19/07/2026
Until it's fired clay be be used over and over.
You could leave an united pot for years, And it could be bone dry but then it will still just go back to mud if you add water.
If im throwing and a pot collapses, I usually just wedge it up again straight away to rethrow. Otherwise, all the practice or broken pots, wheel scraps and general clay off cuts can go in a big bucket to be mixed and dried out again to useable clay.
I put wheel slip straight in my reclaim. Other clay I leave until its bone dry before adding it as it will then disintegrate better and make the reclaim less lumpy.
Once I have motivation and a sunny day, I mix my reclaim using a paint mixer and electric drill. Use a plug in one, the battery powered one in the video was not up to yhe job! Once you have a clay slurry , spread it on an absorbant slab. This can be potters plaster or diatomite. After a short while, the water has been drawn out of the slurry and you can roll up and wedge your clay to use again.
