Diagrama de temas

  • Introduction

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    • Centering the clay is the cornerstone of throwing on the wheel. It's the process that must be done before any pot can be formed, and the aim of this tutorial is to go over that process in exact detail, alongside discussing many of the tips and tricks learned over the years.

  • Step 1: Preparing the Clay

    • 1.1
      It begins with clay, but more specifically, it's the wedging of clay which is important for throwing. Simply put, this is the process of kneading clay until it's one even texture throughout and void of any air pockets that might lie within. These irregularities will only make the centering and throwing process more difficult, which makes it a step you don't want to skip, as learning to center can be difficult enough already as a beginner.

    • 1.2
      The first thing we'll discuss is the shape of the lumps of clay used to throw with. You want them to be regular, ideally with a rounded base, so when thrown against the wheel it doesn't trap air beneath it. With either conical tapering walls that lead up to the top, or perhaps more easily for a beginner, you should pat a well-wedged lump of clay into a ball shape.

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    • 1.3
      What you don't want to use is an irregular shape, as although you can center lumps like that, as a beginner it'll be far more difficult. So make sure the lumps of clay you're using are well-wedged and regular in shape, and now the centering can begin.

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  • Step 2: Proper Sitting Position

    • 2.1
      The first thing you want to consider is how you sit at the wheel. You don't want to be too far away from the tray or the metal wheel head. Instead, you want to scoot your legs forward so they're around it, and so your head, when lent over a little bit, is more or less directly over the top of the lump of clay.

    • 2.2
      Take your left arm and shove your elbow into your torso, and then lean your upper body weight forward slightly onto that arm to stabilize it. What you don't want is both of your elbows up in the air as you're trying to center, as they aren't braced against anything. So instead, tuck your elbows into your waist and lean your upper body weight forwards onto them.

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  • Step 3: Attaching the Clay

    • 3.1
      Attaching the clay down to the wheel head is crucial. It helps to have an even round shape that's thrown against the wheel. This way no air can be trapped beneath the clay when it's slammed down. Pat your balls of clay into spheres, or at least into a shape with a rounded base and a conical top. Now, the obvious next step is to throw the clay as accurately into the middle as you possibly can and to slam it down firmly. This way it sticks onto the metal.

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  • Step 4: Placing and Adjusting the Clay

    • 4.1
      Use the rings that most wheel heads have in order to tell if the lump of clay is in the middle. As you spin the wheel, you'll notice that the lump of clay will probably have a larger gap on one side as compared to the other.

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    • 4.2
      Push the clay away from where it's closest to the line until the gap between the clay and the line is more or less the same all the way around. At this point, you can even pat the lump of clay into shape a bit to get it as centered as possible beforeyou begin to add water to it and begin the process properly.

    • 4.3
      Initially attaching it very firmly is crucial, though, and what you don't want to do is slam it down onto a surface that's already quite wet, as the lump of clay just won't stick to it properly. Ideally, you want a dry wheel head and a dry lump of clay; otherwise, the lump will just fling itself off.

    • 4.4
      The first step is to clean the wheel head. Sponge away the excess clay and then dry the metal off with a towel. Take the lump of clay and scrape away all the wet slip on the bottom of it, and then slam this drier, tackier area onto the metal.


    • 4.5
      There is an exception to this rule, and that's when you're throwing on a slightly porous surface, such as MDF wood. In this instance, it helps the piece of clay stick if you dampen the surface.

  • Step 5: Arm Positioning and Initial Centering

    • 5.1
      Tuck your arm into your waist, and rest your forearm onto the plastic wheel tray.

    • 5.2
      Position your forearm so it lines up perfectly with the lump of clay, and push the ball of your thumb and the base of your palm in a straight line that intersects the middle of the lump of clay.

    • 5.3
      It's not off to the left, nor is it too far to the right. Instead, you want it so everything lines up. Now, slam the clay firmly onto the metal wheel head and push it roughly in the center.


  • Step 6: Adding Water

    • 6.1 The clay needs to remain lubricated the entire time, be it with slip or water.

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    • 6.2
      If you ever feel your hands beginning to stick to the lump of clay, or if you feel any friction, it's time to add more water. Use a cupped hand or a sponge to add water.

