Identify the leather-hard stage

Timing is everything in trimming. Too wet and the clay deforms. Too dry and it chips and cracks. The sweet spot is leather hard, and learning to recognize it is a real skill.

The observation exercise

Throw a cylinder and check it every few hours as it dries. At each check, note:

• Color: does it look lighter than when it was wet?
• Touch: does it hold its shape under light pressure?
• