Kneading Clay 101
Most commercial clays are pretty much right to be used straight out of the bag, however a lot of potters believe some kneading of the clay is essential to prepare it for use. Particularly if you have an old block inherited from somewhere, have some soft and harder lumps or have reconstituted some clay, you will need to take steps to prepare it.
The first step to prepare your clay for use is to knead it. This activates the clay and aligns the clay particles so that it is easier to work with. If the wedge is a bit hard you can spray it with water and knead that into it. Following are 3 methods of kneading. Don’t bite off more than you can physically manipulate, a good size to start with is roughly the size of a small loaf of bread.
The number of wedges and the time needed varies depending on the state of the clay that you begin with and what condition you want your clay to result in. Clay from a recycle bucket will most likely need more wedging than brand new clay straight from a factory. Don’t leave your clay partially kneaded, try to finish the kneading process and wrap your clay ready for use.
stack and slam
This comprises of cutting the slab into two using a wire and repositioning the two pieces so that the cuts don’t join. Then on a sturdy table or even on a clean floor, slam the joined pieces onto the surface. Using your wire again, cut the slammed piece in two, reposition the pieces and slam again. Continue this until there are no air bubbles present when cutting and the clay has become more pliable. This can be rather a noisy process, as you can imagine, so be aware of your fellow potters. It is a particularly useful process if you don’t have strength to knead the clay by any of the other ways. It is also an excellent source for releasing stress.
ram’s head
Start by rocking the clay up towards yourself and press the front of the top end down into the block’s middle. Repeat this rocking and pressing until all air bubbles are removed (use your wire to check) and the clay is one consistency. This process should result in a lump of clay with circular patterns on each side and a ruffled centre, like a ram’s head.
spiral wedge
Spiral wedging is more advanced than ram’s head wedging as it allows you to wedge more clay at one time. It takes practice to master but like all things with pottery, it is worth the effort. Take your clay lump and like in ram’s head, rock it towards you and then with your dominant arm push the lump forward on the bench. Keep repeating this motion until you have removed all of the air bubbles from the clay and your clay has formed a spiral conical shape. Use this method for clay that is old, recycled, or reused as it can have hard or soft spots in it. If you are mixing two different clays you often want it to be mixed seamlessly. Spiral wedging is great for producing an even consistency of the clay.
