Working with Stoneware; Preparing the Clay: Wedging

Before creating a masterpiece out of clay        

always

take the time to prepare your clay and understand its characteristics and limitations!

Whether you purchase clay that claims to be pre-wedged, or you’ve mixed and put your clay through a pug mill you still need to prepare it before you start. This is an important step no matter what type of construction you plan to do. 

 First of all you need to Wedge the clay. 

 

Wedging is similar to kneading bread dough except when wedging clay you don’t want any air bubbles. To do this you push on a slab of clay on two sides and then roll the clay forward and push again. This is referred to as a Rams Head method. This mixes the clay to achieve a more even consistency, eliminates air pockets which can cause your piece to literally explode in firing – and it helps compress the clay particles.

To help compress the clay cut it in slices and throw them on top of each other on your work table (remember I said it needed to be sturdy), and then wedge it some more. When you cut it with a wire tool you can see if you have eliminated all the air pockets. You should continue wedging until you don’t see any more in the clay when you cut it.       

Your clay body should fit the type of Ceramic construction method you choose. If you are throwing a pot on a wheel then it needs to be less grainy so it would contain less grog than a clay body you want to make a large slab piece out of. There are many different clay bodies you can purchase already mixed and wedged. They usually come in 50 lb boxes that contain two 25lb bags. You can purchase different types and colors and firing temperature clays already mixed like this from a clay company. You want to make sure your firing temperature is less than what your clay body can withstand. 

Please read my blog about firing methods and temperatures.