Shoutout to the weird red clay I found near my house in Knoxville

I tried to fire a piece of it in my kiln at 1,800 degrees, thinking it was just normal earthenware, and it completely melted into a glassy puddle. Turns out it's loaded with iron oxide and acts more like a low-grade flux. Has anyone else had a local soil completely ruin a pottery project because of its mineral makeup?

3 comments

3 Comments

norag382mo ago

That "loaded with iron oxide" thing is why I never trust local dirt.

robinson.paul1d ago

Oh man same here, I tried using some local clay for a garden bed once and everything came out orange and gross lol.

rowan_black2mo ago

But is it actually a problem?