View Larger Image Techniques in our "Tip of the Week" series come from all levels of experience: studio artists, production potters, students, teachers and industry experts.

December 14, 2007

Tip of the Week: Put the Wrap on for Easier Extruding

by Darcy Kinder | Read Comments (2)

After wedging, form the clay into a log shape that's almost the same width as the extruder. Next, wrap the clay "log" in plastic wrap (like Saran Wrap) before loading it into the extruder. Once it's inside the extruder, put the plunger in and extrude the wrapped clay. When finished, take the plunger out and reach in and remove the plastic wrap along with any remaining clay that didn't get plunged through (it occasionally comes out with the plunger). This technique keeps my extruder clean, minimizes clean up, and eliminates having to remove dried bits of clay from my extruder afterwards! Thanks, Darcy Kinder, and to learn more about extruding and other clay techniques, check out Explore the Surface, an upcoming Potter’s Council workshop dedicated to clay surfaces.

Have a tip of your own that you'd like to share?
Ceramic Arts Daily is the perfect place for you to share your tip with fellow potters. Email your tip today!

Other great tips
1. To keep a thrown cylinder lip circular while stretching from the inside, cut the center out of a plastic lid and encircle the lip of the cylinder with the resulting plastic ring. It will help maintain the lip's size and shape under considerable stress.

2. When glazing the bottom inside of a decorated bowl or platter with two or more glazes, use a bulb baster to apply and remove excess glaze from the deep area. This eliminates pouring out the glaze and the need to clean the sides of the pot before applying the remaining glazes. For further information on glaze techniques, check out Glazes: Materials, Recipes and Techniques.

3. When you have finished cleaning up and are ready to drain the water from your sink, place a folded towel over the open drain. It will take several hours for the water to drain, but the towel will trap most clay residue. Even when you are careful to prerinse tools in a bucket, you will be surprised by how much clay was in this water.

Not sure about a term you see here?
You can find definitions and explanations for more than 500 ceramic terms, from agateware to zirconium, in the Ceramic Arts Daily Glossary.