How to prepare clay
1. How to check if your clay is ready
Preparing clay entails ensuring it is appropriately moist yet not overly wet or sticky. Ensure it's devoid of air bubbles, lumps, and maintains a uniform texture. Kneading or wedging is a vital final stage.
2. How moist should your clay be?
For ideal clay, it should be soft and mouldable, not too wet to leave a sticky residue. Take some clay and test it. If too hard or crumbles, it's too dry. If it sticks to your hands, it's too wet.
3. What to do if clay is too dry
Clay loses moisture over time, even when stored in plastic. Extended storage can lead to dryness, making it harder to handle, particularly on a workbench.
4. Use a damp towel or cloth
The day before you use your clay bag, check whether it is soft. If you need to soften it, cut the clay into slices about 2-3 cm thick. Then wrap each slice in a damp cloth. You can stack the wrapped slices on top of each other and put them in a plastic bag. Leave it overnight and your clay will be ready for use.
5. Add water to the clay bag
Another way to re-hydrate your hardened clay is to add just a little water to the clay. However, if you pour water into the clay bag, the water can accumulate at the bottom of the bag. As a result, the clay at the bottom of the bag may become waterlogged. Instead, you can just spray and close the bag again, this will give you more control. The next day check whether the clay is sufficiently moist, if not you can add a little more water and repeat the process.
6. Plaster batt usage
Sometimes the clay can be so wet that it cannot be handled. In this case, the best way to reduce the moisture content in your clay is to spread it on a plaster batt. Plaster batts are simple to make and are very practical for preparing clay. Due to the absorbent nature, a plaster batt will draw the liquid out of the clay very quickly. When the clay is firm enough, you can remove it from the plaster batt and prepare it for use in your work.
7. Air drying
Clay dries quite quickly when left in the open air. If the clay is a little soft, take some from the bag, shape it into a ball with your hands and set it aside to dry for a while.Check your clay regularly to make sure that it does not dry out too quickly. If the air temperature is high or the humidity is low, the clay will harden more quickly. Therefore, be careful not to leave it too long.
8. Wedging the clay
Wedging improves the plasticity or workability of clay by aligning its particles, making it easier to shape. It also helps homogenise the clay by removing air bubbles and evening out moisture. Air bubbles can spoil the appearance of a piece and may cause it to explode in the kiln. This happens not because of the bubbles themselves, but because moisture turns to vapour during firing, expanding into the trapped air and creating stress. Always wedge on a suitable surface, like a plywood board on a sturdy bench.