Dry Sorting

Last summer I believed that the clay and flint of the soil were best friends and could only be separated with great effort. And it is true, as long as the clay is damp or wet.

Now, I realize that there is a way to easily detach the two materials. The clay just has to be dry, and then any blow with a hammer will split the clod exactly where the rocks are. There is still a good deal of work involved, because the rocks have to be picked out by hand, but it is work that can be done whenever I have a few minutes to spare. Instead of having to invest a few hours at a time to process the wet clay, I can pick over a couple handfuls when I feel like it.

Luckily the flint pieces are white, because the clods of dry clay and the stones are about the same hardness when touched. I can tell the difference by the colour and sometimes the geometry- the flint pieces have more thin edges.