Table of Contents
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. Wedging the clay before throwing makes the clay more supple.
Do I have to wedge my clay?
Because clay is sticky, you need to wedge on a surface that your clay won’t easily stick to.
What is wedging in clay preparation?
Wedging clay definition: the process of kneading the clay with the hands to remove air bubbles and ensure a homogenous mass. A fun exercise to see how long it takes to crate a truly homogenous mass of clay is to wedge together two chunks of different colored clays.
What happens if I don’t wedge my clay?
There are usually no air bubbles in it! In fact, improper wedging will more often add bubbles and you’ll just dry out your clay in the process. Simply make sure the pieces get enough drying time and have no plaster mixed in with the clay- that IS a sure recipe for explosions.
What surface should you wedge 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.
How is clay prepared for use?
Clay preparation consists of mixing materials, removal of large stones (say over 5mm), roots, crushing of large particles, etc. There are 4 main methods of preparation – the plastic method; the wet method; the dry method and the semi-dry method.
Why is it important to score and slip clay?
Scoring and slipping. Clay pieces that are drier and harder, or that you want to join together without blending or altering their forms, traditionally must be scored and slipped (or slipped and scored). In this process slip, a liquid mixture of clay and water, is used to help weld the pieces together.
What surface is best to work with clay on?
Some artists prefer glass or tile as a work surface because they can help keep clay cooler if the artists has rather hot hands. They can also go directly into the oven with your project. In fact, at lots of retreats, small tiles are used as baking surfaces, because several can be placed in the oven at one time.
What surface does clay not stick to?
Most air dry clays are sticky, and you don’t want that on your work surface. We recommend protecting the work area with items such as wax paper, silicone baking mats, or vinyl placemats. This will keep your table protected and make clean up much easier!Mar 8, 2018.
How do you wedge a large amount of clay?
If you’re throwing large pots, try using softer clay and throw it dry (or with less water) to avoid degenerating it to mush. Wedge using the weight and strength of your whole body on a wedging table of the proper height. Ideally, the table height should be equal to the distance between fingertips and floor (figure 1).
Is there a machine that wedges clay?
A Pugmill is a machine with a horizontal chamber that loads on the top. The chamber is a metal cylinder with an auger inside. An auger looks like a large screw. It turns and wedges the clay, discharging the wedged clay at the other end.
How can I reuse old clay?
Reusing Dry Clay Step 1: Get Water! Fill up a bowl of water that will be big enough to store your dry clay into. Step 2: Put Your Dry Clay in It. Place your dry clay into the water. Step 3: PASTE! Step 4: Drain. Step 5: WAIT EVEN LONGER. Step 6: FINALLY.
What is clay slip made of?
Slip consists of clay particles suspended in water. Its consistency will vary according to use, ranging from thick cream to butter milk. It can be used to bond pieces of clay together, to decorate and protect pottery or it can be poured into a mold and used to cast objects.
Do air bubbles cause clay to explode?
A thin piece of clay with an air bubble will dry and fire without issue. When the kiln temperature rises, the air pockets fill with water vapor, which builds pressure as water turns to steam. The pressure of the steam causes the clay to explode from the inside.
What happens if there is an air bubble in clay?
Air bubbles in clay items are dangerous because they can cause explosions in the kiln. The air bubble dilates due to heat and forces the clay to crack or explode and shatter the ceramic piece. The risk of explosion increases with the temperature in the kiln.
Why does my polymer clay bubbles after baking?
Those bubbles are caused by trapped air in your polymer clay. When you fold over your strip of clay and insert it in your pasta machine fold last, a little pocket of air gets trapped in the fold. If you keep doing this over and over, more and more air gets forced into the layers of clay.
Can I wedge clay on wood?
If wood is your clay wedging surface of choice, an old heavy wooden table is also a good option. Unvarnished wood has enough grip to make a great wedging surface. And it is nicely absorbent, without drawing too much moisture from your clay.
What should I put down when working with clay?
If you want to continue working on a piece another time, please wrap it up very well with some sheets of plastic, or put it in a well sealed plastic box, then put it somewhere out of direct heat or sunlight. This should slow down the drying of the clay to enable you to keep working on it.
What are the six stages of clay?
There are 6 essential stages of clay: 1. ) Slip. Slip is clay with added water to make it into a paste or liquid. 2.) Wet clay. Wet clay is used by many potters to produce their work. 3.) Leather-hard clay. 4.) Dry clay. 5.) Bisque. 6.) Glaze ware.
What is the enemy of clay?
why is plaster the enemy of clay?Nov 13, 2011.
How do you purify clay?
The clay will need to be sieved to remove unwanted material such as rocks, twigs, and roots. Sieving can be done either of two ways. The clay can be pulverized when dry and then sieved, or dried, slaked down in water, then sieved. The finer the mesh used, the fewer inclusions your working clay will have.
What do you call it when you knead fold and roll clay onto itself to make the piece of clay into a uniform consistency and take out any air bubbles in the clay?
WEDGING – Method of kneading clay to make it homogenous; ridding the clay of all air pockets. Five different construction methods – coil, slab, pinch, slump casting and wheel throwing.
