Cliousclat - potters village

Clay exrtraction

Washing

Cliousclat’s clay was extracted from the clay pits surrounding the village. The clay pit called Maupas was the source for the Cliousclat Pottery and some potters used clay extracted from their own gardens. Digging usually began in March and continued till September, in order to build up stocks for winter time.

Once dug up with a shovels and picks, it was dried in the open air and occasionally stirred. After two or three days it was taken to the sedimentation basin with an oxcart. In 1960 the cart was replaced by a track-truck.

 

To purify the clay a round basin called a "bourlo" was filled with 150-200 shovelfuls of clay and water. Then clay and water were mixed with a metal comb. It takes about 2 hours to blend the clay with the water. The sedimentation basin contains 10-15 “bourlos”.

The mixture thus obtained is strained with sieves to remove impurities (roots, stones and leaves). The strained clay flows directly into the sedimentation basin. Before straining, the bottom of the basin was covered with sand and ash to prevent the clay from sticking to the bottom.

 

When the clay in the sedimentation basin started to dry, is was scratched with a metal rake to form squares. The water evaporated in the sun and the clay formed square blocks. Clay blocks were carried to the cellar where they kept their moisture and their quality. Carrying the blocks, twenty pounds each, was a difficult task. For a while a winch was installed to pull the wagon, but after the cable broke, workers pushed the wagon by hand.