank you! ... Very helpful. Well produced. Great examples in the wild.
@AncientPottery Жыл бұрын
Thank you
@UtilemUnus Жыл бұрын
Thanks
@melissahoffman468711 ай бұрын
Can you do a video on making clay pots with beach sand? Hawaii has beautiful black sand! There's red sand beaches, and also white sand beaches. That would be cook to see on video! :)
@AncientPottery11 ай бұрын
You can't make pots with sand, but you can add some sand to your clay. I do know that Hawaii has some beautiful red clay.
@maggiefranks6849 Жыл бұрын
I also live on the San Pedro, Mammoth Arizona. I have found many shards in my yard of many colors and a few with interesting painting, stripes or dots. And even more stone tools. Mostly scrapers, almost always made of beautiful stone, thin but strong and sharp with little teeth. I have a hypothesis that these scrapers weren't just used to scrape hides but also cut and scrape fibers and wood (like az ash or yucca) to make baskets. A few axes and many spear tips but no actual 'arrow heads'. Oh, and some fabulous historical glass as my yard was where they dumped the glass. Old adobe bar/dance hall 1870's with an insane back story. Bisbee might be a living 'ghost town' whereas Mammoth is an actual Ghost Town lol Anyway, your videos have inspired me to hunt wild clays. When I get my new computer I'm totally signing up for your online classes!
@AncientPottery Жыл бұрын
Wonderful. I was just out exploring for clays in your area recently. When you sign up for the class I will send you directions to a couple good clays in your area.
@maggiefranks6849 Жыл бұрын
@@AncientPottery awesome, ty. I will sign up now then :) Oh shoot. I can't find the link to sign up for your classes. Can you please give me the link for that?
@AncientPottery Жыл бұрын
@@maggiefranks6849 ancientpottery.how/classes/
@515aleon3 жыл бұрын
Very interesting video. Seen videos of both dried and completely water logged clays, but nothing like what I describe. I'm wondering if I am really remembering this--but when I was around ten I was digging around near a pond (with hands) and found what appeared to be quite pure red clay that was moldable and soft. Was able to take it home and play with it, would go back again and again. Can't believe I invented this whole memory but I can't find any videos that look like the stuff I found. I was interested in art even back then and recognized the stuff as similar to what I got in art class. BTW, in Wisconsin--huge areas in Wisconsin were under glaciers. True or not so true memory?
@AncientPottery3 жыл бұрын
Could be. All clay is different and some wild clays are near perfect right from the ground.
@audreyfinney760110 ай бұрын
I collected some marine clay which is washed away daily by the sea. I am wet processing it but wondered if salt content is an issue e.g. when firing? Thanks, love your videos, great educational content 👍
@granmabern52832 жыл бұрын
Thankyou
@biaberg34482 жыл бұрын
If I dig some inches in my garden there are tons of clay, it is gray like the clay you can buy. I have removed like 600 kg to make room for my tomato plants. It is extreamly heavy. Probably marine clay.
@AncientPottery2 жыл бұрын
Sounds promising, give it a try and see how it does.
@mojavebohemian814 Жыл бұрын
Thank you
@AncientPottery Жыл бұрын
You're welcome
@MaliMaslacak5262 жыл бұрын
Thank you for all this information 🙏❤
@AncientPottery2 жыл бұрын
You are so welcome
@Viewfiend210 ай бұрын
you're the best! love your content man.
@otterxtotter Жыл бұрын
so glad i found your channel. love the content. thank you.
@AncientPottery Жыл бұрын
Welcome!
@TurboLoveTrain6 ай бұрын
I don't know anything about pottery but I do hunt clay for my niece who loves everything pottery. Great video! I wish I was smart enough to describe what I find or even ask the question I want to ask but I'll try. In some very old drainage ditches that have cut below the topsoil into the prehistoric ocean bottom (I live in the PNW) I will find a grayish-white substance that is harder than a clay but softer than a rock that can be crumbled into a fine powder. I would love to know if I can process this into clay... I found it last year and now the river is too high to extract any without significant effort but if it's usable I'd put in the effort...
@aidenensign84092 жыл бұрын
you remind me of a mix between my uncle and a camp counselor, but its a good mix.
