CJW-YALK
CJW-YALK t1_jb3e24f wrote
Reply to comment by Jmazoso in Why does sand keep clay from shrinking as it dries? by UnderBridg
Yep, but kaolinite was a filler mineral, it’s completely inert…nevertheless you’ll see people picking it up off the side of the road to eat raw from where it’s fallen off haul trucks
CJW-YALK t1_jb32dyc wrote
Reply to comment by Indemnity4 in Why does sand keep clay from shrinking as it dries? by UnderBridg
Unrelated: but on the subject of micro-scale clay particles…kaolin is a iron deficient white clay, relatively high in alumina…it’s used for all kinds of products. One use is paper, those same “hands” over lap each other and provide a smooth surface….if you’ve ever thought “man this paper is nice to write on” vs something like a napkin, your writing on the over lapped kaolin particles….(napkins, toilet paper etc are mostly tree fiber and absorb) …..heavy heavy application of kaolin can provide the slick feel of magizine at the extreme end, though many of them have moved to polymers
So next time your writing a note on nice smooth paper, remember your actually writing on dirt
CJW-YALK t1_jb4wmbr wrote
Reply to comment by gristc in Why does sand keep clay from shrinking as it dries? by UnderBridg
Well….I routinely tasted it to determine its grit (sand) content in the field (I’m a geologist) …..it tastes like nothing, texture wise it’s like chalk until wet then it’s creamy…I was always tasting such a small amount and always focused on the sand part (rubbing on teeth) …..everything but the most pure stuff will have a sand content so eating raw kaolin will be unpleasant honestly