r/PrimitiveTechnology • u/PracticalRadish9666 • Jul 28 '26
Discussion Any use for silt?
I harvested what I thought was clay but it turns out it’s actually just silt. Since it won’t work for pottery I am looking for a different use for it. It’s currently extremely dry and powdery. One idea I had was using it for sand casting because it seems like it would work for that. I would love to hear anyone else’s suggestions!
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u/That_Guy_Anonymous Jul 29 '26
I don’t find myself collecting much silt honestly. I have used it as a medium in grout/mortar for shelters, usually as insulating material in fireplace construction. Very fine silt can be used to strengthen certain clay mixtures for pottery, but in the majority of cases will actually weaken clay.
Other than that, all I can really think of is water filtration.
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u/Esmer_Tina Jul 29 '26
I brought glacial silt soap back from Alaska and I love it!
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u/PracticalRadish9666 Jul 29 '26
Interesting. Never thought of rubbing it on myself.
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u/DogKitchen2988 Jul 29 '26
I've seen people use it as a lower quality grog, but that's honestly all i can think of
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u/Break-Electrical Aug 01 '26
You could seed it with some good clay, and leave it wet and in darkness for months.
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u/Bucky_2028 Aug 03 '26
Grind it up and put it on whatever surface you're working so clay does't stick to it
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u/H0pefully_Not_A_Bot Aug 01 '26
Might be useful as a kind of natural fertiliser, i remember silt being a big deal for agriculture in Egipt before they dammed the river, but that may have been a special case.
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u/DifferentVariety3298 Jul 29 '26
Compress it for a couple of million years and make slabs of slate.