11 Problems Centering Clay and Easy Ways to Fix Them

Centering your clay is one of the most important parts of throwing pottery on the wheel. You want the walls of your pottery to have the same thickness, and you don’t want to struggle for what 

seems like forever to get your clay centered. Every new potter and even some who have been around for many years will struggle or encounter some kind of problem when centering their clay. So, I decided to make a list and came up with 11 centering problems I either encountered or observed other potters have. Here are ways to avoid the 11 centering problems you will eventually encounter.

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1. Selecting the Wrong Clay 

If you are struggling with your clay and it feels like you are throwing sandpaper, you may be using clay made more for handbuilding than for throwing. Technically, you can use any kind of clay for throwing on the wheel, but some types can be stiffer and harder on your hands than others. As a rule, you want to have a smoother clay.

For beginners, it’s best to choose a clay with a bit of grog or sand in it because it takes longer to center and bring up the walls of the clay. If the clay is too smooth and you play with it too long, it will collapse.
I found Amaco Stoneware 46 Buff works the best for me. It is so forgiving on the wheel and one of my favorite clays. I can even hand-build with this clay.

You can also check out My Top Clay Picks; they are all good for throwing on the wheel.

2. The Clay Is Too Hard

There are several reasons your clay would be hard. If you get your clay balls ready and let them sit out too long, they will get hard. It’s important to cover your clay balls with a damp towel or put them inside a plastic bag.

You can slice your clay into sections, spray some water on it, and wedge it really well. That should moisten your clay.

If your clay is still a bit hard, you can wheel-wedge (Wet your clay, cone it up on the wheel, and press it down).  This can be done several times to introduce more water into your clay. 

3. Not Enough Water on Your Clay

If your clay feels dry against your hands as you’re centering, you don’t have enough water or slip (water and clay mixed) on your hands. Slowly take your hands off, dip them in water, or hold your sponge in your right hand and squeeze the desired amount of water onto your clay. Make sure you don’t squeeze too much water at once. This technique helped me a lot when I was learning how to center because I didn’t have to take my hands off the clay to dip in the water.

4. The Clay Is Too Wet

There are two ways your clay can get too wet. Either your clay starts out that way, or you are adding too much water because you’re taking too long to get it centered. If this is the case, you can try to wedge some of the excess moisture out, or you can lay your clay on a drying board and wedge out a new piece.

5. The Clay Was Not Wedged Properly 

Many potters do not like to wedge their clay, and there is a good reason for this. Most beginners have never wedged clay before, and it’s not the most fun or the easiest part of pottery making, but it’s essential.

Some self-taught potters and even some experienced shortcut takers will cut the clay out of the bag, pat it into a ball, and start throwing.

Many don’t see a problem with this, but can have a hard time centering and think it has nothing to do with skipping the wedging process. When I did the same thing, I found my clay was harder in spots and more difficult to center because the moisture was not consistent throughout the ball.

Trying to save time and cut corners didn’t work; I ended up spending more time trying to center clay that wasn’t smooth or homogeneous throughout. Wedging your clay well removes small hard spots, and you will feel a more uniform consistency throughout your clay while throwing.

I found that in some new bags of clay, the edges were hard, and the middle was soft, and in other cases, the middle was hard, and the edges were soft. The bottom line is that centering will be much easier with a well-wedged ball of clay.

If you are struggling with wedging or would just like to know the different ways you can wedge your clay, check out How To Wedge Clay With A Step By Step Video. This article gives you 5 ways to wedge your clay.

6. There Is an Air Pocket in Your Clay

Fighting to get my clay centered was not fun. I finally gave in and called the instructor over for help. The ball of clay still refused to center. The instructor knew there was an Air Pocket in the clay. She said if the air pocket is big enough, your clay will never center because air is lighter than clay and will continually throw your clay off-center.

If this happens, take the clay off your wheel, wedge another piece, and start over.

Here are two ways to avoid air pockets

• First is to make sure you are wedged correctly. If you don’t, you can actually put air pockets in your clay instead of taking them out.
• The second is to make sure the clay you put on the wheel is rounded and not flat on the bottom. If it’s flat, your chance of getting air stuck between the wheel and clay goes way up.

