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If you're getting ready to throw some pots on the pottery wheel, you need to have the best possible clay to begin your project. While it looks like you can't go wrong with clay, not preparing this ingredient of your project can cause you to not only have a misshapen bowl at the end, but also to cause damage in the kiln. Here is the basic ram shaped wedging process for preparing a piece of clay for a pottery wheel.

How Much Clay Do You Use?

When you want to make something on the pottery wheel, the more clay you have, the bigger the project you can make. That said, if you're still newer to the pottery wheel process, you might need to start off small before you can handle larger pieces of clay. Not only will a smaller piece allow you to spend less time in the preparation phase, but it will also allow you to make a smaller piece more quickly as you are grasping the basic pottery wheel techniques. An ideal place to start if you are a beginner is around two to three pounds of clay. This will yield you a smaller sized bowl, but will still give you enough clay to help you learn how to go through the steps to fashion an initial piece. As you grow more confident, you can add about a pound more of clay at a time if you want to make bigger pots, dishes, and plates.

Wedging Your Clay

The clay you choose should not be too soft, so if you're starting with a softer piece, you might need to wedge the clay for a longer time or you might want to let it sit out for a few hours before you start to prepare it for the wheel. Take your piece of clay and create a quick ball form. Take this ball and place it on a table far out in front of you, so that you have to reach for the clay. Standing with one foot in front of the other, push the clay away from you using the heels of your palms. The palms of your hands should be at the sides of the clay so as to keep the clay all in one area and to create a sort of ram's head shape. Do this a number of times until the clay begins to hold together without any folds. When you're done, take the clay and using your hands roll it back toward you into a roll shape. Pick up the clay and throw one end of the mass into the table, flattening that bottom piece. This will give you a flat surface for anchoring onto the wheel. Next, cup your hands around the clay and begin to push the sides in. Take a hand and smash the top part down as well to create a denser piece. Pick the piece of clay up and use the palm and heel of your hand to hit the sides of the clay until the clay looks a bit like a Russet potato.

Why You Need to Be Careful

This process is essential before you begin working on the wheel as it prepares the clay to be molded and shaped. In addition, you are going to remove any air bubbles when you do this, helping to prevent cracks and explosions in the kiln when you fire your piece.