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Recipe

Earth clay (from dug soil)

Clay panned from your own garden or a building site. Purified, rested and ready to model.

Every A New Field recipe has been run in a domestic kitchen or community hall. Read the safety notes before you start and adapt for your venue.

What you’ll make

Red, grey or buff depending on the soil. Dries to a hard but porous earthenware-like solid.

Flexible slots (flex around your material)

  • Clay soil

    Clay (mineral)1 bucket soil

    Plastic mineral earth. Air-dries to a hard solid, holds shape wet.

    Examples Dug garden clay

    Note — Pan and settle.

Fixed ingredients

  • Water · As neededMultiple rinses.

Equipment

  • Buckets
  • sieves
  • muslin or old pillowcase
  • tray.

Refinements and variations

  • Add fine sand to reduce cracking, or chopped straw for earthen plaster.

Source notes

Traditional slip-settling technique used for centuries.