Making Alchemist's Clay: My Updated Process

Just a quick video this week that I've been promising for a while! my revised alchemical clay process.
Andy ward's channel: @AncientPottery
• Top 4 Lost Techniques ...
and one of his videos on open firing: • How To Pit Fire Greenw...
Potted History: @PottedHistory
• Post Roman Pottery Why...

[@AncientPottery]

Thanks for the shout out, this is an interesting idea I will have to try.

[@fraserbuilds]

thank you for making so many informative videos on the subject! I wouldnt have even thought to experiment with wild clay without your channel! Id be really intersted in your opinion on clay made with the technique, I'm not experienced enough to know how well it can stack up with genuinely good clay, just that the recipe certainly makes soft clays more workable.

[@destructionindustries1987]

Oh good 🎉

[@zaphir127]

Well well well if it isn't the best pottery teacher on earth! So cool to see you referenced in a video @AncientPottery!!

[@davidbrand5326]

Great video. You’re right Andy Word is a great teacher. I’m still working at finding some good clay. Have you tried cornstarch instead of flour. I know ours is highly refined, but maybe the Native Americans were able to access a smoother clay that way.👍👍👍

[@Templarfreak]

i feel like Al-Razi himself would be proud of how much you have refined and modernized his process

[@pannekook2000]

a good way to mix two powders together is to put them in a jar together filled about halfway, close it, then invert the jar a dozen or so times over multiple axes. Makes it easier to mix and homogenize powders without getting as much dust in the air.

[@fraserbuilds]

Thats great advice! thank you.

[@lukearts2954]

If it needs to be done smoothly/gently, rolling the jar in one direction works too.

[@F-22-Rapt0r]

@@lukearts2954like a rock tumblr?

[@lukearts2954]

@@F-22-Rapt0r EXACTLY like a rock tumbler :)

[@F-22-Rapt0r]

@@lukearts2954 yay I actually got it right

[@TheGrmany69]

You can also try letting the decanted clay win rice water until it ferments. The Japanese and indigenous people in Venezuela do this technique alike in their own ways to make a very smooth form of clay that allows them to build mud walls. The Japanese use rice straw mind you, because it has a high quantities of silica. The gross smell is a good sign. Basically you leaves the leaves root in the solution.

[@g-r-a-e-m-e-]

Could you explain that last sentence? Thanks.

[@cagedgandalf3472]

He did that in his initial video but used white flour now instead

[@blowitoutyourcunt7675]

@@g-r-a-e-m-e- like how you process flax, you gotta crush it, let it ret (rot) in water so only the fibers remain.

[@hugovandyk9918]

​@@g-r-a-e-m-e-I think he meant ".. you leave the leaves and root in the solution."

[@Adamcito.]

Well I didn't know that about the Idegenous people of my own country 😅 You learn something new every day uh? _from Venezuela btw_

[@raymondloomer5405]

Clay storage The best way to store clay is wet wrapped in plastic or some other airtight container. (for as long as you can) Clay actually ages. Once you have properly aged clay you can use a piece of it to "infect" new clay for aging more quickly. What happens is that bacterial life takes place in the clay making it more workable. Some crafty clay workers will even try to buy the "old clay" from the dealers at a reduced price (because it is old) taking advantage of the art suppliers ignorance of clay. = Ray

[@Aerostryker2]

This aging process is commonly called 'souring.'

[@raymondloomer5405]

@@Aerostryker2 cool, I didn't know that.

[@watchdogkennels5242]

Maybe it’s supposed to stink. Maybe he wasn’t supposed to add the vinegar. Lol! Great learning!

[@eddiemason4316]

Paper clay has some good properties but it molds and most folks especially ones with allergies or asthma can't be near it.

[@destructionindustries1987]

Fascinating

[@stasi0238]

Please make video about simple glazes and dyes that achient people used.

[@fraserbuilds]

will do!

[@stasi0238]

@@fraserbuilds wow, thanks. Since you've read this I would like to say that your channel is criminally underrated. Videos are well made, editing is good and your research is amazing. I feel like I'm learning something new with every new video from you. Thank you!

