Out of the crusher Ceramics made using clay from civic waste Brett Smout Brettsm_art@hotmail.com
Cemex provided access to their quarry at Marulan, NSW. Marulan is 130 kilometres south of Sydney and 150 kilometres north of Canberra, on the Hume Highway.
Marulan - image: maps for free.com
Marulan Quarry blasts granite
The granite is crushed and washed
The wash-off is called tailings
The tailings dry in ponds
The dried tailings are piled in bunds
I collected dry tailings
Microscopy showed flat platelets indicating plasticity
After mixing to a slurry, sieving, and hanging to dry in cloth bags, the clay was:
Extruded to test plasticity
Fired in a solar-assisted electric kiln to test slumping
Marulan 100% no slump at cone 02+ pyro 1100
Coated with white clay slip and clear glaze
and made into bowls Brett Smout Brettsm_art@hotmail.com