I had read that air dry clay behaves a little like porcelain on the potter’s wheel. I can see why this comparison would be drawn. Porcelain likes a lot of water and can collapse if it gets too wet as well. In, short, I would say, yes, you can use air dry clay on a potter’s wheel. Air dry clay has a bit of a bad reputation amongst some experienced ceramic potters. But my experience has been that although it responds a little differently, it has some benefits. The Benefits of Air Dry Clay… The reason it’s called paper clay is that the most common kind of fiber used is paper fiber. Clay made with added paper fiber is often white and has a pulpy, papery look. It is very lightweight and when it dries it is not very strong. It is often used for scrapbooking.

The first difference that I noticed was that when I sliced it, I spotted small fibers on the wire cutter. However, I wedged it and patted it into a ball like normal. Perhaps I didn’t really need to wedge it as I wasn’t going to fire it. But I thought it would be good to get the feel of it and to even out the consistency. What is it like to Use Air Dry Clay on the Potter’s Wheel However, some manufacturers of clay body paper clays do state that they can be used like ceramic clay. Including wheel throwing.The description also stated that it could be air dried and painted with acrylic paint. I thought it was worth a go It doesn’t feel exactly like throwing ceramic clay. You can learn how to throw using air dry clay on a potter’s wheel. However, if you do switch to ceramic clay, you may have to unlearn some habits and change your technique. She points out that one advantage of air dry clay is that you can support very fine work with armatures. Because the sculpture is not being fired, you don’t have to worry about metal supports in your work. The Downside of Air Dry Clay…. In spite of its name, it does not contain porcelain. However, when it is hard, it can have a white, delicate appearance. Which is, I imagine how it got its name. Like other air dry clay, it does not need to be fired to harden. Hence being called ‘cold porcelain’. Paper Clay So, my first experience of using air dry clay on the potter’s wheel is mixed. It seems to respond well at first, but I’m not sure how forgiving or resilient it is.

Air dry clay is different from polymer clay, which needs to be hardened in the oven. Polymer clay is often made from bright primary colors and feels like plastic when it’s hardened in the oven. Cold Porcelain Clay Paper clay can be made from any kind of natural clay body. It differs from ceramic clay in that fiber has been added to it. The fiber gives it additional strength when it is dry so that it does not have to be fired. ScolaColour Clay is a non-drying, re-usable modelling material. It is still available in the traditional layered bar form familiar to many generations of children and adults. Sufficiently pliable to make a wide variety of models, but is firm enough to retain its shape indefinitely. it is commonly animators and professional model makers.Similarly, it is used extensively in education and in industry, for a wide variety of applications.

The second time I used it, I decided to proceed with more caution. And the results were better. I didn’t push the clay beyond its limits and it didn’t collapse. In fact, I found it quite easy to use. The consistency is quite even. There is also another kind of air dry clay called ‘cold porcelain’. Its ingredients include, amongst other things, cornstarch and glue. I bought 12.5kg and it came in a bag much like any other ceramic clay. It looked and felt like pottery clay and was a charcoal grey color. Often with ceramic clay, you will get harder patches in a bag of clay. This is why it is important to wedge it. The wedging evens out the clay and makes it a lot easier to throw. However, it’s a little difficult to get hold of Scola in larger quantities. So on reflection, I think I would have been better off choosing something like Amaco Stonex White Clay.