[@leiatyndall8648]

So, add carbon ((homemade) charcoal) to iron to make steel; add charcoal to clay to make workable potter's clay; charcoal to chicken feed/water for smell/disease control; review videos on how to make biochar & activated charcoal; make charcloth for DIY fire pistons; carbon felt (how are these made?) for eternal wicks...if I had some land, I think I'd acquire 2 metal barrels & make some charcoal!!! So many uses!!

[@SolTheIdiot]

Charcoal our beloved.

[@thomasinefitzpatrick]

Make clay bricks and make a small kiln and you can cook it with restricted oxygen. Metal barrels are nice, to be sure, but by no means necessary

[@GaiusCaligula234]

Carbon felt is made from carbonisation of felt

[@leiatyndall8648]

@@GaiusCaligula234 Carbon felt looks much sturdier than charcloth, which seems to tear easily. Can we seriously DIY carbon felt & have it actually last a very long time (durability), making it a "forever wick"?

[@ten-hx2xi]

carbon based life sure seems to love carbon! what a great quality we all have :)

[@OmegaYak]

Very interesting; that method of cooking flour and water to gelatinize the starch is also used in certain bread recipes to keep the bread softer and prevent staling. It's known as a tangzhong. Cool that it works for clay as well!

[@LimeyLassen]

Oh, that's interesting! I want to try that.

[@davetheaubergine1620]

this process is also used in compote desserts! Simmering fruit (where I'm from, often prunes or cherries) and then adding a starch slurry, then boiled for a short moment. :)

[@greedtheron8362]

This is my new favorite channel and it's criminal that youtube hasn't put your videos out there more. This channel feels like those memes from a couple years back that the Primitive Technology channel would be making a steam engine right now or half way to making a computer, except he just stuck with making grass huts. Here you are remaking the cutting edges of right before the industrial revolution. Maybe the channel would be better named Renaissance Technology or Alchemy Technology or something for the memes.

[@fraserbuilds]

thank you! I take alot of inspiration from primitive technology and I really admire his dedication to his projects. his skill and ingenuity is really incredible to watch, I think my channel came from a similar place as those memes😂 I want to see more of natures abilities and humanities crafts treated the way people often treat things like wood work and pottery and I want to see those crafts applied to building things like batteries and robots and all sorts of stuff. If you ask me, the fact that humans in the industrial revolution learned to make electricity from the rusting of metal is no less primal or crafty than humans in the copper age learning how to reduce metal from ores, and I want to try to demonstrate that concept in my videos. I'd love to eventually be seen as a "primitive technology that builds robots" channel or a "medieval alchemist with a modern chemistry textbook" channel and I have thought about changing my channels name to reflect those goals, but at the end of the day I do like the honesty in the name fraser builds as I am sort of just a guy who likes to build stuff 😂

[@thehappypotter9612]

I also like the name@@fraserbuilds. The "maker" concept is very popular now and Fraser Builds fits very well with that trend.

[@cynthiaskaggs6645]

Here in Illinois we have a great clay layer… if you have the muscle to dig 30” down through the topsoil. I found a great way to avoid the work though. I find fox dens. Foxes often dig down through the topsoil and into the clay layer to make their dens. This leaves huge mounds of loose clay all around. I simply scoop it up into buckets! I can get 3-4 5gal buckets full of granulated pure clay from A single fox den and there’s nearly no sand, sticks or impurities.

[@thomascranor2668]

This is literally modern alchemy! It's incredible and inspiring, and I hope to keep seeing more of this!

[@kellyaquinastom]

Modern Alchemy. Good channel name.

[@lyndalkaren944]

Please make more of the clay and firing videos. Theyre great!

[@fraserbuilds]

Thanks! Will do :)

[@storyspren]

I saw the alchemist's clay video a while back (I don't remember when exactly, it was in my recommendations) and this morning I watched the alchemy deep dive after seeing it in my recommendations yesterday, and oh my god it's the best recommendation I've had in a while because it's not only a fascinating video in its own right but also it made me think "isn't this the guy who made alchemist's clay a while back?" Lo and behold, I check and yep you're him, and the other video titles also piqued my interest so here I am now, in the evening, starting a channel discovery binge now that I've done what I need to today.

[@NoahSpurrier]

I remember my ceramics teacher in high school in the 80’s told me how his teacher used to treat his clay by keeping a bucket full of clay saturated with water. He would toss in some apples and potatoes and stir it every once in a while for a few months. Then he would decant the water off and dry the clay.

[@sheldontraviss839]

Super interesting as always. Your addition of vinegar was a masterful stroke. Both as a temporary preservative and as something that is known to increase the plasticity of clay to the point where scoring and slipping is barely needed. Good job and great instincts.

[@Ratzzo]

Maybe also adding sodium benzoate will help preserve it better

[@thehappypotter9612]

what would a natural source of sodium benzoate be?@@Ratzzo

[@thehappypotter9612]

I think fungal growth also increases plasticity. I've tried out the mixture in this video today with very poor quality powder clay I bought from a pottery supplier. It was changed from useless mud to something I could manage to make a little pinch pot with. Now I'm giving the mixture two days to settle to see how much a bit of maturation (some fungal growth) would improve it. I am hesitant to take that test too far, because I once mixed dry maize meal into my clay with the result of an awfully rotten smell and black rotten clay a month later.

[@justinw1765]

@@Ratzzo Sodium acts as a flux for ceramics and glass, so probably not the best addition.

[@bruce-le-smith]

I love the inclusion of the chemistry, thank you! Really great content

[@Allycat101010]

Smell aside, I had a pottery teacher that swore that fermentation or....fungus... would help with strength. He said he had a friend who poured a beer into his (huge studio sized) batches of new clay expressly for this purpose. He did have very few explosions even with a bunch of student projects going into the kiln every day, so who knows.

[@fruitlessbeast]

This update approved. Blackthorn-Professional Potter

[@Jim-zn9qy]

If you take finely ground charcoal and a thick starch paste you can then ram the mixture in a steel pipe capped at both ends, one with a small vent hole in it. Compress the mixture with a hydraulic jack and a tree . Then place it in a hot fire for several hours. When you're done you will have a carbon rod like what was used in welding and lights.

[@sinciussynax]

Found you in the recommended with a oil lamp glass blowing vid. Now you have a new subscriber lmao, i love this style of content and you're voice is pretty soothing. Keep on crafting!

[@fraserbuilds]

Thank you!

[@ThroughAScannerInfrared]

Instant fan of your videos here, I hate to sound negative when your style/methods are such a breath of fresh air but I'm perhaps a bit overly safety conscious. I wanted to make sure you've read about silicosis and since your videos have surely inspired some first time potters I'd sleep a little easier if you'd briefly mention the permanence and severity of inhaling silica dust/silocosis, especially since its a dry pulverizing method. Just a gentle suggestion.. I hope i'm not annoying you in doing so, hope your lungs are well and that you keep up your magnificent/unique work I used to read scads of research papers about admixtures to clay for improving various properties, stone powders, broken glass, shredded plastic, might be worth looking into

[@fraserbuilds]

Thank you, I appreciate your concern, silicosis and the other hazards that come with powdered ceramics and other materials are serious, which is why I tried to encourage the use of respirators whenever working with powders, though I agree I should be more clear on the dangers

[@gitpusher2400]

Fascinating! This technique reminds me of tangzhong - which is sometimes used when baking cinnamon rolls or other soft, springy doughs. The starch in flour gelatinizes above 149 F, giving it properties that are very beneficial for “bounciness” and moisture retention

[@marcelburdon9795]

I'd love to see a quick video on the mortar and pestle, and all your home-made tools for that matter... This is inspiring, I really want to indulge in the foraging alchemist fantasy like this... More interestingly... could you more or less tell how many parts clay powder-charcoal powder-hair/fiber that you use in your recipe? Just to have a starting-off point for how much I should add to the mixtures... Edit: My bad, watched the rest of the video, you go in depth in the percentages hahah

[@fraserbuilds]

Thank you! hoping to release more quick vids on making my tools soon :)

[@charlesartificer2158]

I find all of this very interesting. And the point about the starches really makes sense. I wonder if boiling cornstarch would have the same effect as boiling flower. I imagine it would. Just some food for thought thank you so much for making these videos.

[@thehappypotter9612]

I also thought of using cornstarch but from experience know that it is processed to death. It does not even develop weevils over ten years in a hot humid climate! On the positive side, the clay would not develop a bad smell if it is used, but on the negative side there would be no gain in plasticity as a result of some fungal growth as in the case of a "live" starch such as wheat flour or rice.