7. Your Elbows Are Up in the Air

When I started centering, I would hear the teacher say, ” Watch your arms. I looked, and there were my arms up in the air. Well, how did they get there?

It’s funny when you are concentrating on getting this ball of clay perfectly centered; you tend to forget what your other body parts are doing. Keeping your arms anchored to your leg or the side of your body helps a lot — that way, the clay has nowhere to go except where you want it.

Also, make sure you are using the heel of your hand, and your wrist is bent.

8. Pushing Too Hard on Your Clay

When I first started centering, I was pushing so hard that the clay kept going off-center. I didn’t realize at the time that I was actually working against myself. I was pressing down too much with one hand and pushing too far toward the middle with the other. The clay had nowhere to go, so instead of becoming centered, it kept fighting back.

It reminded me of when I first started driving and held the steering wheel with a death grip. I thought tighter meant more control, but it actually made everything harder. Centering clay can feel the same way. When your hands, arms, and shoulders get too tense, that tension goes right into the clay. Instead of guiding it, you end up forcing it.

What helped me most was learning to use my whole body instead of just my hands. It’s better to transfer the pressure through your body and let your hands do the steering. That makes centering feel much more natural and takes a lot of strain off your hands, arms, and back. You do not have to muscle the clay into place. You just need steady, controlled pressure.

I also found that it helps a lot to stay firm but relaxed. That balance makes a big difference. If you are too loose, you won’t have enough control. If you are too stiff, the clay will feel every bit of that tension. Applying steady pressure at about the 7 to 8 o’clock position helped me feel the clay’s motion better. Once I started paying attention to that movement instead of fighting it, centering became much easier.

The biggest lesson for me was more about balance, body position, and learning to feel what the clay is doing. Once I applied steady pressure, everything started to come together.

9. Avoid the Mushroom or Volcano Effect

When you are centering clay, it helps to watch the shape of the clay as much as you feel it. Two common shapes to look out for are the mushroom and the volcano. Both can cause problems because they create places where air and slip can get trapped, which can make your clay harder to control.

Mushroom – While centering your clay, make sure you are not creating a mushroom shape. This happens when the top starts to spread out wider than the base. When that happens, a pocket can form underneath where slip and air can get trapped. That trapped space can throw your clay off and make centering more difficult.

If your clay starts to look like a mushroom, cone your clay up first. Then push down on the side with a firm karate-chop motion while keeping your anchor hand steady and strong. Your anchor hand helps support the clay, so it does not flare out and form that mushroom shape again. The goal is to keep the clay straight and supported, with the sides moving upward in a smooth line.

Volcano – A volcano shape is the opposite problem. This happens when the top of the clay starts rising into a peak or opening in the center. When this happens, air and slip can get trapped at the top. If you leave it there, it can make the clay uneven and harder to center smoothly.

To fix a volcano, use one hand to brace the side of the clay and keep it stable. With your other hand, use a karate-chop motion on the top of the clay until the volcano shape goes away. Make sure your karate chop is on an angle rather than straight down. That angled pressure helps guide the clay back into a smooth, rounded shape instead of forcing it down too hard.

As you center, keep checking that your clay looks balanced and solid, not flared out like a mushroom or peaked like a volcano. Catching these shapes early makes centering easier and helps you keep better control of your clay.

10. Your Wheel is Moving Too Slow

If your wheel is moving too slow while you are centering, it can feel like the clay is taking over. Instead of you guiding the clay, the clay starts pulling your hands around. This makes centering feel harder than it needs to be and can leave you feeling like you are fighting with the clay the whole time.

A faster wheel gives you more control. When the wheel is spinning at a medium-high speed or even all the way on high, the clay moves more evenly beneath your hands. This helps you apply steady pressure and makes it easier to keep your hands anchored in place. Instead of getting pushed around by the wobble in the clay, you are better able to guide it into the center.

I found that the highest speed works best for me when centering. The faster speed helps the clay respond better and makes the whole process feel smoother. It also helps you use consistent pressure without having to force the clay so much with your hands and arms.

