Stages of Clay

1. Stages of Clay How does clay change from the raw clay in the bag to the finished piece?

2. Stage 1: Wet Clay • The clay is ready for the potter. • It is wet and plastic—easily molded and manipulated. • Clay can be recylced and reused.

3. Stage 2: Leatherhard • After you have built your piece and allowed it to dry for a short period of time. • Best stage for doing surface treatments, carving details, cutouts, and attaching separate pieces together • Test for leatherhardness: hold it to your cheek. If it’s cold, it’s leatherhard. If not, it’s in stage 3. Too late! • Clay can be recycled and reused (with a little water added)

4. Stage 3: Greenware • Clay has been allowed to dry for some time (or without any covering or protection) and is bone dry. • Most fragile stage! All work on the piece should have been done before this stage. • Don’t touch it! Leave it be! • Most added water has evaporated. • Clay can be recycled and reused (with a lot of water added)

5. Stage 4: Bisqueware • Bisque (bisk) firing is a low temperature firing that hardens the clay piece. It becomes bisqueware. • All added water and the chemically bonded water is removed. • Clay has not been fired to its mature temperature, however. • The piece is now ready for glazing. • The clay cannot be recycled and reused

6. Cone Temperature

7. Stage 5: Glazeware • Piece is fired to its cone temperature and vitrification is achieved. • Cone temperatures of glazes and clay must match.