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# tactiq.io free youtube transcript
# How to Prevent Pottery Clay from Cracking While Drying
# https://www.youtube.com/watch/A-K-iJGRQM0

00:00:00.480 Why does clay crack while it's drying, and how do I prevent it from cracking?  
00:00:06.640 Hi, Marie here. In this video I'll be answering these questions and  
00:00:10.720 offering you some advice and strategies to help prevent your clay from cracking while drying.  
00:00:16.720 The supplies used in this video will be listed for you in the show notes below. Let's dive right in.  
00:00:23.440 So why does clay crack while it's drying. The main reasons for this are uneven drying clay.  
00:00:30.560 Not being compressed and the shrinkage rate of your clay. Let's take a look at uneven drying first.  
00:00:39.520 As the water evaporates the tiny clay particles shrink together closing the gaps in the clay.  
00:00:46.480 When the clay dries unevenly one part of the clay is moving and the other part is  
00:00:51.280 not. These wet and dry clay particles push against each other during the drying process  
00:00:57.520 causing tension and possibly cracking of clay. So you want the water to evaporate slowly and evenly  
00:01:04.959 to prevent pressure from being put onto the clay particles from wet and dry clay. One of the best  
00:01:12.080 ways to prevent this is to control the clay's drying time with even moisture. If a pottery  
00:01:18.960 piece is left out in the open the rim will dry faster than the sides and the base of the pottery.  
00:01:25.360 Allowing the pottery to dry slowly for the first several days helps the clay dry more evenly. There  
00:01:31.920 are several ways you can do this. Tenting is one of the most popular ways to dry your pottery.  
00:01:39.360 Simply cover the top of your pottery with plastic, I use plastic bags. Don't  
00:01:45.120 seal the plastic around the pottery. You still need air to get in to dry the clay.  
00:01:51.360 Tenting traps the moisture keeping the top of the pottery from drying faster than the bottom.  
00:01:58.160 Separating your pottery pieces for drying is an important step to ensure even drying. You  
00:02:04.720 want to place your pottery at least an inch apart for the air to flow in between them. 
00:02:11.039 Handles and attachments should be positioned facing inward so they don't dry faster than  
00:02:16.240 the piece that they're attached to. After a day remove the plastic for about an hour  
00:02:22.000 or two to release some of the moisture. Rotate the pottery and cover again. Rotating and turning your  
00:02:29.840 pottery over is important in the drying process. Rotating the pottery helps all the pieces to dry  
00:02:35.600 at the same rate. Repeat this process the next day. Check your pottery daily until the clay feels dry  
00:02:42.720 to the touch, the time it takes to dry will depend greatly on the climate, you live in. Now you can  
00:02:49.280 take the plastic off and let the pottery air dry.Placing the pottery on a rack like this one or  
00:02:56.480 a cookie rack will allow the air to get underneath the pottery to help the final drying process.
00:03:03.360 A damp box is another great way to dry your pottery. It holds in the moisture allowing  
00:03:08.480 your clay to dry evenly as the moisture slowly escapes from the covered container. 
00:03:14.960 You can make your own damp box by using a plastic container with a cover.  
00:03:20.160 Make sure the top of the container is not sealed so that the moisture can escape. I just use one of  
00:03:27.200 my wear boards and put plastic on. It works great. After a day remove the lid from the damp box for  
00:03:35.200 about an hour or two. Rotate and turn your pottery over and place the lid back on the damp box. Repeat  
00:03:42.960 this process the next day. Check your pottery daily until the clay feels dry to the touch. Then you can  
00:03:49.600 leave the top off until the pottery is bone dry or take it out of the damp box to your drying area.  
00:03:57.360 Another way is to use a portable greenhouse. A portable greenhouse will also keep the moisture  
00:04:03.360 level even while your pottery is drying. I have a link for one in the description below. 
00:04:10.160 When using a portable greenhouse after a day just unzip the door to allow some of the moisture to  
00:04:16.079 escape. An hour or two is fine then rotate the pottery carefully by turning and flipping it over.  
00:04:23.840 Repeat this process the next day and check your pottery daily until the clay feels dry  
00:04:30.400 to the touch. Then you can leave the door open or take the pottery out to your final drying area.  
00:04:38.080 Don't forget to hit the like button anytime during this video, I also have a super thanks  
00:04:43.440 button where you can donate to the channel and help with supplies to make these videos. Thanks  
00:04:48.720 for your support. Another reason why the clay can crack while drying is the clay particles are not  
00:04:55.520 compressed. Compressing your clay helps align the particles to keep the cracks from forming.  
00:05:02.240 If there isn't enough pressure placed on the clay these tiny particles remain disorganized. The clay  
00:05:09.040 particles that are arranged randomly clash and place pressure against each other as the water  
00:05:15.680 evaporates and this can cause the clay to crack. Like this. When the particles are more aligned they  
00:05:24.320 have a better chance of bonding together as they dry, lessening the chance for the clay to crack.  
00:05:31.040 Wedging your clay helps to compress and align the clay particles which can help to prevent cracking.  
00:05:37.440 It's important to wedge your clay correctly so it has an even consistency throughout.  
00:05:43.040 You don't want hard lumps that are drier in your soft clay this will result in an uneven drying. 
00:05:50.080 I have a video and article on the different ways that you can wedge your clay. I left a link for you  
00:05:55.520 in the show notes below. Hand building and thrown pottery requires different compressing techniques.
00:06:03.280 When hand building use a rubber rib to compress and smooth out the clay. Place the rib in a slight  
00:06:10.400 angle, then move the rib to smooth the surface area and compress the entire piece evenly.  
