Prepping Clay: WEDGING

Wedging is best achieved standing up! a way of improving the workability of clay by reforming the mixture to make it homogeneous and even in texture while eliminating air bubbles Wedging is best achieved standing up!

TEAR & SLAP: Complete before choosing kneading method (Ram’s Head or Spiral Cone) Cut or tear clay into large chunks and slam together on tabletop (all clay at once) The force applied must be enough to weld the pieces, but not so much as to thin the clay into a patty Take mound and tear in a different direction Repeat process 3-4 cycles until clay is consistent Push mound together into ball

RAM’S HEAD METHOD Place a hand on each side of the ball of clay. Push on the clay in a downward, slightly inward, and away from you motion, moving your hands about two to three inches. The bottom of the clay ball should spread outward slightly against the table (creating a ram’s nose). Pull the clay back towards you, so that it raises up on the newly created “nose” that was produced in the push down and out. If the cylinder is getting too long, smack it back into a more compact cylinder shape before continuing. To repeat the down-and-out then pull-back cycle between twenty and fifty times.

SPIRAL CONE METHOD Shape into rough cone form. Place your right hand on the small end and your left flat on the left/wide side. Your left hand should be close to perpendicular to the table. Push downward and away from you, working mainly with your right hand. The clay will move away from you slightly, leaving about one to two inches of clay jutting from the right side of the cone. Using your left hand, rock the clay back toward you, so that it is standing on the one or two inch tail of clay left after the first step. Apply a bit of rightward and downward pressure with the left hand as you bring the clay back. The pressure you use should be less than what your right hand had just applied. As your left hand rolls the clay onto its tail and compresses down and to the right, the original tip of the cone will drift to the left and the tail should rumple up under the cone. Repeat steps one and two for twenty to fifty cycles, until the clay is completely air-pocket free.