Making Pottery Clay
Learn how to make pottery clay for ceramics by either mixing the clay or digging it out of the ground in this free ceramics video tutorial.
Series Summary
Ceramics, the craft of forming pottery, is over twelve thousand years old, pottery appearing in the tenth millennium before the Birth of Christ. The potter's wheel was invented between the 6th and 2nd millenniums B.C. in Mesopotamia and completely changed pottery production, allowing pottery to be created much faster and more uniform in shape. Today, in the twenty-first century, pottery is produced on a large scale; however, individual potters can mix their own clay or dig it from the ground and focus more on the art and beauty aspects of creating ceramic pottery. Learn how to make pottery clay from raw materials in this free pottery clay making video series featuring Michael Cottrell professor of sculpture and ceramics. Professor Cottrell will teach you about the properties of various types of clay, what various types of clay are used for in ceramics, and what materials you need to make pottery clay. He will demonstrate how to weigh the raw materials to make pottery clay, how to dry mix and wet mix materials for clay, how to process clay with a pug mill, how to process clay by hand, how to condition pottery clay, how to recycle scrap clay, how to find and use natural clay from the ground, and how to test the properties of natural clay for ceramics suitability.-
Types of Clay for Ceramics
There are different types of clay used for a particular kind of ceramic work such as throwing on the wheel, hand building, or Raku. Find out what types of clay are good for ceramics in this free pottery making video tutorial.
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Wet Mixing Materials for Pottery Clay
After pottery clay has been dry mixed, water can be added to finish making the clay. Learn how to wet mix raw pottery clay materials in this free pottery making video tutorial.
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Recycling Scrap Pottery Clay
Scrap clay can be recycled rather than discarded. Learn how to recycle scrap pottery clay in this free pottery making video tutorial.
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Using Natural Clay for Pottery
Naturally occurring clay, right out of the ground, can be used in ceramics. Learn how to find, dig up, and use natural clay for pottery in this free pottery making video tutorial.
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Testing Properties of Natural Clay
Natural clay dug out of the ground should be tested to make sure its properties are right for ceramics. Learn how to test the properties of natural clay to make sure that it is suitable for making pottery in this free pottery making video tutorial.
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Dry Mixing Materials for Pottery Clay
Dry mixing raw materials is done to homogenize the clay before water is added. Learn how to dry mix raw materials when making pottery clay in this free pottery making video tutorial.
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Weighing Materials for Making Pottery Clay
Raw materials must be carefully weighed to make pottery clay. Learn how to weigh materials for making pottery clay in this free pottery making video tutorial.
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Materials for Making Pottery Clay
Raw materials such as silica-bearing materials, aluminum-bearing materials, and flux are used to make a clay body. Find out what raw materials are needed for making pottery clay in this free pottery making video tutorial.
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Conditioning Pottery Clay
Pottery clay must be conditioned to make sure they have the right properties for ceramics. Learn how to condition pottery clay in this free pottery making video tutorial.
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Clay for the Slip Casting Process
Slip casting clay requires pouring the liquid clay into molds. Learn how to use the slip casting process to make pottery in this free pottery making video tutorial.
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Wedging Pottery Clay
A ceramics artist can choose to hand process pottery clay by wedging the clay. Learn how to wedge pottery clay in this free pottery making video tutorial.
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Pottery Clay Properties
Clay particles stick together due to a property of clay called plasticity. Learn about pottery clay properties in this free ceramics video tutorial.
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Processing Clay with a Pug Mill
Mechanical devices such as the pug mill are used to homogenize pottery clay to make ceramic vessels and art. Learn how to process pottery clay with a pug mill in this free pottery making video tutorial.
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Cleaning Natural Clay for Making Pottery
Naturally occurring clay dug out of the ground needs to be cleaned of rocks, twigs, and leaves before making pottery. Learn how to clean natural clay for making pottery in this free pottery making video tutorial.
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Pottery Clay Making Safety
The biggest health hazard in any ceramics studio is dust. Get safety tips for working with pottery clay in this free pottery making video tutorial.
