Wedging the Clay for Pottery Cylinders

Video Transcript

"I'm going to wedge right now for making a cup wedge the clay and I'm just going to pull it off with this wire tool. I'm going to measure it out a pound of clay. That is about what I use for a mug so it is a little bit too much, right there take a little bit of that off. We are wedging for any piece of pottery, it is pretty much the same except for something that is really large you are using your hands a little bit more differently. With the wedging again I'm just folding the clay back onto itself. I will do it slow motion I'm using my whole body with this even though it is a small piece of clay. Kind of look like a little bit of a conk shell and I'm pushing very very lightly at this point. One of the mistakes that students make is when they get their clay in their hands they take it like this they mush and squish it down like that. You don't want to do that, you want to have her hands tucked in underneath your fingers I should say tucked underneath. It is just a rocking motion and when it is going properly this is about the speed that you are going. Your fingers are staying underneath so you are not pushing too hard that is kind of like a wall that you are hitting so it doesn't go to far. That is about finish so I just roll it back on itself and just bang it down and that is all set for the centering on the wheel. "