@AncientPottery2 жыл бұрын
Thanks... (I think)
@imasimpleguy5432 жыл бұрын
I live in tn where the ground is basically red clay. But after separating the clay using water and filters, forming simple cylinder pots, adding temper, and wood/charcoal firing. The pots will resist falling apart or "melting" in the rain and water but has no strength. It breaks super easily. Any suggestions why it does that?
@AncientPottery2 жыл бұрын
Hmm, my guess would be that either you ended up with too much temper which can make pottery brittle, or you didn't fire hot enough. Experiment to find the answer.
@SwordsMaster7. Жыл бұрын
Just out of curiosity, can you find good clay in the bottoms of rivers or lakes? There's not many where I live, but I was visiting one once and noticed that it felt either very claylike and was very plastic or very sandy depending on the area, so I was curious about whether it would work or not. Great video by the way.
@AncientPottery Жыл бұрын
Yes clay naturally settles to the bottoms of still water so that is a great place to find it
@01splitpea Жыл бұрын
Thank you for this video. Well done!
@AncientPottery Жыл бұрын
My pleasure!
@rameshgondhalekar30742 жыл бұрын
Very nice risarch
@AncientPottery2 жыл бұрын
Thanks
@Jaredkprimalhealth Жыл бұрын
Very helpful im trying to improve sandy soils by adding some clay
@CatKattington4 жыл бұрын
Love your videos. Keep making them.
@AncientPottery4 жыл бұрын
Thanks
@2ndPortal Жыл бұрын
Can you make a video about finding white clay? I love gathering wild clay but i love the color of porcelain for delicate work
@AncientPottery Жыл бұрын
White clay is rare, there are no secrets to finding it, it is just where it is. Some areas have lots and some areas have none.
@2ndPortal Жыл бұрын
@@AncientPottery good to know! I just found that i can remove iron out of powdered filtered wild clay with a strong magnet, I wonder if it will significantly lower the redness. Have you ever heard of that?
@eonian1717 Жыл бұрын
@@2ndPortalinteresting
@seradd7883 жыл бұрын
thanks for sharing your knowledge.
@AncientPottery3 жыл бұрын
My pleasure!
@alirE2904 Жыл бұрын
I have a gray close to black layer of clay in my black yard. I plan to use it someday.
@AncientPottery Жыл бұрын
Yes, it might be wonderful.
@ShotgunLlama Жыл бұрын
Anyone have experience looking in the new england area? We don't really have these big expanses of mostly empty soil. Anywhere there aren't buildings there's likely to be trees and foliage, and it doesn't seem like most of the exposed soil has much clay
@AncientPottery Жыл бұрын
Try road cuts and construction sites
@chompers113 жыл бұрын
Time to go get some more alluvial clay!
@AncientPottery3 жыл бұрын
It's almost everywhere on earth so that shouldn't be too hard.
@robinlillian94713 жыл бұрын
@@AncientPottery I think I'll stick to trying to mine my backyard soil for clay. At least I won't get arrested for trespassing that way. Just about every piece of land around me is owned by someone. :) Thank you for a fascinating video.
@marney68papua2 жыл бұрын
I will be driving atound now looking for places where i might find clay i havent done pottery since childhood but i did love the experience now im retired who knows where this might lead me thank you
@AncientPottery2 жыл бұрын
You are welcome, the search for clay is fun and never ending.
@JohnCiprian3 жыл бұрын
Very informative! Thanks for creating.
@AncientPottery3 жыл бұрын
You are welcome. Thanks for watching
@andrewkingsley23262 жыл бұрын
Dude, you need to visit SLC. I’m sure we could bring enough people together to make it worth your while. I have noticed some deposits of clay around my place.
@AncientPottery2 жыл бұрын
Sounds fun. If you are serious, send me an email detailing what you have in mind ancientpottery.how/contact-us/
@adamnorzagaray26573 жыл бұрын
Thank you Andy. This was perfect.
@AncientPottery3 жыл бұрын
You're very welcome
@elipluma2 жыл бұрын
I have come to an age , where I watch man looking for clay with excitment. And Im just 31. :) it would be awesom to find some clay here, I know there are alot in countryside. Greetings from Latvia!
