Beginnings on the Wheel Part 1: How to Center & Open your Clay
- claygroundrva
- Apr 25
- 3 min read
Before you even touch the clay, take a moment to ground yourself. A stable, still, and locked-in seating position is key. Make sure your elbows are anchored—rest them on your thighs or firmly against your body. If you are wobbling, your clay will wobble too, and you won’t be able to center properly. Stability starts with you.
🌀 11 Steps to Centering & Opening on the Wheel
1. Slam your clay on the wheel. Give it a firm toss to make sure it sticks securely to the bat or wheel head.
2. Pat the sides to seal the base. Use your hands to shape the clay into a mound and ensure a good seal at the bottom.
3. Press your pointers at the bottom edge. With both pointer fingers, press in around the base to reinforce that seal even more.
4. Cone up the clay. Apply steady pressure with your hands to pull the clay upward into a cone shape.
5. Dome down the clay. Push the clay back down into a centered dome—this helps align the particles and prepare for forming.
6. Repeat coning and doming two more times. This step builds structure and consistency in your clay.
7. Measure the height and diameter. Quick check to ensure you know how deep to drill down before opening.
8. Find center then Push down to open the clay. Use your two pointers to drill down into the center of the clay creating the interior space.
9. Hook under to create the base. Gently curl your fingers inward (toward your belly button) to widen the opening and establish a base.
10. Check your work. Slice your form in half (if you're practicing) to examine wall thickness and technique.
11. Make a focaccia on the wedging table. Not actual bread! Flatten the leftover clay like a focaccia to remove moisture before re-wedging to use again.
🌀 Throwing a Cylinder: 13 Steps to Success
1. Center & open the clay. Get your clay centered and open it up to begin forming your cylinder.
2. Skip the check—keep moving! No need to cut and check your walls yet. Trust your instincts and go forward.
3. Compress using “sliding doors” technique. Apply horizontal pressure like sliding doors to bring the walls to thumb thickness.
4. Fix a wonky rim with pinch compression. If your rim isn’t round, gently pinch at 6 o'clock with light pressure using your non dominate 👌🏻 and place your dominate pointer over your👌🏻 fingers while the wheel rotates to even it out.
5. Lift the clay with your ♥️ (AKA Spiderman) fingers. Use your middle and ring fingers—the “heart (AKA Spiderman) fingers”—to begin pulling up the walls.
6. Create a shelf from the inside. Push outward from the inside to form a slight ledge or shelf on the outer wall.
7. Lift the shelf with your ♥️ (AKA Spiderman) fingers. Support from the inside while lifting the shelf up with those same fingers.
8. Keep lifting until the walls are pinky-thick. Repeat your pulls, maintaining even pressure, until the wall is about the thickness of your pinky.
9. Use a rib to compress the wall. Smooth and strengthen the form by ribbing the outside surface.
10. Remove excess water from the inside & flatten the floor. Use a sponge or tool to dry the base inside your cylinder & gently press down to flatten the floor.
11. Smooth the rim. Compress the rim gently to finish the top edge cleanly.
12. Trim the bottom line with a wooden knife. Clean up the base of your form by defining the bottom edge.
13. Slice off with a wire tool at 12 o’clock. Add water at the top edge of your wheel, and pull your wire tool through at the 12 o'clock position to release the form.
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