[@charlesartificer2158]

@@thehappypotter9612 good to know. Thanks for sharing.

[@doodlemold2736]

this channel is so rad

[@lucascsrs2581]

You deserve so much more subscribers. Literally a hidden gem on YT.

[@acecampo88]

I would very much like a video on your wooden mortar and pestle pls. Thank👍

[@morgan0]

7:26 it would be more expensive but i’m curious how a fiber like psyllium husk would compare. afaik it’s longer starch chains, so it’s possible it would be even more flexible for the same weight, but i’m not sure if it would make any difference, and it would definitely cost more

[@fraserbuilds]

thats a really interesting idea, it could have some fascinating properties. im almost certain it would work, essentially any fiber should, but now im curious enough I might have to try it just to see😂

[@fredericomba]

Thanks for the demonstration.

[@valentine2303]

more videos!!!! love it!!

[@niuthon]

It would be interesting to see short video about this mortar and pestle build (YT short perhaps?) I would recommend some viral title, your channel deserves to expand!

[@fraserbuilds]

thats a good idea i just might try making it a short! thanks :)

[@doctorpurple5173]

Very cool and super helpful.

[@gfr2023]

I really love your technology style !!! please keep on posting

[@estebanguerrero682]

I love your channel, content, narration and even safety tips, keep up the good work :D!

[@fraserbuilds]

Thank you!

[@dicedoomkid]

Oh man, another treasure trove of informative and good for my expanding wealth of hobbies video. Thanks 👌🏼

[@Mr.Hatchet224]

Awesome videos tnx for all the information.

[@LuisAzcona]

i love this bro. I'm making an Earthen Basketball Court and I can relate to the process of going against conventions and just seeing if the chemistry makes sense. Love your videos!

[@fraserbuilds]

Thanks! best of luck! chemistry always finds a way😂

[@johnkoury1116]

You are doing a very good job of bringing back the origins of alchemical experimentation. Keep up the great videos my friend.

[@leovc2846]

I found your chanel through the alchemy video and im just amazed! I love your chanel and aspire to put this knowledge to practice ❤

[@captaincopperhead8019]

Thanks so much for sharing your research, this'll help a lot. I just finished making some charcoal and am continuing to do tests on the clay I've collected. I'm excited to use this method once I finish the experiments I'm running with my samples.

[@marcelomariano3586]

Great video !!!!

[@fraserbuilds]

Thank you!

[@herausragend6514]

Great Video!

[@richardlilley6274]

Thanks for sharing

[@mattl3729]

Very cool John- man, it must be great to dig your own wild clay right near you and it's fascinating to see how historical sources can tell one how to use it if it's not ideal right out of the ground. I've been a hobby pottery for about 6 years now, but I've only ever been able to use commercial clay, so getting to watch people like you and Andy Ward do what I can't is great fun. I'll have to find a copy of that book- it looks really interesting. I'd never have thought of using charcoal dust as a temper- and using flour paste would never have occurred in a million years. Thanks!

[@melissam0ss]

Golly! I love listening to your narration!! I truly love your videos! Such good filming of your projects and experiments! I want to make little clay things too and when I found your videos I’m so inspired!! When I go to Georgia I can bring home beautiful clay! And I love how you explained how to do this in a little fire! Thank you Fraser! PS…the way you speak ‘ir’ rather than ‘or’ I am especially fond of as I have the same pronunciation of most words with this too (as I pronounce “for” as “fir” as an example) I love your pottery!! And thanks for sharing the books you like as well as your relative video recommendations. Yur top shelf! 😜

[@PottedHistory]

Thanks Fraser, that was fascinating, and thanks also for the mention.

[@fraserbuilds]

Thank you for providing such a reliable and consistent source of knowledge on pottery for all of us!

[@Raster_Rasper]

This was fun to watch :D

[@legoguy23451]

i love it when the universe grants me access to such knowledge, as if it was just waiting to be known. i do not feel as though i am studying, but simply downloading and processing these thoughts and ideas, which i know will aid me in navigating throughout life's hardships. thank you for sharing your discoveries.

[@snubig1698]

A great and simple recipe and a great video

[@fraserbuilds]

thanks!

[@violettracey]

Thank you!

[@Varaldar]

i love your channel, i hope you are able to find more time for youtube!

