This is how I sieve local clay. My McCurtain County might be showing a bit. Feel free to make fun of my accent.
Sieving is necessary to remove organic material (roots, leaves, etc.) and rocks from the clay.
To remove sand, it’s easier to make a thin slurry about the consistency of milk or cream and let the sand settle to the bottom. The thinner the slurry, the finer the sand that will settle out.
Then you can carefully pour the clay slurry from the top through a sieve to remove any floating debris.
This is also how I process the local silty material I shared yesterday. The difference is that, in that case, I keep the fine material that settles to the bottom instead of the clay slurry.