@AncientPottery2 жыл бұрын
Yes, fortunately for you and me, clay is found almost everywhere on earth, so there is probably clay near where you live. Thanks for watching.
@alexpetrovich852 жыл бұрын
I learned much. Thank you.
@AncientPottery2 жыл бұрын
Very welcome
@JayCWhiteCloud4 жыл бұрын
Thank you for efforts and hard work in this area of experimental archaeological and experiential ceramics. I do have a question in regards to your, "four types of wild clay." How do these fall into the more standard recognized types of clays as being montmorillonite-smectite, illite, chlorite and kaolinite clays?
@AncientPottery4 жыл бұрын
You are welcome. The types of clay I discussed here do not relate to the mineralogical designations of kaolin, illite, etc. These types, alluvial, lacustrine, etc, relate to the way they are formed or deposited, so they could be any of the types you mentioned. So for example I could have a lacustrine illite clay or an alluvial illite clay depending on how it was deposited. The classifications I use in this video specifically help people find clays in nature. The mineralogical designations are not very helpful to a potter mostly because without access to laboratory testing it is nearly impossible to know what type of clay you have collected. Last year I took a clay sample to the University of Arizona Department of Geo-Sciences with the hope fo finding out what kind of clay I had. They told me the only way to find out was to send the sample to a lab in Australia and spend thousands of dollars. So I have given up on classifying clays in that way.
@mappotter3 жыл бұрын
Yourvideos are very interesting and informative. Thank you
@AncientPottery3 жыл бұрын
Glad you like them! You are welcome.
@hernanlopez14753 жыл бұрын
Es una muy buena explicación . Congratulation
@AncientPottery3 жыл бұрын
Muchas gracias.
@myth-termoth16213 жыл бұрын
I like this simple division of clay into primary and the 3 secondary. How common is it for clay that has been compacted/lithified into some sort of tuff, shale, mudstone or claystone to weather back into clay ? Is there a way of telling weather small clay deposits surrounded by tuff, shale or mudstone have failed to lithify or been formed by reweathering of lithified material. Does it make any practical difference? On a technical note, could you make the narration slightly louder and the music between the narrations slightly quieter ? When listening with earbuds the music is a little too loud.
@AncientPottery3 жыл бұрын
Sorry about that, I am a slow learner on video editing but I am making progress slowly.
@jocojoco6884 жыл бұрын
Very useful video. Thank you !
@AncientPottery4 жыл бұрын
Your welcome.
@TheFrangalista4 жыл бұрын
I live in northern Utah and most rock around me is limestone. I know that there is a lot of clay in the subsoil having dug a lot of fencepost holes. I have heard that this kind of clay is undesirable. Is that true? If so, why is that?
@AncientPottery4 жыл бұрын
Limestone in your clay can cause your pottery to break. So you either need to make sure there are no pieces of limestone in your clay or fire below 900 C.
@randomconsumer44943 жыл бұрын
I live in Oklahoma, dig ANYWHERE like 4 or 5 inches and you're in a super thick clay layer. Deep red clay. There are parts of the Canadian River in central Oklahoma that are sand bottom. When I was a kid we use to go swimming and I would find giant balls of perfectly round clay. Hundreds of them, I use to "make fossils" but pressing plants into it and then covering it camp fire ashes, peel off the plant, boom... Instant "fossil".
@AncientPottery3 жыл бұрын
Sounds like fun. I lived 4 years near Ada, Oklahoma just a half mile or so from the South Canadian, we had red clay all over our property.
@515aleon3 жыл бұрын
Sounds like what I used to find about a hundred years ago, when I was ten.
@amberwood1998 Жыл бұрын
Great channel-thanks 👩🏻🎨
@AncientPottery Жыл бұрын
Thanks
@asg220 Жыл бұрын
hello :) i live in iceland sooo the dirt never really dries enough to crack or crumble. and tips on finding clay in cold climates ?
@AncientPottery Жыл бұрын
Well clay is clay, if it is wet it is easier to find because it looks and feels like clay. Look for tire tracks on dirt roads.
