Clay Storage

by Nicola
(Nanaimo, BC, Canada)

Question: What is the ideal temperate and humidity to store clay?

Also, are the bags that the clay comes in okay for storage? (in other words, is the plastic thick enough?)

Answer: Nicola, great question.

The simplified answer to your question would be, store your clay in a 40-75 degree room.

Hotter temperatures will encourage the clay to dry out faster even with the thick plastic bag, and freezing temperatures create a really strange texture in the clay requiring you to wedge or knead it really well before using it.

The plastic bags do work really well especially if they are well sealed. I do find, however, that if I leave clay for years at a time it will very slowly dry out and turn hard.

The moisture will also tend to migrate toward the bottom of the bag creating uneven clay (dry at the top and soggy at the bottom). This can be prevented by simply flipping the bag every 2 months.

You can also re-hydrate your clay pretty easily by simply pouring a cup or so of water into the bag and letting it sit for a week or more. Flipping the bag every couple of days makes it go faster.

I also like the technique of removing the entire block of clay from the bag, wrapping it in a wet dish towel and re-inserting it into the bag. This helps to distribute the moisture more evenly around the clay.

Once you play with clay enough, you can tell just by poking the bag whether it is too soft or too hard. If it's too hard, add water and wait, and it will get better.

Hope that helps,

Steve

Comments for Clay Storage

Average Rating starstarstarstarstar

Click here to add your own comments

Dec 24, 2011
Rating
starstarstarstarstar
rehydrate clay
by: Anonymous

Adding a cup of water works great. To make it work even better and in a shorter amount of time, you can do the following. Add a cup of water to the bag. (Check for holes of course). Now here is the neat trick. (One of the best I learned in 10 years.) Submerse the entire bag of clay with the cup of water into a bucket of water. Cover the entire block of clay with water and burp any excess air out of the bag and seal the bag. Cover the entire bag with water. The pressure of the water forces the cup of water into the block of clay.

Clay that has been setting for a shorter amount of time can be dropped from waist high several times, rotating the bag to migrate the water back through the block before wedging.

Click here to add your own comments

Return to Ask a Pottery Question.

Where to Next?

Learn How This Website Got Started

Watch Pottery Throwing Videos

Share Your Photos

Add YOUR 2 Cents

Share this page:
Enjoy this page? Please pay it forward. Here's how...

Would you prefer to share this page with others by linking to it?

  1. Click on the HTML link code below.
  2. Copy and paste it, adding a note of your own, into your blog, a Web page, forums, a blog comment, your Facebook account, or anywhere that someone would find this page valuable.



Feeling Frustrated?

My bestselling Kindle e-book The Despicable Five solves the 5 most infuriating problems every beginning potter faces.