If your clay keeps wobbling and you feel like you cannot get control of it, check your wheel speed before anything else. Sometimes the problem is not your hands. It is simply that the wheel is turning too slowly.

Once your clay is centered, that is the time to slow your wheel down. After the clay is stable and running true, you can reduce the speed and begin opening and pulling your pottery. Slowing the wheel down at that point gives you more control while shaping your piece.

A good way to think about it is this. Use more speed to center and less speed to shape. That simple change can make a big difference in how steady and in control you feel at the wheel.

11. The Clay Goes Off Center When You Let Go

You can feel it in your hands, yes, you have the clay centered. When you remove your hands, she goes off-center. What?! What in the world happened? The clay was centered 2 seconds ago. This will happen to most new potters. We get all excited and let go of the clay too fast, not knowing that this action can throw our clay off-center.

The good news is that there is an easy way to prevent this problem. Slow is the way to go. As a general rule whenever you are removing your hand(s) from the clay, you have to do it slowly.

Here Are a Few More Tips to Help You Center

Since centering is one of the most important parts of throwing on the wheel, I would like to share with you a few things that have helped me center faster. Hope they help you just as much.

Make Sure Your Body Is in the Right Position

It helps to have your body in the right position when centering. Place your legs as close to your splash pan as possible. Keep your arms anchored and your back straight. Lean your body into the clay; this allows your whole body to join in on the centering process instead of just your hands and arms. Having the right potter’s stool also helps. My Recommended Potter’s Stools can help you find the right one.

The right position and stool made a big difference for me; I hope it does the same for you.

Use Your Modeling Tool to Double Check

This trick had helped me a lot when I started throwing, and I still do it from time to time.

• Use the pointy end of your modeling tool to gently place it against your clay.
• Hold your modeling tool steady with both hands to keep it in one spot, then slowly turn your wheel.
• If you have a line on only one side, you know you are off-center.

• You can cone your clay back up a little, anchor your hand, and press back down.
• When there is a thin line all the way around your clay, you are centered and can proceed to open your clay.

Seal your clay to your wheel or bat

This trick will prevent air or extra water from getting under your clay while centering. After you throw your clay on the wheel or bat, push it as close to the center as you can, then seal the bottom by using the ball of clay and pressing down around it.

Knowing When You Are Perfectly Centered

When your clay is centered, it appears to be standing still as it spins on the wheel. Another way to tell is to close your eyes and feel the clay. When your hands are no longer moving, your clay is centered. It’s a wonderful feeling once you center.  You feel one with the wheel.

Related Questions

Why should you wedge clay? Wedging clay is the most important part of making pottery. It sets the tone for the whole process. Wedging eliminates tiny hard lumps and bubbles and gives the clay an even, uniform consistency throughout. If you try to skip it, you pay the price. You may feel tiny bubbles or hard bits of clay as you throw. Your pottery will not come out as nicely as you had planned. When your clay is homogenous it is much more manageable to play with and much easier to make pottery.

How do you store pottery clay? There are several ways to store clay. Here are a few:

• You can store your clay by keeping it bone dry.
• Another way is to keep your clay in a thick plastic bag and keep it sealed tightly. When you are ready to use your clay, cut a piece off and wedge it well.
• If your clay is hard, poke a few holes in it and pour water into the holes. Wait a while and wedge it well.

Conclusion

Today you’ve learned about Mushrooms, wedging, and the proper amount of water; it almost sounds like we are making a pastry.
The point is, there is a lot to think about when it comes to centering clay. From the choosing of the clay to making sure you’re in the correct position.

Fighting with your clay is not a fun way to center. With the tips I just provided, hopefully, you have learned to avoid some common problems with centering.
If you just can’t seem to center, you may have developed a motion that quickly became a habit.

You will have to practice many times before centering becomes second nature. I recommend taking a pottery class to help you master the art of centering. Here is an article I wrote, “Why Every New Potter Should Take a Pottery Making Class,” where I explain how important it is to have a teacher at your side to help you eliminate bad habits and speed up your learning process.

Watch The Step by Step YouTube Video below