    • 6.3
      As your left hand palm pushes in, take the little finger of that hand and squeeze it around the base firmly. This creates a seal against the metal wheel head and another barrier to ensure that it's stuck down securely. It also neatens the clay around the base and simply stops it from spreading out onto the metal wheel head.

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  • Step 7: Horizontal and Vertical Pressure

    • 7.1
      Apply horizontal pressure with your left hand and vertical pressure with your right hand.

    • 7.2
      Push down directly over the middle of the piece of clay, matching the pressure your left arm is applying. This part is really important: applying both even pressure from the side and the top.

    • 7.3
      If the pressure exerted with your left hand is too great, the lump of clay will cone up, and if you push down too firmly with your right hand, you'll squash the piece of clay down into a pancake. So it's an even amount of pressure from both the side and the top which is what we're after.

    • 7.4
      I sometimes take the slip from the wheel head itself to lubricate the lump.


  • Step 8: Other Hand Positions

    • 8.1
      There are other hand positions, such as applying pressure from both sides and then using your thumbs to apply downward pressure.

    • 8.2
      However, using the side of your right hand to push down provides better control.

    • Image Step 8

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  • Step 9: Gripping and Centering

    • 9.1
      Squeeze the lump of clay with all of your digits of your left hand, as if gripping a ball tightly.

    • 9.2
      Lean in with your left arm, and push down from the top with your right hand.

    • 9.3
      Ensure the clay conforms to the shape you've given it, rather than following the wobbling piece of clay.

    • Image Step 9.1 - 9.3

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    • 9.4
      Every potter centers a little bit differently. We all follow a similar set of rules, but ultimately our hands are all different sizes and shapes, and that affects how we hold them and use them for this process. So don't be surprised when you see potters doing this process but with their hands in different positions.

    • 9.5
      One thing that's important is to not let the clay control your movements. Position your arm and your hands so securely that the soft wet clay has no other place to go other than the area you've designated for it.

  • Step 10: Advanced Tips

    • 10.1
      If you happen to be using clay which contains quite a lot of grog, one that's quite coarse, if you feel like the surface is starting to feel like sandpaper, it's best to scrape away the outermost layer and then proceed with centering as normal.

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    • 10.2
      If you are feeling this, you're probably taking too much time to center your clay. It isn't a process that's worth rushing at the beginning, but you also don't want to spend 10 minutes doing this every time you make a pot. Ideally, this is a process that you should be able to complete in about 10 to 40 seconds, but this does depend of course on the size of clay and larger lumps can take much longer.

    • 10.3
      Another thing we should discuss is the speed at which the wheel is spun. You don't want to do this process really slowly because once again it'll just mean it takes longer, and say when you are throwing dozens of bowls and mugs you really want to minimize the amount of time you spend centering the clay. So spin the wheel very quickly, although don't max it out. There's virtually no need to ever put your foot down all the way, but do spin the wheel quickly, fast enough that however you push your fingers and hands into the lump of clay, it affects the entire piece practically instantly, which means you want it to be rotating many times every second. If you spin the wheel too slowly, it means you need to linger with each movement you place on the lump of clay to ensure that it remains the same on the entire piece of clay. So don't go slowly and don't go at a medium pace, instead push it just that bit further.

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    • 10.4
      Another thing I often see beginners do is they push this part of their hand too firmly against the metal of the wheel to a degree that the metal can almost wear away the skin and it can become quite
      painful to center. You never want to push these fingers directly down onto the metal wheel head, and you'll know if you're pushing too hard against the metal if you can see this metal residue coming off on your hand. Instead, you want to just glide above the metal ideally with a thin skim of slip between the two, which will naturally accumulate as you center the clay.

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    • 10.5
      Another thing I do to ensure that the clay is centered is I watch my fingertips instead of the clay itself. If the clay is off center, my fingertips will wobble along with the clay, and if I notice that, I squeeze my fingertips inward against the clay and I really focus on them not wobbling whatsoever. They're firmly tensed and if they're unwavering, then the clay underneath them should be quite centered. I lean the palm and the ball of my thumb of my left hand into the block of clay, pushing forwards and then I tense those wobbling digits so they're completely still, and then I take my right hand and bring it down on top and compress.


