What is a wedge table for clay?
Wedging tables are very popular items in shared studio spaces and classrooms because the plaster sucks the moisture out of the clay that is thrown on to it. Wedging is a breeze! These tables and slabs are also great for drying clay -- anyone who has witnessed the aftermath of an introductory wheel class can attest to this.
How to build a wedging table?
How to Build a Wedging Table 1 Create a Diagram for Building Your Wedging Table. ... 2 Materials You'll Need 3 Other Supplies 4 Begin Building Your Wedging Table. ... 5 Cut the Floor of the Wedging Table. ... 6 Complete the Wedging Table Frame. ... 7 Finish Your Wedging Table. ... 8 Plaster Tips. ... 9 More on Water to Plaster Ratios. ...
What kind of wood do you use for wedging tables?
Wedging table wood frame: For our wedging or clay drying tables, we built a wooden frame (3/4" hardwood) ** 2" - 2 1/2" deep with a bottom made out of 1/2" plywood. We use hard wood to avoid warping and ensure that the screws that hold the frame together are not pulled out with the plaster tension.
What is wedging surface?
The simplest wedging surface is a piece of canvas. It can be put on a table, slab roller top, or chair. One concern about canvas wedging is that clay dust is created. However many people swear by canvas and do not find dust issues. They periodically soak and sponge it off, and sometimes lightly spritz it with water before wedging.
How high should a wedging table be?
How to make a leg for a wall?
How to get air bubbles out of plaster?
What to consider when building a wedging table?
How long does it take for wood glue to cure?
How big is a 32x32 plywood?
How to remove pour marks from wood?
See 4 more
About this website
What is the purpose of the wedging table?
These are plaster slabs and plaster-surfaced tables for wedging your clay. Wedging tables are very popular items in shared studio spaces and classrooms because the plaster sucks the moisture out of the clay that is thrown on to it.
What is the best surface to work on with clay?
It's best to work on a smooth surface, like on your kitchen counter or a marble slab. Laminate countertops make a great option for working with polymer clay.
What kind of plaster do you use for a wedging table?
USG No. 1 Pottery PlasterFor wedging tables, we recommend using USG No. 1 Pottery Plaster (comes in 50lb Bags). #1 Pottery Plaster is highly uniform, noted for outstanding performance and long life. The standard of the industry - this is the best material available for sanitaryware and dinnerware casting.
What kind of canvas is used for a wedging table?
Canvas for Slab Rollers, Wedging tables, Work Tables. 100% Cotton duck fabric.
What surfaces will clay not stick to?
Most air dry clays are sticky, and you don't want that on your work surface. We recommend protecting the work area with items such as wax paper, silicone baking mats, or vinyl placemats.
Can I wedge clay on wood?
If you don't want to use concrete for your clay wedging surface, you can opt for wood. A simple sheet of plywood is a good, flexible option.
Can I wedge clay on plywood?
Because clay is sticky, you need to wedge on a surface that your clay won't easily stick to. There are different surfaces you can choose from to wedge on like Masonite, Concrete, Granite, and the most common being Plaster, Plywood, and Plywood covered in canvas. These are all good options.
How thick should a wedging table be?
It calls for 2 x 4 lumber for the legs and sides, 5/8 inch (minimum thickness, you can go thicker) plywood for the floor, and leg braces made from 1 x 3 lumber.
Do you need to wedge clay before slab rolling?
If the clay that you're using is newly purchased, and moist, then wedging clay when you are hand building is not essential. However, if the clay has an inconsistent texture or moisture level or contains air pockets, it's best to wedge it. If the clay isn't wedged it can be hard to handbuild even smooth forms.
Are canvas wedges necessary?
DO I HAVE TO ATTACHED CANVAS WEDGES? There is no need fit the canvas keys before you start working. When painting onto a canvas, the weight of the paint can cause it to droop. This can make it difficult to do detail or can distort old paintings.
Can I wedge clay on a slab mat?
Professional clay artists love the canvas side for slab building, coil building and oh yeah, you can wedge on it. These work mats are a material used in other industries for other purposes.
Do you put canvas wedges in before or after painting?
Canvas Wedges can be inserted into the canvas bars before painting or after. They can be used to: finish the stretching of a hand-stretched canvas – to give it that last bit of tightening. If you are priming your canvas, wait until you have primed it as priming will cause the canvas to shrink.
