Raw or Wild clay needs to be processed before usage. It is not likely that we will often have to opportunity to work with raw clay in this class, however check out how this team of artists at Hydeparkhill studio handle the raw clay they dig and prep it for use. 

This type of clat often comes in thick paper bags like cement or flour, and is ready to be mixed with water. Many potters store powdered clay bags stacked flat on shelves or even the floor. Due to the risks of clay dust we generally purchase wet/plastic clay as opposed to powdered clay. Therefore the dried clay that we have will generally consist of clay that has not been stored properly and therefore left to try, or broken projects. These dry pieces of clay are generally kept in a designated bin and need broken it to small pieces that are ready to be recycled. After being broken to small pieces the tiny bits of clay should be stored in designated covered or airtight bins to minimize dust. 

Slip / Slurry: Can be stored in sealed containers. However allowing some airflow at times can reduce the potential growth of molds and bacteria. Small amounts of vinegar or bleach can also be added to slip or clay in the recycling process with standing water on top to prevent molds and bacteria growth. It is important to know that some bacteria that breaks down organic material in the clay are considered good for the clay and can actually increase its plasticity, without being harmful to the potter him or herself. In our ceramic studio we generally keep one large slip bucket for class / community use, and/or a slip container for each group. Each table is responsible for maintaining their own slip container, and contributing to maintaining the community slip bucket. 

Plastic clay is workable and ready for use when starting a new project. Depending on what type of project or process you are using you may need the plastic clay to be more soft or firm. 

Plastic / Wet Clay... Must be kept sealed or wet in warm, humid environment. While working on a clay project in ceramics class there will be two various ways in need to handle & store wet clay. You will hear the terms "Working Clay" & "Your Project"  being used to refer to clay you are using to create your current assignment. "Working Clay "is clay that has been made available to you in order to use to create your current project. It is usually balled, cubed/blocked, or sliced waiting to be formed when you are ready. Working clay may be given to you directly after being cut off of a fresh block of clay, but more often in class the working clay is chunks of clay that you have access to daily either on your table shelf or in kept in a designated space. "Your Project" referest to the project you are currently working on which includes the portion of your project that you have completed thus far. This clay still needs to remain at the appropriate stage of plasticity to remain workable for the duration of your project or assignment. In a classroom setting you are not able to work on your project for hours at a time, so your project must be stored properly daily at the end of each class period in order to ensure that it is workable the next class period. When you are absent or someone at your table is absent (especially for an extended period of time), It is important that you help your table mates by checking each others clay. 

Working Clay -  Over the years we have kept working clay various ways. Depending on our classroom set up for the year or the particular project, you will likely have access to clay one of two of the following ways class/community bags/bins or in individual or table/group containers. When clay for student use kept in "community/class" bags/bins that all students have access to, these are generally these are separated into three bins; soft, medium, and firm (note all of these are still workable variations of plastic clay. If clay is to hard or dried to be workable, it needs to handled differently - see below) Using this method, at the end of class each student will use a spray bottle to spray his or her extra clay with water. Then each student will wedge and ball up the clay into workable chunks. Finally the student tests their extra clay pieces by squeezing them to see which bag they should be placed into, and putting their clay in that bag. If using individual or group bins, each student is simply responsible for keeping their own working clay at the desired plasticity, and ready to use each class period. Students will do so by checking the clay at the end of every class period, and taking appropriate measures, such as  adding water, wedging, wrapping and storing their clay responsibly.

NOTE: Once clay begins to dehydrate, and even though it is still wet it will begin to become more firm and can be troublesome to work with as it loses plasticity. It can be quite difficult to "bring it back to life" simply by adding water with your hands. If your plastic clay begins to harden slightly there are some tricks you can try to add water to make it workable again. This process is often call "rehydrating" or "reconstituting" the clay. See the Recycling / Rehydrating page  for tips and tricks on how to do so. 

Your Project - In class while you are working on your project you will generally be wrapping  your clay in plastic, and/or placing it in a sealed in a plastic bag or container container at the end of every class period. When wrapping up your  partially complete clay project, it is important that you carefully place your clay in the designated bag or container, then gently press out excess air, in order to keep your clay from beginning to dry out. The exception to this is if you do want or need your clay to harden slightly in order to be able to begin the next stage of your building or creation process. In this case sometimes you intentionally leave air in your bag or container when you put it away to encourage a subtle drying or hardening of your clay. When desiring to keep your clay soft other measures can be taken to discourage the clay from drying too much such as sponging down the caly with a damp sponge, using a spray bottle to mist small amounts of water into the bag, wrapping your clay project in a damp paper towel. However all of these methods can be tricky especially for beginners, for instance, too much water can cause cracks, if the damp paper towel begins to dry out, it will actually pull moisture from the clay

Leatherhard / leathersoft clay still needs to be sealed while working in this stage. For instance if you are carving or attaching pieces of your clay project over multiple class periods, the clay needs to remain wet enough to attach using the score slip method, or to carve with ease, while being hard enough to hold its shape or form. Most often you will store leatherhard clay the same way you do plastic clay, by wrapping it up tightly to avoid air exposure. This needs to be done with absolute care, because as the piece dries more, it becomes more and more fragile. Some pieces especially sculptures and items with handles and feet or producing pieces are more challenging to wrap & store daily, but feasible when done soe thoughtfully. You will continue wrapping your piece at the end of each class until you are finished with the building or creation of your clay piece and are ready to begin to allow it to dry to the bone dry / greenware stage. 

When you are ready to begin air drying your finished piece it is best to allow your clay to dry slowly. This often means allowing your piece exposure to more and more air over time meaning you will loosen the clay bag that is is wrapped in over time until the piece is fully exposed. Depending on the type of clay product you made, there may be some other tips to allowing your clay to dry. Clay shrinks when it dries out, therefore some pieces can warp or crack if they dry too quickly or unevenly. Hallowed clay dries much more evenly and efficiently than solid clay which is why most sculpture pieces are hallowed in the building process. 

Once your clay project is fully dry it is now considered "bone dry" sometimes also referred to as "greenware". This usually means your project is complete and ready to go in the kiln, however at times bone dry clay may also include pieces or scraps of clay they were left out and have become completely dried out. These dried bits of clay will need to go in the appropriate bin to be broken down and recycled at a later date. 

The finished projects are generally stored on a designated shelf, surface, or kart. Bone dry clay is extremely fragile, so you need to be extra careful when handling it. It is important that you minimize touching or moving your piece at this point as much as possible in order to avoid to avoid breaks. Also, resist the urge to touch or handle anyone else's project or pieces (anytime really, but especially at this stage). They are simply too fragile, and you don't want to be responsible for breaking someone else's piece. You will need to make sure that other clay that has dried accidentally due to not being properly wrapped or stored, is put in the designated bin to be broken down and recycled at the desired time. 

If your clay breaks or cracks at this stage it can be very difficult to fix. You may be able to save it by re-wetting the clay and filling gaps or re-attaching pieces with water and slip, but it is not always possible. If you are able to manage a cosmetic, or semi-structural fix, it will lose strength and be likely to break or crack in that spot again either during or after the firing process. It will also be more fragile to handle if it has been repaired at the bone dry stage. It is best to take all possible precautions to avoid breaks and fractures.