clay, as a workable material, is so amazing.
you can make just about anything with it just using your hands; even if you don't fire it the stuff is surprisingly durable if kept dry.

its literally dirt cheap. because, you know, it's dirt. or rather a component of dirt. you can literally dig a hole in the ground, swish some of the dirt you dug out between 2 containers or even 2 holes filled with water, and after it settles what you're left with is basically just clays and some organic bs.

super easy to work, depending on how much water you add. more water = softer but less able to hold its shape.

chemical resistant, heat resistant, some types are really hard... theres just so much variety and versatility.

if you add oil instead of water you get modeling clay, which if you don't use a drying oil will be pretty much infinitely workable without any concern of it drying out. its also known as plumbing putty because of how good it is at sealing low pressure water or air leaks around a pipe cutout.

"Blu tack" is fucking awesome. It was like contraband when I was in elementary school. The forbidden playdough.

I'd like to try out working with clay at some point, myself.

It's the only class I genuinely miss from high school.

why wait? you can start now. its literally made from dirt.



is learning how to work clay common in highschool? and would it be part of art or shop class? another type i haven't heard of?
i never went so i wouldn't know.

It was an elective in my high school, my guess tbh is I got lucky compared to a lot of other schools having it offered. This was back in 2009-10 so idk really what's offered nowadays

I forgot the exact numbers I just know you were allowed to pick either one or two classes of your own choosing whilst doing the primary classes (math/language arts/biology etc) and ceramics was one I picked. I haven't seen shop class or kitchen classes literally ever.

I would do more clay but the real.problem is having access to a kiln than the base ingredients/tools. Without that it's kinda hard to make anything that isn't super brittle

thats the neatest part about it, you don't have to fire it. if you really just cannot live without it being water-stable you can coat it in plaster or something. if you don't mind a time limit and wearing gloves you can mix cement into it for more robust structure. there's also the option of mixing a fine plastic powder into the clay and baking it in a oven when done.


funny thing, you can make a kiln from clay too. its a very versatile material lol
the biggest trick to getting a good kiln geometry is to somehow slow down the flame i.e. by making it pass through a bunch of small holes. i think primitive technology on youtube has a few ok designs, nothing i'd say are particularly great though.

if you don't have a whole lot of ventilation available electric or hydrogen kilns are pretty reasonable to build too.
for electric kilns either silicon carbide or graphite electrodes work really well, both are made in a similar fashion. nichrome wire is a bit lacking imo, some people have had a good experience but for the most part it really just doesn't hold up for higher firing clays and isn't that durable otherwise. for kiln insulation i'd say carbon foam made from thermolysis of old memory foam mattresses is a pretty great option.

oh how I pity your missing outs, I remember this way back in kindergarten, I used to shape small turtles and lizards out of these...nowadays I could try to make something that's bigger and more elaborate like "historically accurate" dinosaurs with feathers and fur or a model city if I so choose.

I love play around with plasticine clay of multiple colors and make lots of figures, especially of dinosaurs! :D

I'll have to buy my clay, my region's soil doesn't exactly hold together very well.

That and I don't want my landlord or neighbors smacking me upside the head for digging a big hole.