What is clay Made of and Used For?

Clay is a type of earthy mud that is formed when minerals are mixed with water and subsequently hardened by air. Depending on the type of clay, it can be varied in appearance from coarse to fine. It is used for many different things including building ornaments, objects for decoration, and ceramic art.

According to an article in the US Department of Energy's Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy website, "clay products are recyclable materials." In this sense clay also fulfills another major purpose: as a natural building material that creates thermally-efficient homes. Clay is also used for packaging, as it can be molded into a variety of shapes and sized containers.

The first use of clay was at the dawn of history on the African plains, where man began to use clay as part of their primitive tools. The earliest known use of clay was by Neolithic people in the middle east who carved it into cylinders to make rudimentary bowls called serving bowls. For more than 3,000 years, Neolithic people used clay as a building material to create homes and other structures. It even left its mark on modern stone structures like Building-Stone's Stonehenge series, which uses whitewashed Neolithic statues.

Around 8,000 years ago, the use of clay in the Middle and Near East turned from simple construction to a more artistic one. Stone-carved figures were created in this period, which was an early form of clay sculpture. Many cultures with Neolithic roots took to the use of clay after this time period. Ancient Chinese used porcelain in their creations and Egyptian architects were fascinated by glazed ceramics. It is also thought that it was around this time that man began to make his mark on clay by mixing it with bone. This process created a dark, stiffer clay.

Sometimes clay was used as a building material on its own. Glass-making and brick-making are notable examples of this. Artifacts have also been found that depict the use of clay in North America as well. In many cases it was used to create artifacts such as bowls and pendants, which were decorated with images of plants and animals. Sometimes, decorations were done on the surface of the objects like in china painting, where they painted designs with a fine red dust onto the outside of the bowl or vase. Another common way that clay has been used is for decoration purposes, especially in areas where stone was not readily available such as Egypt or China's silk road regions. It was used mainly to decorate pottery and masonry.

Today, we still see the use of clay in many materials, including ceramic material. Some popular production uses of clay includes Karamus - a porcelain which is often used to make figurines. Ceramic tiles made from clay are also a common product in many homes today, particularly outside in the form of a balcony or patio. Rosettes are an example of such tiles: they are made with three rings of clay designs that create a flower-like pattern on the front of the tile. Other pots and vases can be found made from ceramic clay as well.

Nowadays we often see that cars are painted using ceramic paint. This is because it is a very hard and durable material, which has a very high gloss and a smooth surface. Another common use of clay in the modern world is in the form of pottery, where it is molded into many things such as plates, bowls or cups.

Clay is made from basic dirt that can be brought out from the earth. But at times these types of dirt are found to be in areas that are uninhabitable for humans. So man must extract this clay from where there are no humans nearby and then transport it to another area where he can work with it. In most cases, clay is formed following the natural process of "hardening". This occurs when air and water are mixed together and then left for a period of time. The result is a substance that resembles mud, which after drying comes out in the form of the clay we know today.

How to Make Clay in Your Own Home

You can make clay at home using a variety of items that are readily available to you, as well as items you may not have thought about. You will need only a box, water, and plastic containers.

First, make sure you have enough water and containers for the amount of clay you want to make. In this case, these items will be used to store the clay when it is initially made at home.

Determine what type of materials you want to use in making your clay. In this case, we (the author) decided to use a few different types of materials that could be used as a medium for molding into various shapes or textures. For example, we decided to use a plastic bowl to use as the mold. It could also be a small bowl or almost any kind of container that can be used. If you decide to make a very basic shape such as a ball or cylinder, simply put some water in the container and make sure you fill it with approximately 20-40ml of the clay. If you need to make a shape that is larger or larger than this amount, you will have to mix several containers together for the size you need. You may want to place these containers in warm water for about an hour before using them.

You can use almost any type of clay, as long as it is not too fine. The materials you are using will not affect the final result, so if you want to add things like glass beads or other small decorative items to your clay, this will work fine. The shape of your finished product could also be affected by these items added in.

If you want to make something with a texture or a rough feeling, try adding some sand first and then adding water to this until the texture is what you desire.

Take the bowl filled with water and place it on the table. Start adding the dry clay to the bowl of water. Keep adding clay until it becomes difficult to add any more. If you want, you can add some of the decorative items you may have used if the amount is small enough so that it will not affect how much water is in your mixture.

Try using something in addition to your hands such as a clay extruder or a pasta machine to make your shapes smoother. Let the mixture stand for two days and then remove all of the contents from the bowl and container. Do not throw away this mixture! Some fine dirt will stick inside them and can be used as extra clay in making more shapes or molding other products out of it.