As with any job or recreational activity, you must have the right tools, and you and those tools must be properly prepared. The same holds true when working with clay. Whether handbuilding or throwing on the wheel, the clay must first be prepared. This preparation is called “wedging”.
Wedging has many benefits for the clay. First it mixes the clay into a more uniformed mass. You might be using clay from different clay batches, or recycling used clay. Next, wedging helps remove excess moisture. By working the clay on a canvas covered table, wedging works out extra water, especially if you are using really wet, recycled clay from a previous rejected project. Third, the wedging action helps remove air bubbles from your clay mass. Air pockets can cause your project to explode if it’s exposed to the extreme heat of the kiln. And finally, wedging aligns the molecules in the clay, making it more pliable and able to produce more successful projects.
Watch the video below to see a quick and easy wedging demonstration.
While you are on YouTube, Subscribe to my channel for future demonstrations!
Debra Garza
Lavenders Blue Art
