pottery clay kit
Making a Three Part Clay Vase : Clay Pottery Extruder Hollow Dies

How do i use a Pottery Kit?

I bought a pottery kit, and i cant understand the instructions. It says that the clay is supposed to be moist but it is hard as a brick. Do i have to run it under some water or something. It says to fold it so its standing up, and then to wedge it but it is hard and it still is like a brick. Can anyone give me some helpful tips on how to do it? Please help.

Hi, I'm a potter so hopefully I can help.

If the clay is hard but still moist try dropping it on a hard concrete surface a few times. This helps to soften it and starts the wedging (kneading) process. If it is still too hard (ie you can't squeeze it between finger and thumb) poke a few holes in it with a knitting needle or the end of a paintbrush and pour a little water over it and into the holes. Leave for about a week in a sealed plastic bag. The water will help to soften it.

If its dried out and rock hard you may need to add more water and wait a bit longer.

When it has softened you need to wedge it to evenly distribute the moisture in the clay and get the air bubbles out. Its like kneading dough but try not to trap air as you fold the clay over on itself.

Another method of wedging is to use the wire cutter and cut the clay in half. Throw 1 half onto a hard surface and then throw the other half down hard on top. Repeat this 20 times always cutting clay through both layers and stacking to make more layers (like pastry).

If you buy clay from a pottery supplies shop it should be ready to wedge. As you wedge clay it gets a bit softer, but it will also dry out if handled too much and crack, so do about a pound of clay at a time to start with.

I wedge my clay on a sheet of mdf board. It stops it sticking to the table. You need a slightly pourous surface to wedge on. Concrete is great too for wedging.

Hope this helps

pottery clay kit

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Grana Cochinilla Fina --- the Best Kept Secret in Oaxaca

Alvin Starkman  M.A., LL.B.

Most tourists have no idea that only a couple of hundred yards off the main highway, a minute or two from the black pottery village, is one the most fascinating destinations that the state of Oaxaca has to offer children and adults alike.  And yet the majority of travelers have a least heard or read a snippet about the natural red dye which comes from a tiny insect and is used to color the rugs they buy in Teotitlán del Valle,  and other products including some of the foods and beverages we eat today…the grana cochinilla fina, commonly known as simply cochineal.

 

I suspect that from reading their guidebooks or speaking to tour guides and taxi drivers, visitors are not generally made aware of the importance of this little bug on the world stage over centuries; or perhaps they think it’s enough to buy a tapete and be told it’s been dyed with cochineal, and see and touch a few dried insects…rather than spend 40 or 50 minutes in amazement.  It might be different if they knew that during the conquest era, next to gold and silver cochineal was the most valuable commodity known to mankind, and that in 1758 Oaxaca exported over 1.5 million Spanish pounds of it to Europe, Africa and Asia for a multitude of uses including the dying of fabrics including uniforms worn by British nobility and cavalry. 

 

Together known as Tlapanochestli, the quaint research facility, museum, ranch and open-air teaching environment is located at Santa María Coyotepec off a dirt road only 15 minutes from downtown Oaxaca.  The attraction is designed to hold the interest of travelers of all ages and all backgrounds, from layperson to academic or professional.

 

Upon entering Tlapanochestli you’ll be greeted by one of the employees who works the ranch, or perhaps one of the two scientists who run the research and teaching programs, Engineers Manual Loera Fernández and Ignacio del Río Dueñas.  You’ll learn about the lifecycle of the cochineal, how it attaches itself to and feeds off of a certain variety of nopal cactus, and about its harvesting and preparation for use as a dye.  Both kids and grownups will delight and be awe-struck at having either a live or dried bug squished on their palm yielding the scarlet pigment.    You’ll be taught why not all types of nopal cactus are suitable for production of cochineal, which ones are used to make salads, and about varietals which produce the sweet red edible fruit known as tuna, seasonally sold in marketplaces just as apples and oranges, and just as often encountered as a sorbet flavor or fresh fruit juice.  

 

But your tour is not only about the insect and its host, but includes learning about a plethora of other natural products used to dye foods and fabrics, such pecan shells, oyster conch, pomegranate, marigold, moss, onions, and the añil plant which produces our blues and indigos.  Combining some of these dyes with the cochineal results in yet a further spectrum of color.  You’ll also discover how to use cochineal in combination with lime juice or baking soda and with different colored natural wools to produce orange and purple hews. 

 

One cannot help but marvel at the diversity of commercial products which utilize the cochineal as a coloring such as lipsticks and makeup for those allergic or sensitive to synthetic red and orange tones, Danone yoghurt,  Campari, and even  Campbell’s soup.  Often artists have opted to employ cochineal and other natural colors for their work, and accordingly witness walls adorned with examples of fine art created without the use of chemical-based paints.  The photos of Prince Charles’ attendance at Tlapanochestli is a testament to the world’s continued fascination with the historical and contemporary significance of the grana cochinilla fina.   In the gift shop there’s an opportunity to purchase dried cochineal for your own use, ink in an attractive wax-sealed bottle, paints and pastes, balls of yarn, soaps, clothing, and for the children perhaps a paint set consisting of dried cochineal to crush using the miniature clay pestle and mortar, along with coloring pages with instruction sheet directing how to use the kit and produce your own shades of red, orange and pink. 

 

A short video puts the production of cochineal into its proper historical context using facts, anecdotes and mythology, along with colorful imagery, narrated using language easily understood by children.  At the same time those with a background or interest in the sciences will have all of their questions answered.  The film outlines the pre-hispanic use of the pigment; the development of an internationally regulated industry attracting the attention of worldwide heads of state from The Conquest forward; its importance in the global marketplace as the strongest and most brilliant dye known to humankind; and its decline in the mid 1800’s upon the invention of synthetic coloration and the subsequent adverse impact on the Mexican economy.  While Oaxacan production and export never did recover from 19th century recessionary factors, the video concludes on a upbeat note documenting the industry’s resurgence in recent decades in the face of widespread health concerns regarding the continued reliance on synthetic substances to dye commercial products.

 

After your cinematic journey back into history, and having gained knowledge about how natural dyes are produced and used in a multitude of applications, your perception of not only Oaxaca but also the Western World will have been enhanced forever…whether you’re in Oaxaca shopping for rugs, watching the native vendors in a market or ordering ice cream; or sitting in the comfort of your home and sipping a Campari and soda.

 

About the Author

Alvin Starkman received his Masters in Social Anthropology in 1978. After teaching for a few years he attended Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto, thereafter embarking upon a career as a litigator until 2004. Alvin now resides in Oaxaca, where he writes, leads small group tours to the villages, markets, ruins and other sites, is a consultant to film production companies, and operates Casa Machaya Oaxaca Bed & Breakfast. ( http://www.oaxacadream.com ) .

Tags: art, photo, pottery clay kitchenware, pottery clay kits, sharing, statue, terrazzo

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 16th, 2011 at 4:33 am and is filed under Pottery and Ceramics. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.