Testing times.

Cloud, rain, cloud rain, rain rain, sun(!), HAIL....etc ad infinitum. I've been trying to crush clay for grog but the weather has been against me. I've spent most of the time dragging buckets under cover and out again but did manage to make up all the shrinkage bars from the clays that I collected on my last trip to Devon. One of them is a clay I got from near Doug, which was by far the easiest to use. Very little residue and almost useable as dug. The others are highly compacted and often difficult to crush, but their plasticity seems very good.

The bars will be used to measure shrinkage (drying and firing) and also porosity once fired to top temperature. The test rings will be glazed to check crazing or likelihood of shelling. I think that some of the clays are very high in silica.