Pottery - How to Center Clay on the Wheel

This is an instructional pottery video on how to center clay on the potters wheel by Janis Hughes in the Evolution Stoneware Pottery studio. Check out www.evolutionstoneware.com and Evolution Stoneware Pottery on Facebook. Thanks for watching and click 'like' (if you do).

Category:

Education

Tags:

• pottery
• throw
• throwing
• clay
• center
• centering
• wheel
• potters
• stoneware
• porcelain
• potter
• Janis Hughes
• Evolution Stoneware Pottery

[waichita]

I've been to my 4th pottery class today and I really can't get the clay to center. My teacher has a different method that requires centering the full lump of clay, which I find very difficult. I will try this technique. Thank you so much for sharing!

[EvolutionStoneware]

@waichita I really hope this helps you out! Good luck, and let me know how it goes.

[SillyKinkajoo]

Help! I'm in a ceramics class, and I can get the clay into a centered pillar, but whenever I press down it turns into a lopsided, off-center mess. Do you have any tidbits of wisdom you can pass along?

[EvolutionStoneware]

@SillyKinkajoo There are several different approaches to opening the clay. I like to rest the palms of both of my hands on either side of the centered clay, find the middle, and press in with both of my thumbs. I find this more stable than using one finger. Keeping your hands resting on the outside helps to stay centered. And make sure you keep the clay wet in the hole as you push in. If your thumbs are sticking, it will get out off center. Check out my other videos to see how I open.

[NonDoormat]

Thanks! I've been looking for a video to help me centre for a while now. Yours is the best!

[EvolutionStoneware]

@NonDoormat Oh, wow, that's great to hear! Thanks for letting me know. Best of luck with your throwing.

[waichita]

Oh... it looks so easy when you do it. Ok, so I had a go at your centering technique but it didn't really work for me. I found it very difficult to create such a tall cone and once I had one (not as tall as yours), when I pushed it back down I got a mushroom shape : /

I told my teacher about your technique but he said it was to get the clay a bit softer... is that so?

I did manage to center it one time (out of the 5 attempts). Hope next week will be better.

[kornluv3r1]

If you watch this video long enough, you'll realize she's throwing clay :P

[EvolutionStoneware]

@iabLee91 I'm glad it was hepful!

[iabLee91]

Great video!!! Thank you so MUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!