Mica Clay!
Make micaceous pottery, hand polish for that lustrous look.
Welcome
Mined in the Manzano Mountains, this naturally micaceous clay is airfloated. We then blend in other natural minerals to make the closest thing to digging up your own clay in Taos NM! This mica clay is rough and possesses little plasticity. Native American pottery is traditionally coiled thickly, then scraped down to as thin as needed. Scraping it with a thin metal rib (Kemper's S4) refines the shape. The pots are then polished by hand using either a soft cloth, smooth rock, or even a stainless steel spoon. Micacious clay is traditionally wood fired outdoors to temperatures of around 1200 F. The interesting colors, caused by smoke and fire, range from red to orange to gray. It is important to remember NOT to fire burnished pots over cone 08 as the shine will fade.
Fun to work with!
Micaceous clay is very forgiving. It is great for Raku, burnishing, and pit firing. Kids love it, as there is no need for additional decoration. Only one firing required!
How to work with Mica Clay
Clays are mixed in Albuquerque NM by New Mexico Clay.
Our Pugmill Team
Great for Cooking Pots on Top of the Stove!
Fire to Cone 010 1657 F (can fire as low as 1360 F cone 017)
Seal inside with Bear Fat! (I used olive oil)
The first time you use it, season it with a light broth of salted water, carrots, celery, potatoes... this seals the clay, cuts out the raw clay flavor, and makes the pot taste good.
Cook on stove top, campfire, etc...
Mica Red clay has no measurable heavy metal release, does not effect PH and adds little sodium to the cooking of food.
Click Here to read the Lab report on the Mica Red Clay