What do you work on clay on?
The Best Place to Work with ClayA floor which is easy to clean such as concrete or linoleum.Access to running water.A solid table.A work surface which clay won't stick to.Solid shelves for the drying of pottery.A storage area for glazes and tools.
Can I work with clay on cardboard?
You don't have to coat the cardboard with anything (you could cover it as is), but it may be hard to do as the clay doesn't grip the cardboard's texture very well. I had the best results coating the cardboard with Sobo Glue or acrylic paint, then letting that dry before covering with clay.
What can I use for clay support?
Aluminum foil is without a doubt, indispensable as an armature for any polymer clay artist. It has an expansion rate of less than 2% which means it won't expand enough to crack your sculpt. You can use it as a core armature for figures, jewelry or anything else you are working on that has depth.
How do you make clay stick to the surface?
Score the surfaces of unbaked polymer clay with a blade or tines of a fork to adhere two or more pieces together before baking. Then brush both surfaces with a thin layer of translucent liquid polymer clay, rubbing gently with your fingertips until the surfaces are tacky.
Wedging Table for Clay Studio : 7 Steps (with Pictures) - Instructables
Wedging Table for Clay Studio: This is an instructable on how to make a free standing wedging table for your own studio. I am writing this instructable in hopes of claiming one of the awesome sets of glazes or even a rad T-shirt! This is my very first instructable!!! :) Basic…
Build a Country Pottery Clay Wedging Table : 7 Steps - Instructables
To begin any pottery project you have to condition your clay before taking it to the wheel. thi is called Wedging, its a dull tedious and labour intensive undertaking. if the clay is too wet, you have to knead the clay onto an absorbant surface to work out the excess water. This project builds a table for this purpose. a wood fram surrounding a 3 inch thick hard plaster top. with a convient ...
Instructions for a DIY Clay Wedging Board - Brandi Chase | Maker
Here is a little rundown on the DIY clay wedging board. Today I made a pair! These additions to my home studio allow me to hand build when I’m away from Peterson’s Art Center.Hopefully they will keep the mess to a minimum.
What is the most important step in producing plaster molds or casts?
Mix the plaster. Mixing the plaster slurry is the most important step in producing plaster molds or casts with maximum strength, absorption, hardness and other important properties. Changes in mixing procedures will have a great effect on the finished product. The basic objective is to uniformly and simultaneously wet each particle as best as practical. Where to purchase mixing blade
What type of plaster is used for wedging tables?
The proper plaster selection is essential. For wedging tables, we recommend using USG No. 1 Pottery Plaster (comes in 50lb Bags). #1 Pottery Plaster is highly uniform, noted for outstanding performance and long life. The standard of the industry - this is the best material available for sanitaryware and dinnerware casting. Used for making plaster bats, wedging boards, and working molds. This is a relatively soft plaster which may be used for carving.
How often do wedging tables need to be replaced?
We use our wedging tables constantly 5-7 days a week and have to replace them approximately every four years. Being that we cannot afford down time waiting for the plaster to dry properly for a week or two, we build only the wedging board of the table with plaster a head of time. When replacements is needed, we "hot swap" the old with new within minutes (four screws attaching the wedging board to the table) and ready to be used instantly.
How to get bubbles out of wedging board?
Pouring the mix. Pouring should be done in a comfortably quick, smooth, steady manner directed towards the center of the base of the wedging board frame. Shake the table with and pour into a corner of the wooden frame cavity that will not be threatened as much by bubbles that don't make it up in the shaking process. After the pour is made shaking the table a little more sharply and/or vigorously will help bubbles up. After the pour, another spritz of Isopropyl will help eliminate surface bubbles again.
How to calculate how much water to use for wedging table?
To determine the amount of water you need, estimate the wedging table volume in cubic inches then divide by 276 to give gallons of water.
How deep should a wedging table be?