[@FunkTeck]

great video

[@rustyholt6619]

morter is one of my favorite things ,,yes vid please

[@caseymiller7297]

Bro I was about to give up on my clay before seeing this. You have the exact same kind of natural clay I'm trying to work with. Thanks friend!

[@azure_antlers]

Oh hey! I noticed that you had updated the description of your translation of the Al-Rizi, while I'm not the one who made the original comment on the previous video, I appreciate you taking the time to do that.

[@fraserbuilds]

thanks :) I'm trying to be a little more thorough with my historical accuracy in these videos, the more I learn the more I realize how crucial those details can be 😅

[@krustysurfer]

Pure awesomeness

[@flashlit123]

Thanks. This video and your previous one finally turned my clay into a more workable form. I can guess how the mortar and pestle was made but a quick video could be useful. Another suggestion if you want another video idea is a tour of your shop showing off some of the cool things you made. Your candle holder and the rush light holder look real nice and the oil lamp (blow torch) and the fancy copper stand I'd love to build a version of for myself. I've seen about all of Andy's videos and took most of his classes but I'd like to see how you fire your clay when you get a chance to make a video.

[@fraserbuilds]

Glad to hear its helped! Ive thought about doing a shop tour video it might be fun!

[@karlmccreight8172]

This is great! I had made the bitter experience of moulding samples of wild clay, letting it dry, giving it a squeeze and finding it to crumble to dust due to containing silt. I was taught that clay, which contains, silt is useless for making pottery, but this Info here might save me from spending too much time on looking for good clay. Thanks

[@Gulogulo-nz8nm]

Man i'm really interested in how you made that mortar and pestle

[@AerialTheShamen]

Rice was also an ingredient to strengthen the cement for the Great Wall of China. It changes the crystallization in a way that keeps the cement ductile and more earthquake proof.

[@matthewfaubel8702]

I just discovered you, but it is truly wonderful to see someone as fascinated as I am about the Practical applications of Alchemy. For example, everyone knows that, more or less, gunpowder was invented is Asia, but they don't know that it was Alchemists who did the discovering, at least by accident.

[@IdiotWithEducation]

Your channel is very intriguing and similar to my interests! I’m surprised that you don’t even have 1k subscribers, love your voice too

[@fraserbuilds]

thank you!

[@IdiotWithEducation]

@@fraserbuilds I just watched your other videos and honestly you’re amazing, I can only hope to be this great lol

[@janouwerling3225]

Great content! Thanks 😁 🏺

[@JohnSmith-il4wi]

I was sad to see this video end....

[@zixvirzjghamn737]

make a video on the mortar and pestle edit: in this video, you mention vinegar enhancing clay, and I did some research, and ended up finding out that that may be because there was silt in your clay, and the acid of vinegar could have decreased its particle size down to clay. Alternatively, it may have removed non-clay substances found in your clay, such as organic compounds. I am interested to see what would be the affect on your clay if you used a stronger acid, and if that would increase the clay quality as well. As you are learning alchemy, you should readily have a large number of solvents available to you very soon once you learn how to make them (though you already probably know how.

[@TheBlackSheepDiaries]

Most excellent update sir and we can't thank you enough. Saving me tons of time with useless attempts, giving credit to Andy's channel (agreed awesome), you are what the world needs more of friend. Thank you, good luck with all your projects, and yes I would love to see a video of how you pit fire yours and a few finished pieces.

[@fraserbuilds]

thank you!

[@TheBlackSheepDiaries]

@@fraserbuilds Got probably a stupid question for ya my friend, charcoal purchased or just left over from pit fir? I've got no concerns on this other than to get it to best condition to keep from cracking in the drying process. Thanks!

[@fraserbuilds]

@@TheBlackSheepDiaries either should work fine! I normally just use the coals leftover from previous pottery firings

[@TheBlackSheepDiaries]

@@fraserbuilds OK thanks so much friend. I tried using some grey clay from the river but it cracked all over the place when drying. I thought it would be a better clay but now I'm thinking the original Georgia red is better.

[@Sulayman.786]

Awesome, thanks! Don't mean to sound arrogant but charcoal and pregelatinized starch (boiled starch, as you showed and as used in pharmaceutical tablets etc) is exactly what I would have added. I didn't think about making it into dust though. Thanks again!