@markzambelli2 жыл бұрын
Thankyou... a very informative vid about wild clays. Firstly, is that the same Benson, Arizona as from song in the movie 'Dark Star'?😎 I'm going out this weekend near Newport, Wales, UK to get some lovely red soil that I know has clay in it to see just how much it yields. We don't have the same climate or geology obviously but there's clay everywhere so it's good seeing your tips... I have a few river banks in my sights too.
@AncientPottery2 жыл бұрын
Yes, it must be as there is only one Benson in Arizona. I was unaware of this song before your comment. And yes, our geology and climate may differ but clay is found everywhere and many of the same principles apply in finding it.
@mikemayes83963 жыл бұрын
Look, It's my favorite nerd. I really enjoy your content, Keep up the good work.
@AncientPottery3 жыл бұрын
Thanks, will do!
@jacobgavni13173 жыл бұрын
Very good information I enjoyed
@AncientPottery3 жыл бұрын
Glad you enjoyed it
@kaolinwasher4 жыл бұрын
That was great , how plastic is the red clay you showed us and the white
@AncientPottery4 жыл бұрын
kaolinwasher the red is okay, the white is real plastic but also has a high shrinkage rate so is best used as a slip. Probably the best building clay shown here is that grey alluvial clay I showed by the river, that’s pretty good stuff.
@Earth-bornGraffics2 жыл бұрын
I just stumbled upon one of your videos, which led to watching a few more. I love experimental archeology and would love to give making a bowl a try, but I don’t know how to tell the difference between dirt and clay, if I have any clay, in my yard. I’m on the east coast, so very different area to Arizona. I know I have iron in the dirt, because I found a small deposit of iron ore when digging a trench recently for a shed rebuild, but it felt like crumbly dirt all around where I found the little ore lumps.
@AncientPottery2 жыл бұрын
The principles are the same wherever you are. Clay has certain properties you can learn to recognize. Since you live in a damp climate it may actually be easier for you since the texture of clay can be recognized. You might learn from this video kzbin.info/www/bejne/pKLMe316r7dmrNk
@mandaloolux9216 Жыл бұрын
I live near southern Utah and found red, yellow,red/purple, and white/gray. It seems like the yellow clay is a lot more gelatinous and thickens up real quickly. Reddish purple clay does the same but seems to have more body. The red clay has a lot more sand in it. I'm wondering what the mineral content could be in these and if they are useful for pottery?. I suspect the yellow could have sulfur. I know the Reds have iron oxide. The whitish-gray possibly Lime but also a lot of silt. I found all these deposits on the steppes of a reservoir where there is occasional thermal activity nearby (hot pots). They were all found in the same vicinity of each other and in veins, if that makes sense? I also found chocolate brown clay in Colorado that settles really fast, not sure why this is? Also found green clay but no sign of BioLife as I have encountered in past clays. Hey I'm so excited and I would like to know more about these!. I have recently become fascinated by Clay and came across your very informative video!
@sakisavavi2 жыл бұрын
Hi! Just found your channel and am super grateful. You make learning Earth Skills wondrous and exciting ✨
@AncientPottery2 жыл бұрын
Thanks, glad you liked it.
@leathorns17512 жыл бұрын
Mine's easy enough to find. Dig a hole in the garden, I can find pure clay, massive chunks, not even very deep. Entire area has it, down one end of the beach there's cliffs that are just pure clay (occasional pebbles & grit). (South east Ireland, I think it's the glacier that dumped them here?)
@AncientPottery2 жыл бұрын
That is very cool. Bad for gardening but great for pottery.
@leathorns17512 жыл бұрын
@@AncientPottery yeah our garden is gorgeous & lush due to hard work my mom put into it. But when we moved in it was clay on the surface, grass & reeds! (marshland around here a bit I think?) We used to play with clay chunks she dug up & make stuff to just dry in the sun! I did put a mini pot or two into our house fire. It did turn that terracotta red, so that was very cool!
@ebenburger1112 жыл бұрын
Awesome, thanks brother!
@AncientPottery2 жыл бұрын
You bet!
