A thing about mud!

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
39,133
4,810
S. Lanarkshire
I've just been for the messages; I was lifting bags out of the boot when my neighbour, cleaning her car (again! :rolleyes: ) said, "You've got a thing about mud, haven't you? Every time I see you there's a different colour on the car (it's, well, "supposedly", it's white :eek: ) If someone digs a hole you're there having a keek down, and all there is is mud!"
Not much I can say to that really, she knows I work in parks and castles and woodlands, she knows I'm interested in archaeology.........but you know there's a lot you can tell about a place by the mud :D There's pale grey mud from Loch Achray's roads, red ash from Glasgow parks, rich black stuff from the castle policies, sticky slippy brown clay from my garden, black ashy stuff from the burnside......it's not *bad* stuff is mud, I don't much like it on the carpet but that's really it. I live in a wet bit of the world, there's always mud about, I don't see what she's moaning over :( It's not like it's toxic :rolleyes: In fact It can be used to clean skin, used as a good mordant, make pots, seal ponds......
I don't think I have a problem, I think my neighbour does; any woman who can spend two hours a day pulling her curtains just so, needs to get a life I reckon, but it appears that she believes *I* need to get one :confused:
Funny old world, really.

What colour's the mud round your way, and do you use it for anything useful?

Cheers,
Toddy
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,886
2,137
Mercia
Real interesting stuff round here on the downs - light orange clay under 2" of topsoil. Layer of chalk 6" down and the biggest flint nodules you've ever seen (say 18" across). Sticky, sticky stuff - I onece weighed my boots before and after cleaning - I had picked up 3 and a bit pounds of clay on a walk :D

Red
 

Bisamratte

Nomad
Jun 11, 2006
341
1
Karben
Mud, mud, glorious mud........ :rolleyes: :drive:

I havn't seen proper mud for a while, it just don't rain enough here and when it does it makes a thin slimy film over the hard ground.
 

Ogri the trog

Mod
Mod
Apr 29, 2005
7,182
71
60
Mid Wales UK
Most of our mud has a fair proportion of animal "doings" in it, sheep, cattle, horse - its all there in varying amounts, what there is that doesn't smell rich and wholesome is red and powdery turning to grey sometimes.
I mostly use it for stomping through the house - (I really hate show houses, they so lack the spirit of the family in residence) but as I'm the one to sweep and hoover, I guess I can!

ATB

Ogri the trog
 

TallMikeM

Need to contact Admin...
Dec 30, 2005
574
0
54
Hatherleigh, Devon
london clay round here sticky and very stony. But mixed with a liberal amount of animal dung it becomes great for growing edible things in.
 

rich59

Maker
Aug 28, 2005
2,217
25
65
London
As a connoisseur of London clay I must point out there are at least 3 distinct colour variations - yellow, blue and red. This makes for great potential in art. It also forms nice colour variations in the victorian houses round here that were built from bricks made from the local clay.

A couple of years back I was investigating contact imaging (Turin Shroud research would you believe) and looked at clay as a possible medium to paint on a body before then applying a stretched cloth to pick up the image.

Hey, I have just seen how to do it! Apply it wet to the body, allow to dry, apply the cloth, moisten cloth to pick up the clay stains onto the cloth, remove cloth. Job done. Not very bushcrafty though.
 

Bisamratte

Nomad
Jun 11, 2006
341
1
Karben
rich59 said:
As a connoisseur of London clay I must point out there are at least 3 distinct colour variations - yellow, blue and red. This makes for great potential in art. It also forms nice colour variations in the victorian houses round here that were built from bricks made from the local clay.


Could you make a pot out of the three different colours or do the different clays not mix too good? I assume that some will be stronger or have higher water content than others but it could make an interesting pot.
 

BorderReiver

Full Member
Mar 31, 2004
2,693
16
Norfolk U.K.
Bit of marle,bit of white sand,lot of sandstone.

When the dog comes out of the drains he is bright orange.The dust in the house is as a consequence a touch orange.

Her next door needs to get out more.Tried inviting her along to see what you get up to.? :)
 

Batfink

Forager
Jul 18, 2004
208
1
44
Newbury, Berks, UK
www.alexpye.net
Our house is made of cob... which is basically mud!
(close up of the wall & the almost finished product)

I absolutely love the stuff, such an underrated and mundane item - but I'd prefer it too concrete any day of the week!

But my favourite mud isn't in the UK, but the bright red mud of central africa - the way it transforms from dust to mud and back again within 24 hours is amazing. Love it!
 

rich59

Maker
Aug 28, 2005
2,217
25
65
London
Bisamratte said:
Could you make a pot out of the three different colours or do the different clays not mix too good? I assume that some will be stronger or have higher water content than others but it could make an interesting pot.
I guess you could, but I haven't tried it. When I was looking at this I found the red was a bit sandy, but I dont know if this is generally true.
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
39,133
4,810
S. Lanarkshire
:cool: love the Japanes mud balls........wonder if you could add essential oils and very fine green clay (used for facepacks and the like), they could be an excellent way of using the aromatherapy properties as the ball was worked and gently heated in your hands; calming, soothing, pleasurable, de-congesting..... :)

I am sooo envious, you have flint in your mud, I'm on Lanarkshire blue clay. It's great for tiles, bricks, and heavy pottery, it's fertile if you can open it up with masses of organic material but it gets clogged and drains badly without proper care.

Orange clay? Hmmm, has it got lots of iron in it? If it has it'll make a good *paint*.

And how cool is the Cob house? :D Just excellent :D

Cheers folks,
Toddy
 

Chance

Nomad
May 10, 2006
486
4
58
Aberdeenshire
A few weeks ago, I was digging in a digester, following the instructions for the volume to be removed according to the soil type. Unfortunately, they didn't include granite, which I ran into a couple of feet down. Does that count as mud, or is that a stiff clay ?
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
39,133
4,810
S. Lanarkshire
:lmao:
Useful stuff granite :cool:

It's coal round my way :D Lots and lots of coal. There's supposedly a five foot seam of it about 35 feet down under our house.

atb,
Toddy
 

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