re-firing kitty litter

[Joe Dupre']

I brought this subject up a few years ago and I thought I would float it by again. For those who have a kiln, I'd be interested to know what a re-firing of standard kitty litter/oil absorbant would do. I figure, when you fire a batch of pots, add a little kitty litter here and there in the nooks and crannies as an experiment. Kitty litter/oil absorbant IS normally clay, and may well respond well to high firing. I doubt seriously that a product made to deal with cat pee or spilled oil would be fired at 1 degree higher or 1 minute longer than absolutely necessary. Come on, you pot makers. You might just open up a whole 'nother source of soil material.

 

[penumbra]

Risky business. Lower fire clays would melt and fume at my temperature firing range.

 

[Joe Dupre']

I didn't know clay would actually melt. So kitty litter clay is a different, somewhat inferior type of clay?

 

[penumbra]

Yes it will melt if fired beyond its limit. I have seen many kilns destroyed this way when I spent 10 years in the kiln repair business. It is not about one clay being inferior to another. Clay is formulated to vitrify at different temperature. I suspect kitty litter is a low fire clay. All decent bonsai pots are fired midfire, cone 5 - 6, or high fire, cone 8 and up.

 

[Joe Dupre']

Well, that pretty much clears up the subject. Thanks.

 

[Dadayama]

Kitty litter is usually made from bentonite... there is no such thing as low fire clays... only low fire clay bodies which contain things other than clay (fluxes) to mature the clay at a lower temperature.

 

[Potawatomi13]

Isn't bentonite explosive?

 

[Dadayama]

Hello all
Regarding kitty litter, I went to Walmart and bought the cheapest I could find, which was $1.50 for 7 pounds.



The back says it is Fuller's Earth...





I put some in a bowl and in a ceramic kiln fired the litter to cone 06, in layman's terms that is around 1800 degrees F.



The kitty litter is on the left, notice the color change. For fun, I also fired a bowl of Turvace MVP, which is on the right. Notice how they look almost the same.

No explosion, no kiln damage... just regular clay. I also did a water absorption test by soaking the materials in water for five minutes and then letting them sit draining for 3 hours. Unfired Turface had a water absorption/retention rate of 72.5%, kitty litter fired = 69%, kiln fired Turface = 56%... At the same time, I ground up some 06-fired pottery cone 10 clay bodies, sieved, and did the same test and the absorption rate was the lowest at 48.5%.

 

[Joe Dupre']

Hello all
Regarding kitty litter, I went to Walmart and bought the cheapest I could find, which was $1.50 for 7 pounds.

View attachment 453862

The back says it is Fuller's Earth...

View attachment 453863

View attachment 453865

I put some in a bowl and in a ceramic kiln fired the litter to cone 06, in layman's terms that is around 1800 degrees F.

View attachment 453864

The kitty litter is on the left, notice the color change. For fun, I also fired a bowl of Turvace MVP, which is on the right. Notice how they look almost the same.

No explosion, no kiln damage... just regular clay. I also did a water absorption test by soaking the materials in water for five minutes and then letting them sit draining for 3 hours. Unfired Turface had a water absorption/retention rate of 72.5%, kitty litter fired = 69%, kiln fired Turface = 56%... At the same time, I ground up some 06-fired pottery cone 10 clay bodies, sieved, and did the same test and the absorption rate was the lowest at 48.5%.

Now, that's what I'm talking about! You have to go to know. I wouldn't say it would be practical to do it on a large scale, but if a person is doing some firing, he might be able to get a nice quality soil component for pennies. Good on ya , Dadayama.