@GrannyGooseOnYouTube2 жыл бұрын
I'm kindof a novice as to how all this works, but here's where I'm finding my clay. I live in agricultural central calif. Flat, dry, right in the center of the central valley. There are countless places where earthmovers have dug long irrigation ditches near crops. I'm assuming the ground is somewhat poisoned by crop dusting, etc but the earth that is removed in the digging is tossed up to the sides in many cases, and sits there in piles, and is mostly clay. I take home a bucket and get about six pounds of useable material. This earth collects sand, agricultural products, cow manure, and everything else. I'm mystified as to why the earth thrown to the sides seems to be such pure clay.
@AncientPottery2 жыл бұрын
Clay is everywhere on earth, it is especially common in alluvial valleys like where you are. Glad you are finding success. I remember when I was a kid I spent all afternoon catching crawdads from an irrigation ditch near Stockton, CA and I was getting ready to cook them up for dinner. Then my brother told me that those waters where I caught them were full of agricultural chemicals and that they probably shouldn't be eaten.
@robertjackson14072 жыл бұрын
Thank you 😊
@AncientPottery2 жыл бұрын
You're welcome 😊
@leonidarentuma37014 жыл бұрын
Hi Andy, thanks for the video this helps me a lot, i would.like to ask how many days to drying the coiled pots before bisquing. Thanks so much Andy. Take care always.
@AncientPottery4 жыл бұрын
Maybe less than a week for me but it varies based on the relative humidity. So it may be a month if I lived in Louisiana or someplace very wet. You can put the pots in your oven on warm to help them dry out faster.
@Ludifant11 ай бұрын
I tried burning a lot of paper that was sent to me, during a year.. The fly ash, mixed with water has very, very fine particles.. left it to dry in the sun and it´s pretty solid, it´s crumbly, but ok. I´m gonn try some pine-resin on it.. It seems... you can fire up this ash-clay really hot and it will calcinate.. if you add water again after that it gets quite solid.. that just takes a lot of time and I haven´t gotten it right yet. But as an easy source for clay... I think you should give it a go. I´d love to see your opinion.
@AncientPottery11 ай бұрын
You can’t make clay from paper ash. It may be clay-like but it’s not the same.
@ashima63143 жыл бұрын
I find clay in park’s sand playgrounds, it’s a bit easy to find but it’s small usually
@AncientPottery3 жыл бұрын
Those aren't clay, they are candy treats, eat them!
@ashima63143 жыл бұрын
I cant eat them they have sand
@parkdrawing9284 жыл бұрын
There is a clay mine near my house (pacific clay is the company name) and you can pull up chunks bigger than your head from the water holes they dig( I think it’s so the clay collects in the pool)
@parkdrawing9284 жыл бұрын
Forgot to thank you for makin the video dude! Very informative
@AncientPottery4 жыл бұрын
Very cool, try it out and see how it works. The clay mine near my house is used for making bricks and it is not so great for pottery.
@AncientPottery4 жыл бұрын
Thanks!
@parkdrawing9284 жыл бұрын
@@AncientPottery Darn haha that tells me what i need to know because the mine is making bricks.
@walterflanamonk51062 жыл бұрын
What is Georgia red clay? and would it be good for anything besides bricks?
@AncientPottery2 жыл бұрын
I know people who make pottery from that red Georgia clay. I don’t know enough about it to tell you what kind of clay it is though. If I had to guess I would say primary but it’s just an uneducated guess.
@baidarkaguy Жыл бұрын
To use as a slip, does the clay have to be levigated and only the very finest particles used? Or can the body just be thinned down enough with water?
@AncientPottery Жыл бұрын
It depends on the clay used. Some clays are rather pure straight from the earth and others need to be purified before they are suitable for slip.
@grantcalloway5719 ай бұрын
Question. Do you always get your clay outdoors or do you purchase clay? and where?
@AncientPottery9 ай бұрын
I rarely purchase clay. I recently bought some red micaceous clay from New Mexico Clay.
@lailawinfield386 Жыл бұрын
Now I live in New York the city of Bronx It’s really kinda hard to find some
@AncientPottery Жыл бұрын
No doubt
@argirismouroufas38548 ай бұрын
You know sow many things about clay and maby you know wich one clay, we use to make fire bricks? I mean fireproof bricks. We mix the clay with cement for thoses clay or just clay? Thank you and hapy the new year sir.