Table of Contents
How do you reclaim clay in a pug mill?
A Community Studio Clay Recycling System
- Collect all clay from studio users.
- Pull out dry/hard pieces of clay so they can dry out completely.
- Slake down the bone dry clay.
- Fill the pugger about 75% full and mix.
- Add dry clay to mixer.
- Pug the clay.
How long does it take to pug clay?
five to fifteen minutes
It takes an average of five to fifteen minutes to mix and pug a batch of clay. Processing time depends on the condition of the material going into the pugger-mixer. Moist scrap or powder and measured water will blend up quickly. Dry chunks take longer to smooth out completely.
Is a clay mixer the same as a pugmill?
A Clay Mixer works the clay and mixes it thoroughly distributing water throughout the clay until it’s at a perfectly workable consistency. A Pugmill prepares the clay by wedging it taking the air out of it, and moving it through the chamber. The clay then moves through the nozzle all ready to use.
Can you reuse clay that has been thrown?
You can recycle clay, or reclaim clay, so it can be used again. Many potters keep their non contaminated (21) clay scraps from trimming, broken greenware, or old throwing slurry (3) to recycle and reuse. As long as clay has not been fired it can be recycled (10, 21).
Do you need to Pugmill?
A pugmill is not one of the first pieces of equipment a studio potter or even a school gets. But if you are throwing a lot of clay and want your body to last longer (especially the wrists), or if you generate a lot of scraps that you would like to recycle, then you may be ready to add a pugmill to your studio space.
How does a clay pug mill work?
How Does a Pugmill Work? Pugmills generate rapid mixing action using the counter-rotation of the the two mixing shafts as well as the inclined position of the mixing blades resulting in an intense vertical and horizontal mixing motion.
Do you need a pug mill?
Do I need a pug mill?
What is an old fashioned pug mill?
A pugmill or pug mill is a machine in which clay or other materials are mixed into a plastic state or a similar machine for the trituration of ore. Industrial applications are found in pottery, bricks, cement and some parts of the concrete and asphalt mixing processes.
How many times can you reclaim clay?
We place the wedged clay in heavy duty plastic bags and store about 25lbs in each bag. When you store clay in larger amounts it doesn’t dry out as quickly giving longer shelf life. Additional Clay Recycling Information: There is no limit to how many times you can reclaim clay.
Can you overwork clay?
Fresh clay contains more plasticizer than old clay, and plasticizers are more active when they are warmed up. So there are basically four reasons why your polymer clay may be too soft: You may have overworked your clay making it too warm.
How long should clay dry before trimming?
When your pottery is a half-inch thick or more, three weeks should do it. If you live in a humid climate and want to air on the safe side go for four. When crafting a larger or more complicated piece like a girl on a bird, it’s worth taking extra time to make sure your pottery is totally dry.
What is pug mix aggregate?
Pugmills are mixers that mix multiple materials into a homogeneous mixture very rapidly. Smaller pugmills are used to recycle and reclaim clay in pottery studios. These pugmills can also be used to de-aerate and add moisture back to the clay to make it usable again.
What is pug mix gravel?
Pug Mix or Pug Mill, is a special mix of Crusher Run Gravel, sand, fine lime powder dust and water. This gravel is typically used for road building, concrete slabs, and sidewalks but can also be used for your driveway, parking area or walking path.
Why do you pug clay?
All pugmills will recycle scraps to some degree. The benefit of a mixer/pugmill like the Peter Pugger and PMX-060 is that it allows you to recycle scraps more easily. Most pugmills require you to “pre-process” the clay to get it to a relatively tight range of consistency before going in. Not too wet and not too dry.
Is a pug mill necessary?
Can you turn fired clay back into clay?
Answer: Unfortunately, the answer here is no. The reason is that once you fire a piece of clay chemical changes occur. You first are chemically firing out the water which cannot be replaced. Second, if fired to what is called “maturity” you are actually “vitrifying” the clay particles.
What are the different types of Pugmills?
There are different types of Pugmills and Mixers . Deairing pugmills remove air from clay by passing through a vacuum while pugging; non-deairing pugmills simply consolidate and extrude the clay without deairing it; mixer/pugmills can mix from dry as well as reclaim and recycle all your clay scraps, they can be either deairing or non-deairing.
What is the difference between deairing and non-deairing Pugmills?
Deairing pugmills remove air from clay by passing through a vacuum while pugging; non-deairing pugmills simply consolidate and extrude the clay without deairing it; mixer/pugmills can mix from dry as well as reclaim and recycle all your clay scraps, they can be either deairing or non-deairing.
What is the most efficient pugmill on the market?
The Bailey MSV-25 Mixer-Pugmill is demonstrated showing efficiency. This opens in a new window. There are different types of Pugmills and Mixers .