Pugging and De-airing

The filter cakes are generally too large and cumbersome for the individual potter to process. For these customers, Blackjack Clay processes the filter cakes one step further, and this is called "pugging" the clay. The pugmill consists essentially of knives set as a screw (or auger) on one or two rotating shafts moving in a trough. The filter cakes are fed into the auguring trough. The knives cut and blend the filter cakes as they are pushed into the de-airing chamber. The pugmill is used to improve the uniformity and workability of the clay body, the de-airing process pulls a vacuum removing trapped air bubbles and radically increasing plasticity. The pugmill is designed to perform much the same function as the hand "wedging" process used by potters. Blackjack uses a large industrial International pugmill; this pugmill has a 6' x 1' x 1.5' auger trough and a de-airing chamber of 4' x 1' x 1.5'. This machine was specifically designed for the brick industry.

Blackjack provides all the benefits of an industrially processed clay body to each and every customer regardless of size or volume of use!