[@user-bw5vs6ii1g]

actually, vinegar makes clay stick to itself more! my art teacher has us use diluted vinegar to clean tables after units on clay. it can also be used to make spooze, essentially slip but thicker and stronger. corn syrup, clay, vinegar, and maybe water.

[@polifemo3967]

you are essentially making starch glue for your clay XD

[@fraserbuilds]

exactly!

[@tribaltagz]

Awesome video. In watching the four and water, it made me think of old school flour paste like we use with paper mache'...... which also made me wonder if Elmer's glue might also work......

[@joynoel4095]

Id love a video on your giant mortar and pestille! We keep wood on hand for the stove in winter. Theres a few good trunk chunks out there that I eyeballed watching this. Great videos! Binging through the whole list lol

[@fraserbuilds]

Thank you! arent I lucky? we had a huge paulowinia tree come down a few years back and its kept me furnished with wood ever since 😂 hopefully I'll have a video out on the mortar before too long!

[@jakeking974]

Damn, I guess I got lucky when I was younger cause I know of a massive stoneware clay (it's naturally a mild grey) deposit near my old house and it was always more flexible than the stuff we used in art class, although it was partially submerged in a stream, but that didn't matter after the first inch or so because the clay itself was so uniformly dense and porous that the water content only made the very outside slick and easy to wash away with a quick rub, but everything deeper was already wet and would take serious time to be saturated fully.

[@harlemsar]

This is awesome, must try ;: )

[@twistednerve0]

Good work! I would consider using some ball mill for making fine powders, though. But the result is impressive already

[@kassiog.6595]

Awesome

[@luminariel3765]

Cattail plant fluff seems like it could be a great replacement for hair or fur. I have clay in my yard and now I'm extremely interested in trying to do some wild pottery.

[@ddothack8583]

If I may suggest. For sifting the dry powder I would think an old fashioned flour sifter would speed it up some.

[@fraserbuilds]

Thats a great idea! ill have to try it.

[@DalekOverLord101]

Please make a video on that mortar and pestle!!

[@VultureXV]

I am in a city that was renowned for brick making. The soul here feels like soft chocolate ice cream after the rain. I'm going to make some pots, items, and an oil lantern or two.

[@CottonTailJoe]

Nice!

[@shuckieddarns]

You can make a rudimentary clay-like putt using rice and vinegar if you grind it in a mortar and pestle. You can also use water, but it's less plastic. Both will crack when dried.

[@bitskit3476]

So basically, the starch water acts as a binder, the vinegar kills the nasty smelling microbes that eat the starches in the clay, and the powdered charcoal is a temper that prevents the clay from shrinking and cracking during the firing process. Makes sense!

[@davidt1621]

Have you considered just mixing cornstarch powder from the grocery store with water? It's an extremely common thickening agent used in the US and Canada, usually found in the baking isle of grocery stores next to the flours.

[@mr.potatto2039]

this man is Styropyro but for clay and i love it

[@thomasvanwyk]

Amazing job well done how are you so cool🦊

[@thomasvanwyk]

I love your videos

[@fraserbuilds]

😎I like books. Thank you! I'm glad you enjoyed the video!

[@thomasvanwyk]

@@fraserbuilds thank you so much you a star🦊

[@ladyofthemasque]

Thumbs up specifically for the "horrible and torturous things" quip. XD ...Still not sure if cattail rhizome flour or wapato starches would make the right slurry, but I suppose I could get my hands on acorn flour! White oaks are native to Western Washington, and the Coastal Salish and other regional indigenous nations maintained larged savannahs of oaks and hazelnuts, along with berry bushes. It didn't look like traditional European farming, but they did have a very solid agriculturat system prior to colonization. They certainly had the calorie surplus necessary for what became a very complex culture, and the two main things keeping them from advancing their technology alongside their culture were a lack of decent ceramics and knowledge of metalworking. (Ceramics are often a highly overlooked but serious component of metal smelting & forging, since it helps to ensure adequate smelting furnaces and forges, as well as moulds for various tools for softer metals such as copper...which is all over the region.) Ironically, the Salish, the Makah, and other coastal nations on up into Alaska actually already had iron tools. Not many, but they were a result of Chinese traders exchanging them for various furs (seal, polar bear, etc) with Aleutian peoples, who then traded them with the Haida, who then traded with the Makah, and the Salish, etc. Iron axe and adze blades were revered and treasured as family heirlooms, carefully preserved and passed from generation to generation, hand-sharpened and worn down to nubs, because their far less brittle edges were superior in many ways (though not all) to the knapped and polished stone tools otherwise available in the region. They knew the *value* of iron tools, but the First Nations peoples of the region simply didn't know *how* to make them, and never got an opportunity (or an impetus) to learn.

