Table of Contents
What is Wedging? Wedging prepares the clay for optimal use. Wedging makes the clay more pliable, ensures a uniform consistency, and removes air pockets as well as small hard spots in the clay before you use or reuse the clay for a project.
What does Wedge mean in ceramics?
Wedging clay definition: the process of kneading the clay with the hands to remove air bubbles and ensure a homogenous mass.
How many times should you wedge clay?
You should wedge at least 30 times when it’s fresh out of the bag. When it’s recycled clay, you will need to wedge it at least a 100 times if not more depending on the condition of your clay.
How do you use slip in pottery?
Slips can be used with resists in order to decorate pottery. In this technique, slip is brushed onto damp or leather-hard clay after a resist of some form has been applied. The resist is placed in areas which are to remain slip-free. Resists such as wax emulsions and hot wax repel the slip.
What does vinegar do to Clay?
Vinegar is also used in clay bodies to increase acidity to improve plasticity. The acid works to neutralize sodium ions (from water, leaching feldspars) that tend to deflocculate the clay. Excessive acid may tend to dissolve more feldspar or nepheline syenite negating the effect.
What are the 5 stages to creating a piece of pottery?
Terms in this set (5)
- make pot. when joining pieces of clay, scratch to attach, slip to be hip, smooth to groove.
- dry pot completely. this is called greenware.
- bisque fire the pot. this is called bisque ware.
- glaze. glaze your bisque ware and clean the bottom or it will stick to kiln shelf.
- glaze fire.
What is an A wedge used for?
The A-wedge is a golf club that is another name for a gap wedge, which is used for shorter and softer shots, and one of the four main types of wedges, which include (from least loft to most loft) the pitching wedge, A-wedge, sand wedge and lob wedge.
What happens when you dont wedge clay?
What happens if you don’t wedge clay when doing pottery? As previously mentioned, wedging removes air pockets from the clay. If you let your clay dry enough before firing you wont get an explosion, but an air pocket in your peice will show up very soon while wheel throwing pottery and it will mess up your piece.
Will clay mold?
It’s true; people can have mold reactions to clay that has mold in it. We’ve heard about several potters that have had allergic reactions to mold in clay. Usually for it to kick up, though, there has to be visible mold—such as you get when a bag of moist clay has been hanging around for a fair amount of time.
Do you need to wedge clay for Handbuilding?
Whether you’re handbuilding, sculpting, or throwing on the wheel, for best success your clay must be soft, pliable, and void of air bubbles/pockets. If you’re using clay from a fresh bag you’re pretty much good to go as-is. If you’re throwing, you likely will want to wedge it a little to improve pliability.
How do you wedge two clays together?
How to: Mix two different clays
- Slam down onto your table (or wedging board) one type of clay on top of the other.
- Then slice it in half through the middle.
- And stack on top.
- And slice and stack (slam!).
- Watch the clay mix together!
- Keep mixing until the slices of clay are really small (even smaller than this).
Can you fire leather hard clay?
Leather hard and indeed the entire drying process is one of the most important steps of ceramics and if you don’t carry it out in the correct way then it can lead to your wares cracking. Once heated (fired) to between 660 F and 1470 F (350 C and 800 C), the clay is converted to ceramic and will never dissolve again.
Does Clay go bad?
Does clay go bad? No, but it may grow mold. This is good bacteria and will be good for the clay’s workability.
Are scissors a wedge?
What are SCISSORS? The blades of the scissors are a pair of wedges in a cross shape which pivot around a fulcrum. The attached handles are levers. When force is applied to the handles, it causes the bladed wedges to come together to cut an object from both sides.
What are the steps of pottery?
The steps are: 1. Clay Preparation 2. Actual Shaping 3. Firing 4.
What is a wedging?
Wedging Boards. One essential tool that everyone should have in a potters’ studio are wedging boards. These large boards allow you to wedge your clay before throwing it on the pottery wheel.
What is clay slip used for?
Slip can be used: As a means of mixing the constituents of a clay body. To join sections of unfired ware or greenware, such as handles and spouts. To fix into place pieces of relief decoration produced separately, for example by moulding.
Can you apply slip to bone dry clay?
When slip is applied to bone dry clay, one part of the pottery will be much wetter than the next. As such slip won’t stay liquid and doesn’t create the liquid soup for clay particles to move about in. So, generally slip is not used to join pieces of bone dry clay.
What should I wedge my clay on?
Every potter needs a surface to wedge clay on, and there are many different types. The most common are plaster, plaster covered in canvas, and plywood covered in canvas. Other possibilities are concrete, granite, masonite, concrete board and hardibacker board. The simplest wedging surface is a piece of canvas.
What are examples of a wedge?
Some examples of wedges that are used for separating might be a shovel, a knife, an axe, a pick axe, a saw, a needle, scissors, or an ice pick. But wedges can also hold things together as in the case of a staple, push pins, tack, nail, doorstop, or a shim.