00:06:18.160 Flip your clay over and smooth out the other side.Besides cracking not smoothing out both sides can  
00:06:24.560 also cause the clay to warp. When throwing pottery on the wheel you also need to compress the clay.  
00:06:31.840 You're automatically compressing the sides and aligning the clay particles while you're throwing  
00:06:37.040 your pot. However the rim and the bottom of the pot are not being compressed. It's important to  
00:06:43.360 compress the rim and smooth out the surface of the clay to avoid small cracks on the rim of the pot.  
00:06:50.320 Hold the sides of the rim with your anchor hand thumb and index finger, then place the index finger  
00:06:57.280 of your outside hand on the top of the rim and press the clay. Be careful not to press too hard  
00:07:03.760 so you don't deform the rim. Your bottom needs to be compressed to avoid s-cracks while drying.  
00:07:11.440 You can do this by pressing down on the clay with your fingers  
00:07:15.120 or using a sponge. I prefer to use a sponge. This will flatten and align the clay particles. 
00:07:22.720 This also helps to decrease the water absorption thus keeping the clay stronger longer.  
00:07:29.520 I do this after forming the base and when I finish my piece. Depending on the piece  
00:07:36.240 I will even compress the clay in the middle of the process. Whenever I do this I never get cracks.  
00:07:44.480 Another way to help prevent cracks while drying is to make sure that the base of the pot is not too  
00:07:50.480 thick. Thicker base or uneven thickness can cause the clay to crack. If you're unsure  
00:07:58.240 use a needle tool to check the thickness. Slide your index finger down the needle tool until your  
00:08:04.800 finger touches the clay. Keep your finger in place as you move the needle tool away from the clay.  
00:08:11.360 The thickness of the base is the distance between your finger and the tip of the needle. 
00:08:16.720 Handles and different attachments can add  a lot of character and function to your pottery.
00:08:22.480 There are also weak spots where cracks often form. When adding handles knobs or other features  
00:08:31.040 it's important to wait until the pottery and attachments are in the same drying stage.  
00:08:36.559 This is the second stage of drying. When your clay is leather hard you can no longer mold  
00:08:42.000 it at this stage but the clay is strong enough to hold the attachment in place.  
00:08:47.200 To ensure the attachment does not crack on your pottery it's important to score and  
00:08:52.400 apply slip to your piece, then score and apply slip to your handle or attachment.  
00:08:58.560 This will help to create a strong bond between the handle and your piece. Now there are potters  
00:09:04.000 that'll tell you they only use water if it works for them that's fine, but I don't want to take  
00:09:09.360 that chance. Wouldn't you want to do anything you could to prevent your attachments from cracking.  
00:09:15.920 It's also best that your slip is the same clay body as your piece and attachment.  
00:09:22.080 The type of clay you choose is also important Different clays have different shrinkage rates. The  
00:09:28.640 higher the shrinkage rate the greater chance of your clay cracking because the clay is moving more.
00:09:35.120 Porcelain can shrink anywhere from 12 to 20 percent. The shrinkage rate of stoneware is  
00:09:41.360 around 12 to 14 percent and earthenware has the least amount of shrinkage with about four to seven  
00:09:48.800 percent. You can also consider choosing a clay with grog or adding some grog to your clay. Grog.  
00:09:56.560 is made up of fired clay that's ground up. Grog can be ground up into fine medium or large bits.  
00:10:04.880 Clay containing grog shrinks less and helps add strength and stability to the clay.  
00:10:10.800 Which can help prevent cracking while the clay is drying. In addition, having grog in  
00:10:15.840 your clay means the water won't be absorbed as much, which also speeds up the drying time.  
00:10:22.160 You can also add paper fibers to your clay body or use paper clay. This also helps to  
00:10:28.800 prevent the clay from cracking when drying. Can you use heat to dry your pottery? Yes.  
00:10:35.600 Heat can be used to dry your pottery in several ways but you must exercise caution.  
00:10:42.320 Heat guns are mainly used for wet pottery. This helps the clay stiffen to prevent it  
00:10:47.760 from collapsing. The heat should be distributed as evenly as possible to prevent cracking.  
00:10:54.960 A heat gun is not recommended to dry the clay completely. Candling is a term used for drying  
00:11:02.160 clay in the kiln.  Place your greenware in the kiln set your kiln at 180 degrees Fahrenheit or  
00:11:10.240 82 degrees Celsius for about 8-12 hours. Candling will take out any moisture left in your pottery.  
00:11:19.120 However candling is only recommended to do when your pottery is in the final stage of drying.  
00:11:25.680 It's not recommended for wet or leather hard clay. There are several reasons for this. First it can  
00:11:32.880 increase the chance of your clay cracking. It's hard on the elements in your kiln. Electric kilns  
00:11:40.160 hate moisture. Plus it's not very energy efficient. You can also place your greenware next to your  
00:11:48.480 kiln this is another good way to speed up the drying process if you're not sure if your pottery  
00:11:54.320 is completely dry just place your pottery near the kiln when you're firing another load of pottery.  
00:12:01.920 This should also be done in the final stage of your drying process. Wet or leather hard clay  
00:12:08.160 will dry too fast and unevenly around the kiln. You put all that work into making your pottery  
00:12:14.800 why would you want to take a chance? It's not recommended to place anything on top of your  
00:12:20.800 kiln. Once your pottery is completely dry you can fire it in the kiln. Following these tips will  
00:12:28.160 help to ensure that your pottery doesn't crack. Now head on over to my How-to choose clay video,  
00:12:35.200 or How to throw a bowl on the pottery wheel. If you do I get to play with more clay. Let's stay dirty!