Making Of Ceramic Clay

Choose a type of clay for your project.
Making of ceramic clay. The key factor is that the clay has a high amount of grog a material in clay which contains a high quantity of silica and alumina. The most important part of making a form on the wheel is getting the clay on the wheel the right way. So you use a process called centering to get it right. Here you ll learn how to make ceramic molds as well as how to use them.
The clay has to be in the center of the wheel. Having the right type of clay body is important when making ceramic tiles. To the naked eye it may look like sandy soil but with a 20 clay content every 10 pounds of soil is hiding 2 pounds of clay ready for harvest. Clay is present just about everywhere and even soils described as sandy loam can contain as much as 20 clay.
What clay bodies are good to use. Video that helped me learn how to center the clay. All three are available commercially in moist ready to use form. Adding finishing touches.
The method i use is called spiral wedging and it s a technique that took me months to master. Browse through our archive of articles to find a variety of techniques from making plaster molds for slip casting and press molding to making bisque clay hump or slump molds to creating molds for casting clay sculpture. How to make ceramics method 1 of 3. While centering keep the clay wet and use the rib tool to scrape away excess clay on the wheel.
It s a process of kneading the clay with a slight rotation that helps push out any air bubbles within the clay. There are a multitude of clay sculpture techniques for ceramic artists to choose from. Making your own custom ceramic molds will help you break out of your comfort zone in the studio and grow as an artist. The three most commonly used clay bodies are earthenware clay bodies mid fire stoneware clay bodies and high fire stoneware clay bodies.
The clay should be heavy duty as it will need to be durable and most importantly completely waterproof when fired. Wedging is the technique of mixing and rolling clay to make it consistent and air bubble free. Clay bodies can also be produced by mixing dry clays and additives with water to create your own desired clay body. For a handbuilt project it s best to use.
Using a pottery wheel.