How clay works

So to be successful at making an item out of clay your going to need to know it's weaknesses and strengths, to avoid smashing, smooching or generally crumbling.

WET CLAY

Straight out of the bag clay is wet and sometimes sticky. The water content greatly effects the structure of clay, at the first the water will have been effected by gravity, sat in the bag. Wedging the clay helps to redistribute the water and clay particles and this helps prevent areas of weakness which will cause cracking in the kiln.

You can watch videos on you tube demonstrating wedging techniques, remember though we are only using a small amount so don't Wedge clay unless you're planning on using it straight away. In my you tube video I skip this stage as I dont find it so essential with smaller projects, the rolling gets the job done, but its an important skill to learn and I shouldn’t teach you my bad habits now should I?

DRYING CLAY

The clay will be less sticky now. If you were to leave a piece out, eg the size of a biscuit it would start to dry and firm up, it goes from being soft like pastry to stiff like card (called LEATHER HARD) and the pale and brittle (called BONE DRY) see paler plate in pic.

The time it takes for each clay goes through the drying process depends on the clay and room temperature, it's best to make a test piece and observe the timings. a good guide to remember would be……..

FORM- wet clay can be changed in shape, but don't try to alter it after it's started to firm, as it will crack.

FINESSE- leather hard clay can be carved, smoothed with a slightly damp sponge, and parts joined together with slip (runny clay)

FINGERS OFF!- bone dry clay is brittle and easily shattered, touch it as little as possible! Handles will not hold the weight of the cup and are easily knocked off, do not add anything damp as at this stage nothing can be changed, we need them completely dry to fire them

SLIP- this is a runny clay that looks like a super thick chocolate milkshake. If you made a test piece to observe the drying stages, you can smash it up and add it to a little water in a jam jar and this will be perfect for joining handles and bases, we always use slip made from the same clay as the main body.

We call these stages Greenware, as the clay is raw and unfired.

Best clays for starting off

So following on from the last waffling, I want to know if you'd like to have a go, last year I ran a small local pottery club and nearly everyone enjoyed making a basic simple mug. I reckon I could talk you through it in your home, without any expensive tools, or equipment. All you will need to pay for is the clay (from a pottery supplier or even from amazon) and firing (I can help you find a local kiln that rents space) you shouldn't pay much more than a quid to get a mug fired (2025) fancy having a go? You do? Woo hoo!!!

OK here's some info you'll need to get started.

CLAY

I recommend an earthenware clay to start with, why? Because they fire at lower temperatures so if you end up going crazy and buying a kiln (low fire table top kilns can cost around £300 to £500, higher temperature kiln cost 10x this) and they also are more simple to use for beginners.

Here's a few I have used....

Asraf Hannah clay. Available in 12.5kg

This clay I would highly recommend it has a strong structure to it, can be smoothed nicely and is very reliable in the kiln (the extreme temperatures when firing can lead to cracking & even mug explosions with some clays)

Raku clays,

Often quite rough to give them durability they fire very well and are strong for handbuilding. But may shred your hands a bit and have a rougher surface texture. Sometimes white or buff

Earthenware clay LTW

I get this clay from bath potters, it's quite a fine clay and very smooth, quite wet and clammy, gives a smooth finish and a lovely white colour, occasionally cracks though.

Alternatives…..

Pebeo 766303 fine modelling make sure its the one that says on the front for firing at 950-1030 degrees, this is a good starter clay, quite solid and reliable and comes in a 5kg pack for about £12.99 on amazon. The others are all 12.5kg which might be good it your planning to share. But a bit much to buy unless you're going all in! this is the first clay I ever used and I remember it being quite an easy starter.

Equipment-

Something to model around, like a straight sided short glass

Paper & masking tape

Scissors

A rolling pin

A sharp knife or craft knife

A kidney! This is the name for a flexible rubber oval that we use to smooth the surface, you could possibly get away with using a bank card or a silicon kitchen spatula.

A flat tray

A piece of fabric to use as a mat.

If you assemble all this together we can move on......

Ramblings

I love pottery. I think that's pretty bleeding obvious. I'm just not a fan of rules, you know the ones that say you can't. Or not that way. Or do it like everyone else or fit this mould. I always wanted to try ceramics it felt like a natural progression for me, I started making wedding cakes at 16 and the best bit was modelling delicate flowers into huge arrangements, tumbling down the side of a cake. The thing I wasn't a fan of was weddings! I remember making a huge white chocolate wedding cake on a sweltering July (as a gift for a lifelong friend) 72 hours of work with little sleep and not getting a thank you. I mean that was a one off for sure but making art that gets chopped up is pretty heartbreaking (there was also the huge mixer full of lavender icing that attracted loads of suicidal wasps, terrifying!) The pleasure was always clamped under the grip of anxiety. Fast forward to my middle age and (several craft based businesses later) a video came up on a home page somewhere of a man firing pots in a garden bin. Holy moly I was so excited! You see I'm a bit of a Mcfixit, if I was trapped in a barn like the A team I could definitely knit a machine gun mounted on a pallet go cart with fairylights to stun the mercenaries invading the farm. As a single mum of 4 I've never had a big budget to work from so I've always had to find a corner to cut, and a bin kiln seemed to fit my pig bank. If only I'd have known it was a gateway kiln to many more, a woodfired brick kiln in the garden, several gas powered raku kilns, microwave kilns, prometheus desktop kilns, muffle kilns etc etc! Each one paid for itself in either the knowledge it provided or (eventually) selling the ceramics it produced. I did at first try alternative clays, such as airdrying and polymer clay (did you know it's pvc plastic? They keep that quiet!) Because you just think ceramics is just toooo much. But I'm 4 years in and although I'm still learning it's taught me more about myself, my art and also how I view the world. I’d like to help more people get a chance to try it, you can literally make stuff on you kitchen table with a rolling pin and take it off to a rent-a- kiln near you. Probably make a whole dinner set for less than £50. If I walk you through it would you like to give it a try?