Step-by-Step Guide to Recycling Clay in Your Pottery Studio

The step-by-step process for recycling clay

Here’s how you can recycle leftover clay in your studio:

1. Preparing the scraps

First, gather all those dry little bits and put them in a bucket. Then cover them with clean water until they’re fully submerged. After a few days, the clay will break down and turn into a slurry.

Here’s a handy trick: use a jug to press down the slurry so the excess water rises to the surface and you can easily pour it off.

The following clip shows the typical clay shavings you get after trimming with pottery tools:

2. Spreading out the clay

Once you have a soft, mushy mass, it’s time to spread it out on a plaster bat/slab. The idea is that the plaster absorbs the excess water so the clay can dry evenly. It’s best to flip it from time to time to make sure it firms up evenly all the way through.

3. Wedging and storing

When you notice the clay is firm enough, remove it from the plaster slab and wedge it thoroughly.

Image of a plaster wedging table.

You can use a cutting wire to slice through it and check that everything is well mixed. Then wrap it in plastic and store it until you need it. You’ve got “new” clay ready for your next creations!

Additives to improve reclaimed clay

We’ll keep this brief, because we’ll write another post just about this.

If you want to give your recycled clay a special touch, you can add a few ingredients:

- Crushed porcelain to refine the texture

- Feldspar to make the body smoother

- Chamotte/grog if you need a more resistant clay body