This is the silty material after it has been sieved and most of the clay has been poured off. It hasn’t been fully washed yet, so there’s still some clay mixed in.
At this stage, it behaves a lot like cornstarch mixed with water. It feels solid until you apply pressure, then it suddenly flows. It’s a fascinating material to work with.
After the remaining clay is washed out, this fine silt becomes one of the local materials I use in my glaze, where it serves as a substitute for silica.
You can see how this material started in From Local Earth to Finished Pottery – Part 1 and how it ends up in Part 2