    • 10.6
      Sometimes in between pots you'll have the skin of dry clay left. I often see people remove it in between throwing new pots, which is something you shouldn't do. As long as it's dry, it'll help the clay stick down much more firmly than it would otherwise, like velcro. Once firmly attached, you can begin to center as normal.

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  • Step 11: Coning the Clay

    • 11.1
      Coning is when the lump of clay is coned up and down between the palms of your hands. This is almost like wedging the clay but on the wheel, and with each cone up and each cone down you'll feel the clay becoming more orderly beneath your hands. This is because the particles which make up the clay, the platelets, gradually become more aligned. The analogy is to think of clay like a bag of rice before it's been wedged. All the grains are facing in all kinds of directions, they're completely mixed and there's no order. But as the clay is coned down, it causes the platelets to collapse onto one another and align facing the same direction. In turn, this makes the lump of clay more plastic and more easily drawable.

    • 11.2
      You cone the clay up, and then when it comes to pushing it back down, you carefully lean it over slightly as you apply downward pressure, so tend to push the cone both forwards and down in the same motion. This causes the clay to bulge towards the base of the lump which keeps it quite manageable and easy to work.


    • 11.3
      If on the other hand you cone the piece of clay up and then just push it directly down, a bulge of clay will begin to accumulate directly in your hands which makes this process quite difficult to control. The point of coning is that even sometimes with really thoroughly wedged clay, the lump might spin with some kind of irregularity within it, but after you've coned it up three or four times, the lump of clay will begin to feel wonderfully smooth and you should have an easier time opening up the lump and pulling up the walls of clay.


    • 11.4
      Coning is not necessary for every single pot you make, but it's worth learning and it's worth practicing and it can sometimes make all the difference. For instance, when I'm throwing larger masses of clay or pots that are perhaps a bit more complicated than a mug or a bowl, I'll always make sure to cone the clay up and down a number of times.

  • Step 12: Hand Placement and Removal

    • 12.1
      This next tip is perhaps a bit more subtle in nature and it has to do with how you place your hands onto the lump of clay and how you remove them. The first thing you want to think about is you only ever want to make contact with the clay when it's spinning, and the same goes for when you release your hands. You never want to stop the wheel and then release your hands, nor do you want to place your hands onto a stationary lump and then begin spinning it.

    • 12.2
      What you want is for the lump of clay to always be spinning when you touch it and remove your hands from it. Think of it like turning wood on a lathe. You would never place the gouge onto the stationary piece of wood and then start up the machine that rotates it, and when you're turning wood on the lathe you always want the piece to be spinning before you try to do anything to it. The same goes for clay.

    • 12.3
      Another thing to think about is how you release your hands from the lump of clay. Ideally, you want to release them very gently, as if you release your hands too abruptly, you'll notice a very slight wobble in the lump of clay, and if you do this just before you make the hole to form the base, the pot could become slightly off-centered even when you thought you centered it perfectly. Placing your hands onto the lump of clay isn't so important as you can immediately center them and hold them still, but when you release your hands you want to do it very gently, just to detach any connection they might have, and with enough practice, it just looks like you're removing your hands normally.

  • Conclusion

    • Being able to center well is vital for learning to throw on the wheel. It's the first step in the process of throwing a pot. If done improperly, it makes the entire process of throwing pots more difficult. At the start, when you're learning to throw, centering can feel really difficult. But after you've thrown a hundred, a thousand, and ten thousand pots, it really does become second nature.

      More often than not, the reason you might have difficulty centering a lump will be due to the fact that the clay is too firm or far too soft for it to even be centered in the first place. My final bit of advice would be not to get too hung up on getting it perfect straight away. Center the clay roughly, pull up the walls roughly, and try and get some finished pieces off. Seeing the process through to the end and making some pots, even if they're wobbly and chunky and a bit heavy, it's those first pots that plant the seed and draw people into this craft. Everything after that is just a matter of practice, and soon you'll forget that you ever even struggled with centering.

       


  • Source


    • The lesson is based on material from the YouTube video by Gadsby, F. For more information and analysis, the book by Gadsby, F. (2023), By My Hands, Penguin Books, is recommended.