Ceramic Clay Pots Cooking

By admin on 4th January, 2010

Handmade Pottery - First Steps in The Preparation For Working With.

One of the most important steps in working with clay is to prepare it before throwing or hand building. Wedging clay should always be worked on a plaster or canvas surface. It is usually easier if you are standing. I use a wedging table I made of plaster and covered with canvas.

If you have some clay you need to reuse, it can be placed on the wedging table so that the plaster can absorb some of the moisture so it will be the correct moisture content prior to wedging.

I purchase my clay already prepared and wedged for me. However, if I use some and it doesn’t turn out the way I think it should, I wedge it a little and put it in a plastic bag, set it aside for a couple days and then wedge it up to get the air bubbles out again.

Ceramic Clay Pots Cooking Always start with wedged clay so all the bubbles are out. First take a piece and slam it onto the wedging table. Then cut it with a wire cutter in half and throw one of the pieces down on top of the other in the same direction. Repeat this over and over again until you don’t see any more bubbles in the clay.

By repeating this step over and over again, it is wedging the molecules nice and tight together and eliminating as many bubbles as possible.

Even though you have wedged the clay according to the above step until you don’t see any bubbles you still need to wedge again by using the cone method.

I like to weigh the clay before I begin to wedge. I use different weights for lids, bowls, vases and other items. If I weigh prior to wedging I have a record of what size pot or lid it will be when I finish throwing it on the potters wheel. It is very important that you keep records of the weight you are going to work with. If you have a record to refer back to, when you are ready to make a mug you know exactly what the weight will need to be to obtain the size mug you want to make.

Before I get started making a piece of pottery on the wheel, I plan what type of pot I will be making. Is my finished pot going to be a mug, bowl, vase, lamp or platter?

Based on the item, and what the dimensions are going to be, I decide the weight of the clay I want to wedge for that item. Once I have determined what size pot I want to make, I weigh it on a food scale.

In the beginning sometimes you just need to guess at the weight you will need to make a certain item. If you are unsure, try throwing some pots using different weights using 1/2 pound increased increments so you become familiar with the different sizes that the different weights of clay will produce according to your style of throwing.

This is due to the fact that each potter will have an individual style and thickness to their throwing the sizes of the finished pots can vary for the weight used.

You always need to keep in mind that as your pot dries it will shrink in size. It will also shrink in the bisque firing, which is the first firing. The bisque fire helps to eliminate the extra moisture in the pot and is fired to 1890 degrees. The pot will also shrink even more in the final firing. The hottest temperature is in last firing, often called the final firing; the more the pot will shrink.

When purchasing clay from a company that is processed and ready for use it will usually state the shrinkage rate for each particular clay body. Therefore, you must remember to make the pot just a little larger than the desired finished size.

I usually start with 3/4 of a pound of clay for a mug. Many times I will use three pounds for an average size bowl. Three pounds will also make a nice size vase.

A little planning, weighing, and wedging will go a long way in helping you to consistently achieve a successful piece of pottery.

Author: Betty Grandy

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