I (pl) am the sunscreen

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Dakota Access Pipeline Fight (part 3)

there might be nothing more fun than turning dirt into clay. its like the more cool, fun, and messy version of turning water into wine. so here’s how to do it.

step 1: collect some dirt. you need to dig down under the topsoil at least 10 or so inches but preferably more. you can usually tell when you reach clay because the color will change and be more red or white. it really helps if you have someone with a digging machine come dig a trench in your yard to do electrical work but if not you can just dig your own hole. take a lot, you will end up with much less clay than dirt in the end depending on your soil.

step 2: mix dirt with water, making sure to break up all clumps of dirt. remove big rocks and twigs. mix until you have a liquid about the consistency of heavy cream. optional: strain liquid into another container using a screen or net to remove rocks and twigs

step 3: wait a few minutes for clay water and sediment (rocks, sand, non clay dirt, etc) to separate. the sediment is more dense and will layer on the bottom, leaving the clay suspended in the water above. pour clay water into another container, leaving the silt in the bottom. repeat this step multiple times until silt no longer settles on the bottom. i recommend switching containers that are small and tall for this part so its easier to pour.

clay water on the left, unwanted sediment leftovers on the right. step 4: let clay water sit for a few hours to a day. during this time water will begin to separate from clay. continually pour the water out until it stops forming a layer on top.

step 5: take the liquidy clay from the containers and tie it into a cloth. this can be an old tshirt/bedsheet/etc. pack clay in, tie it up, and hang to dry. this may take a few days depending on how much clay you have. once your clay is no longer runny, you’re all set!

tip: if your clay is difficult to mold, or cracks easily, it may still have too much sediment in it. you can repeat step three a few more times (just add water to dried clay to jump back to this step)