how to set up for coil building at home

[sooli]

hello all hope everyone is safe and doing well in these difficult times! 

i have just joined this community and was hoping you all would be able to help me out. i normally throw on a wheel (where i go take classes) and have been doing so for about a year. i signed up for a membership at a pottery studio because i would love to pursue a career in ceramics.  and then this quarantine happened. 

Sooo, i was maybe hoping to order some clay online and coil build some dinnerware or hand build  random figurines.

-Do i need a wedging table in order to do this?

- how would i go about recycling my clay, should i just dump everything and let it dry out? i am unsure of how to upkeep and maintain things due to the fact i took classes and the teacher would handle all of the hands on stuff. 

any tips and advice on how i should go about all this would be immensely helpful! thanks in advance :))

[oldlady]

welcome to the forums.  you do not need a wedging table.     a little more info would be helpful.   sorry your teacher did not give you enough information to allow you to continue toward your goal on your own.    

i would suggest books from the library normally but they are closed so the internet is probably the only thing you have easily available.  there are lots of youtube videos available with the usual mix of good and bad.  try looking for the names of recognizable potters.  you can find many of them by using this website.   go to the heading, find ceramic arts network and look at the daily blog.  that will give you a good start in learning how to make things.

for the rest, save your unused clay leftovers dry in a container  until you want to recycle a reasonable amount.    then look for the answer here in the forum.

[LeeU]

5 hours ago, sooli said:

the teacher would handle all of the hands on stuff.

That is too bad. It is the learning and applying of the hands-on stuff that enables one to create in ceramics with half a chance of knowing what is happening, and why, and what you are doing, and why.  Making dinnerware by whatever method is generally not something to be attempted early on without some applied knowledge to assure the integrity of the pieces in all applicable aspects for food/beverage use, including, but not limited to, safety. Maybe start out coil building dinnerware-type forms--as forms--not for food use, and research proper glazes to use.  Do you have a kiln-so you can test-test-test?  You don't need a wedging table per se but you need a surface that is satisfactory for wedging. Search the forum for info on reclaiming clay or just Google it. I suggest staging out the whole production/storage process/needs and pre-plan your working space so you don't hit snags later. 

[Callie Beller Diesel]

Clayflix here is a good inexpensive resource, and there are many excellent videos available here done by very skilled ceramic artists. Some good ones to look at for handbuilding are Sunshine Cobb and Didem Mert. Sunshine Cobb has also been doing a series of hand building videos over on Instagram, and those are free. 

[sooli]

2 hours ago, LeeU said:

That is too bad. It is the learning and applying of the hands-on stuff that enables one to create in ceramics with half a chance of knowing what is happening, and why, and what you are doing, and why.  Making dinnerware by whatever method is generally not something to be attempted early on without some applied knowledge to assure the integrity of the pieces in all applicable aspects for food/beverage use, including, but not limited to, safety. Maybe start out coil building dinnerware-type forms--as forms--not for food use, and research proper glazes to use.  Do you have a kiln-so you can test-test-test?  You don't need a wedging table per se but you need a surface that is satisfactory for wedging. Search the forum for info on reclaiming clay or just Google it. I suggest staging out the whole production/storage process/needs and pre-plan your working space so you don't hit snags later. 

Ohh I didn’t know it would’ve been that much different To hand build. Cuz I have thrown for over a year I’ve pulled handles and made mugs and teapots before as well. This is just a temporary thing I was planning on doing until the quarantine is over then hopefully I can start throwing on the wheel again soon! I really appreciate your advice :)

[sooli]

3 minutes ago, Callie Beller Diesel said:

Clayflix here is a good inexpensive resource, and there are many excellent videos available here done by very skilled ceramic artists. Some good ones to look at for handbuilding are Sunshine Cobb and Didem Mert. Sunshine Cobb has also been doing a series of hand building videos over on Instagram, and those are free. 

Thank you so much! I will be checking them all out over this week 

[sooli]

7 hours ago, oldlady said:

welcome to the forums.  you do not need a wedging table.     a little more info would be helpful.   sorry your teacher did not give you enough information to allow you to continue toward your goal on your own.    

i would suggest books from the library normally but they are closed so the internet is probably the only thing you have easily available.  there are lots of youtube videos available with the usual mix of good and bad.  try looking for the names of recognizable potters.  you can find many of them by using this website.   go to the heading, find ceramic arts network and look at the daily blog.  that will give you a good start in learning how to make things.

for the rest, save your unused clay leftovers dry in a container  until you want to recycle a reasonable amount.    then look for the answer here in the forum.

Thank you for your advice ! I have been looking on YouTube but I guess because the videos are so outdated I have never actually clicked on any of them... 

[oldlady]

clay has been used for centuries.   working with it has not really changed much.   tools might change a little but the method of handling clay is as old as time.