Wedging table wood frame: For our wedging or clay drying tables, we built a wooden frame (3/4" hard wood) ** 2" - 2 1/2" deep with a bottom made out of 1/2" plywood. We use hard wood to avoid warping and insure that the screws that hold the frame together are not pulled out with the plaster tension stainless steel screws are preferred and will last longer (wood will be wet the majority of it's lifetime). The plaster we used is " No.1 Potter's Plaster " that comes in 50 Lb. bags. A 50 Lb. bag fills up 1,150 cubic inches. For example; a frame 2' x 2' at 2" deep will add up to 1,152 cubic inches. If the depth is increased to 2 1/2", you'll need 1,440 cubic inches and therefore one 50 LB. bag will not be sufficient. See more details below. A frame section should not be larger than 30" x 30" surface area. Larger section is more prone to cracking as illustrated in one of the pictures on right. Note that the bigger the wedging table, the more you have to be aware of how far you have to carry it when dry and ready for use - it gets really heavy!!
How long does it take for plaster to dry?
Drying time. Depends on air humidity, newly made wedging table should not be used for 2-3 weeks to let the plaster dry completely before use. Drying time may vary depending on environment's humidity.
Can you wrap a wedging table in canvas?
You can optionally wrap your wedging table in canvas just make sure to pull it tight. Hammer it down using fabric tacks, then cut.
Is Kreg necessary to make joints?
Kreg --not necessary but easier to make joints -kinda
What is the best wedging material for clay?
Plaster is quite a common choice of clay wedging surface. It’s versatile in that it can be poured into various constructions. I’ve even heard of potters filling old cupboard drawers with plaster and using these as a wedging surface.
What do you use to wedge a potter's wheel?
12) A Wooden Bat. Some potters like to wedge directly onto their wheel head. Wedging does require that the surface is a little absorbent and ‘grippy’. So, if you want to wedge on your wheel head, you need to use a wooden bat as a wedging surface.
How to make a table heavier?
You can make tables heavier, by adding a shelf underneath the wedging surface. Store something heavy, like your clay supplies on the shelf. If there is a drawer underneath the wedging surface, fill it with concrete or concrete bricks. It’s possible to pour wet concrete into a drawer and let it set.
What is a purpose built wedging table?
A purpose-built wedging table is an additional expense that you might want to avoid. If this is the case, then don’t stress. There are lots of inexpensive simple ways of finding the perfect clay wedging surface for your studio. A wedging surface needs to have a bit of grip to it.
What are the advantages of cement board?
Having said that, provided the edges are protected, an advantage of cement board is that the surface does not crumble. This gives it the edge over plaster as a clay wedging surface. An additional advantage is that cement board doesn’t generate much clay dust.
Why use plasterboard for clay?
The advantages of using plasterboard are that it can be cut to size easily. And the surface is sealed so that it won’t contaminate your clay.
What is the best surface for clay wedging?
If wood is your clay wedging surface of choice, an old heavy wooden table is also a good option. The table would need to be unvarnished, or old enough for the varnish to have worn off.
How high should a wedging table be?
As a rule of thumb, a wedging table's height should be set at approximately the same height as the points of your hip bones. Proper height will decrease the discomfort of bending over a too-low table, or the inefficient use of your muscles if set too high. In the diagram, the featured wedging table is 32 inches high by 28 inches deep by 28 inches ...
How to make a leg for a wall?
Set the leg piece on it, matching screws to pilot holes. Screw the leg to the wall. Repeat with the second leg. Repeat the entire process with the other shorter wall piece and the remaining two legs. Mark three screw holes on each end of the longer wall pieces, so that they will go into the side of the legs.
How to get air bubbles out of plaster?
Once the plaster has settled for at least one day, pour off the water and discard the remains in the trash. Pour the plaster into the wedging table slowly and carefully . Tap the table to release any air bubbles.
What to consider when building a wedging table?
Before building your wedging table, consider the following specifics as you plan: Establish depth and width: If you'll use your wedging table to dry out clay that is being recycled, or if you're planning on wedging large amounts of clay at one time, you will want a larger surface area than if you will only be wedging up a few pounds at a time.
How long does it take for wood glue to cure?
You need to allow time for the wood glue to cure. Generally, most wood glues are completely cured within 24 hours, but some can need 48 hours before you should continue with the next step. Check the label of your glue for information on that particular glue's guidelines.
How big is a 32x32 plywood?
One 32 x 32 x 5/8 inch plywood (which will translate to a 28 x 28-inch interior) that has no cracks or warping
How to remove pour marks from wood?
To remove the pour marks, smooth out the surface using a length of wood or another straight edge.
