Author Topic: Re: native pottery part 2 (Read 25435 times)

iowabow · « **Reply #15 on:** July 16, 2012, 11:14:10 pm »

Quote from: JW_Halverson on July 16, 2012, 10:00:47 pm

Nice shell haul. I can't wait to see some pots coming outa the fire, John!

Now take one of the larger shells, rough the interior up with coarse grit sandpaper, burn the tip of a broken cedar arrow shaft, and use it like a striker on a slate turkey call. Those freshwater mussels make pretty good slates for Ol' Tom Gobbler.

No kiddin wow i am going to try that

JW_Halverson · « **Reply #16 on:** July 16, 2012, 11:53:12 pm »

I was going to start a post this spring about time the turkeys were heating up..."Show your homemade turkey calls". I have 6 homemade calls and try to avoid going back to the store-boughts. Simpler the better!

Plus, if I forget a Chesapeake Bay bluepoint oyster shell on top of a ridge in the Black Hills I can have a great laugh on whoever finds it and scratches their head bald figuring how it got there!

iowabow · « **Reply #17 on:** July 19, 2012, 04:22:52 pm »

I am not able to fire the pottery I made some weeks ago due to the drought. I did go to the clay deposit and make a nice haul.

iowabow · « **Reply #18 on:** July 19, 2012, 04:26:48 pm »

I was able to carry 75# out

bowtarist · « **Reply #19 on:** July 20, 2012, 12:39:55 pm »

#75 Dang strong man. Looks l;ike good clay too. We found some in our creek the other day due to the drought. We found it because the water was so low. It's kinda grey and stinks a little. My boys have been messing w/ it, maybe we need to collect some and bring it home. Good luck, dp

iowabow · « **Reply #20 on:** July 20, 2012, 01:00:15 pm »

Dont forget to get shells. Burn them hot in the fire crush to powder and add to clay. 15-20% shell. When you rehydrate the clay use creek water. This primitive hobby has really built up my upper body. I have been carrying 60# of flint all summer but the clay forms to your back nice. Also no quick sand during dry weather so heavy loads are easy. I try to drink lots of water during my trips this makes it real easy.

iowabow · « **Reply #21 on:** July 30, 2012, 04:45:13 pm »

Sam called today and ask me if I wanted to take him on a rock run. He wants to start knappin so I figured that would be a great chance to dig more clay before the fall rains come. When we arrived at the deposit we found that a beaver had dammed the creek and the water was 4 inches higher. Where Isaac and I are standing is the clay deposit. I packed another 75#s out and Sam carried out a pack of nice flint. So I now have 150#s of clay and 20#s of mussels. Now I need to process it and cook the mussels. Also leroy sent me a text and told me that he had 5# of mussel he got from the Mississippi. Leroy and Sam are guys we helped build bows.

iowabow · « **Reply #22 on:** August 11, 2012, 05:56:11 pm »

It has taken some time here but I am back on the pottery project now that I am waiting for arrow shafts to dry. Isaac helped me patty the clay so it will dry. Once dry it will be rehydrated and processed. If you dont dry it first it will not slump into a slury. A slury is a watery clay mixture. Watering down the clay alows the undisirable rocks and small pebbles to settle to the bottom so we can pour the clay off the top. So 75 # has been set out. The backpark is full of another 75#.

JW_Halverson · « **Reply #23 on:** August 11, 2012, 06:48:06 pm »

Why can't you just keep adding water to the clay until it "slumps"? I'm not clear on that point.

iowabow · « **Reply #24 on:** August 11, 2012, 08:49:31 pm »

Quote from: JW_Halverson on August 11, 2012, 06:48:06 pm

Why can't you just keep adding water to the clay until it "slumps"? I'm not clear on that point.

Water holds clay together when you dry it out those bonds break. When lots of water is added it creates multi bonds and there is space. This is why clay is used in pond banks. Once wet and dried to moist putty like consistency it is hard to dilute.

JW_Halverson · « **Reply #25 on:** August 12, 2012, 03:22:05 pm »

Thanks, John. Your patience with us slower students is commendable.

This thread suddenly became much more interesting late yesterday when a friend called to tell me he had been collecting, drying, and stacking buffalo chips this summer. He said he wanted to try making some Prairie Pottery.

Now I am wondering if I can use this gumbo clay out here for pottery. I already know where I can score lotsa freshwater mussel shells.

iowabow · « **Reply #26 on:** August 12, 2012, 03:31:50 pm »

The first thing to do is roll it out into a snake. Mark on the table where it starts and then where it dries. If it's srinks less than 10 percent you're good to go.

JW_Halverson · « **Reply #27 on:** August 12, 2012, 03:35:30 pm »

Now THAT is one skill learned in Arts and Crafts class that I can still do! Thanks, John.

mitch · « **Reply #28 on:** August 13, 2012, 02:50:02 am »

Iam loving this thread!!! I have always wanted to try pottery but have mever got down to it,

keep on keeping on,
Mitch

iowabow · « **Reply #29 on:** August 30, 2012, 07:15:37 pm »

I feel like the clay has dried enough to add water. I wrote this project into my job here at here at the college. So I had to go to the creek to day to get water there my be an ion issue with different water. Then back to the studio to add clay. Water enters the clay so fast the water appears to boil. Tomorrow I start processing it to remove rocks.