CRUMBLY CLAY FIX

by Martha
(Michigan)

I've discovered that mineral oil will work - just a drop or two on a large chunk of crumbly clay, but use it that day. Otherwise it gets a really sticky 'sticks to everything and leaves a sticky residue' feeling. The other way is to hold all those crumbles in your hand for a bit longer, and squeeze them. Then squeeze them some more. And more. Squeeze them and hold them tight, warming them, and pretty soon, they might just become soft and pliable again. It takes longer, but maybe the oils in your skin help out, or maybe it really is just the heat of your hands. For me, my hands are cold a lot in the winter so it takes a bit longer, but it still worked. And then it didn't dry out nearly as badly. But once opened, all my clay goes into zipper bags now. Or the sandwich bags with twist ties, tied tightly.