[@melissam0ss]

PS…YES!! I would LOVE TO WATCH A VIDEO OF YOUR HOW TO MAKE A GIANT MORTAR AND PESTAL! I really want to make one for pounding and refining clay and other outdoorsy stuff! So please, when you can 🙏🏽 🎥

[@coco805]

I would love to see your open pit firing process. I only have access to campfires.

[@rachmatbd4479]

I need that book

[@TheRojo387]

I just realised something about my alchemist's clay rocket stove design; the downdraft channels could be repurposed as a charcoal retort, so that charcoal could be made with a regular masonry heater setup, only…the dividers separating the downdrafts from the chimneys are removed, the resulting receptacles capped off and just connected to the central updraft, and…that's the retort for ya!

[@fraserbuilds]

now thats a cool idea! Im glad to hear folks are experimenting with alchemists clay! best of luck!

[@TheRojo387]

@@fraserbuilds I even made it with woodwork-style joints so they could simply be slotted together and sealed with a putty made of the same clay product. Both panels and putty must dry before being fired.

[@fraserbuilds]

Oh neat! really like that joint idea thats really something to experiment with!

[@TheRojo387]

@@fraserbuilds I strongly suggest you make yourself a rocket stove so you can truly get off-grid. I'm making one so I can escape the crap from the fire brigade.

[@moosekababs]

PLEASE MAKE A VIDEO ABOUT EVERYTHING

[@fraserbuilds]

WILL DO! :)

[@assasinpatates8066]

Al-Razi is pronounced "arraazee". The vowels in the word "Razi" are long vowels and when the definite article "al" comes before R in Arabic, the L turns into an R. Making it "Arraazee".

[@xact.toeblades]

Beautiful

[@gerbenleiden]

Maybe you can add some lime either nhl 5(or so) or dehydrated lime, it's something clay plasterers like to do and could make it stronger after heat treatment

[@alexandermolberg5577]

Was thinking about it being winter. Im sure I could refine clay straight out of my soil but theres a storm runoff (gross icky cars) stream nearby with some deposits.

[@alisn.7998]

A video on open pit firing would be immensely useful. I’m making things, such as burial and cremation urns, bowls, and beakers, with nettle string decoration marks, for an exhibition later this year, on the prehistory of our area in Britain. I’m just hoping that it’ll be less wet than its been over the last year in northwest Britain.

[@user-sr1sj8hk3m]

I'd like to try using straw ash instead of vinegar to inhibit bacteria (taking advantage of its alkaline properties) and reduce part of the charcoal powder, but it may be a while before I get a chance to try this

[@hipsterindietrash6105]

While it would be cost ineffective, do you feel that using vinegar for all applications you would traditionally use water for in this process would improve the clay or have no meaningful positive effect? On a similar note: if the vinegar helps prevent fermenting in the clay, would alcohol serve a similar purpose? And as for the hair in the alchemical recipie. Do you find that the added strength from fibers being mixed in helps with pottery? Or only with things like bricks? Great video, you are absolutely brilliant. You have made a meaningful contribution to the field of alchemy 1000 years later. An unbroken chain of scientists, tinkerers, and artisans stretching back to at least Al Raziz himself now smile down upon you with pride.

[@hulkgqnissanpatrol6121]

Two water pits, one above the other. Keep adding clay and water to the one above while stomping with your feel and all the smaller particles of clay will overflow to the one below. It's perfect for fire clay. The towel/cheese cloth technique works well too but not recommended for fireing

[@user-so2fp8tz9o]

Ive never really worked with clay but my materials intuition tells me that adding all the water to the starch boil might lead to a more well-distributed web of molecules than mixing the thick starch paste into the clay and then adding extra water directly to the clay. I wonder if the difference between those two methods would result in any measurable difference in strength