The procedure of wedging clay is crucial and shouldn’t be skipped or treated casually. When you don’t wedge clay correctly, you run the risk of running into several problems that could eventually degrade the caliber of your finished product.
Abu Dhabi Pottery offers pottery classes by Homa Farley, a world-class, award-winning Master Potter where you can learn the art of wedging clay. Before you start using clay to create pottery, wedging is a procedure to get rid of any air pockets, irregularities, or impurities. This makes the clay simpler to work with and decreases the possibility of cracks or other problems during firing by contributing to its uniform consistency.
Things That Happen Without Clay Wedging
The following are the things that can happen if you don’t wedge clay.
1. Exploding Clay
The clay can explode in the kiln due to air bubbles in it. The water molecules in clay start to vaporize during the firing process, producing steam. If the clay contains air bubbles, the steam cannot escape, causing the clay to quickly expand and possibly explode. This can be risky in addition to ruining your work.
2. Risks of Cracking and Warping
Without wedging, clay is at risk of cracking and warping. This is due to the possibility that the clay can dry unevenly due to the uneven spread of air and wetness within it. When fired, this can cause cracking and warping, which will produce a misshapen and possibly unusable thing.
3. Inconsistent Finish
Your final piece’s texture and consistency can shift if you don’t wedge your clay. The desired surface finish or texture can be challenging to obtain if the clay is not uniform throughout. As a result, the piece can appear rough or unpolished, or it can have varying textures or consistency in different places.
4. Potentially Hazardous
If the clay contains impurities like tiny rocks or debris, they can damage your pottery equipment or tools. Additionally, improper compression of the clay can lead it to lose its shape or form during the firing process, resulting in a distorted or useless piece.
Why Clay Wedging Is Necessary?
In the end, wedging clay is a critical step that must be performed during the pottery procedure. Although it might seem like an extra step that is not required, it is essential for producing a piece of high quality that can last over time. It will be easier to produce a uniform, consistent, and long-lasting finished piece if you take the time to wedge your clay correctly through pottery classes.
When making pottery for the first time, it can be tempting to rush through or leave out the wedging step to get to the more exciting ones. The time you spend carefully wedging your clay will eventually save you time and frustration. You’ll be able to concentrate on the more artistic aspects of pottery, such as shaping and decorating your piece, by making a consistent, uniform clay body, as opposed to fretting about problems like cracking or exploding in the kiln.
Conclusion
Wedging clay is an important step in the pottery-making process that shouldn’t be skipped or rushed. You can make sturdy pieces of clay that last for many years by joining our pottery classes to wedge your clay correctly. Join Abu Dhabi Pottery, the first-ever modern pottery studio in the UAE, right away!