How can you fix clay when it cracks after baking?

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1207985

2026-02-28 23:25

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So far, i have found that making tiles with air dry clay takes a little care:

To avoid warping: they should be about 1/2 thick or so and should dry evenly and slowly to avoid cracks and warps. i read that if you move the tiles while still soft it can cause the warping too.

Also, if you roll the tiles on cloth, do not peel them off the cloth, but put the other side on a board and then peel the cloth off the clay instead.

Dry them on wire racks so air circulates all around, turn them over during the day to keep them drying evenly and avoiding the uneven drying that causes warps.

To avoid cracks: The cracks come from drying quicker at the edges than the middle. There are various websites i visited with different ideas but i found that making sure the edges weren't thinner than the middle of the tile helped. Also, wrap the edges in plastic to slow the drying on the edges. This almost completely stopped the cracking!

The way i did this was to put scotch tape over the edges all around the tile. I put on a strip all around the top edge, the bottom edge and then all around the side to seal it. No cracks! Yeah. When i ran out of tape. i cut some black plastic garbage bags in strips and wrapped the strips tightly around and around the edges. This helped too.

Remember that larger pieces are more prone to cracking it seems.

I am now working to prevent cracks in pots that i am trying for the first time. i have read that you must make sure the bottom and sides are the same thickness. Also, drying them slowly and evenly seems to be the trick. Some recommend keeping them under plastic for several days or in a partially open plastic bag until at least leather hard. I will let you know how this goes! So far, i have found that making tiles with air dry clay takes a little care:

To avoid warping: they should be about 1/2 thick or so and should dry evenly and slowly to avoid cracks and warps. i read that if you move the tiles while still soft it can cause the warping too.

Also, if you roll the tiles on cloth, do not peel them off the cloth, but put the other side on a board and then peel the cloth off the clay instead.

Dry them on wire racks so air circulates all around, turn them over during the day to keep them drying evenly and avoiding the uneven drying that causes warps.

To avoid cracks: The cracks come from drying quicker at the edges than the middle. There are various websites i visited with different ideas but i found that making sure the edges weren't thinner than the middle of the tile helped. Also, wrap the edges in plastic to slow the drying on the edges. This almost completely stopped the cracking!

The way i did this was to put scotch tape over the edges all around the tile. I put on a strip all around the top edge, the bottom edge and then all around the side to seal it. No cracks! Yeah. When i ran out of tape. i cut some black plastic garbage bags in strips and wrapped the strips tightly around and around the edges. This helped too.

Remember that larger pieces are more prone to cracking it seems.

I am now working to prevent cracks in pots that i am trying for the first time. i have read that you must make sure the bottom and sides are the same thickness. Also, drying them slowly and evenly seems to be the trick. Some recommend keeping them under plastic for several days or in a partially open plastic bag until at least leather hard. I will let you know how this goes!

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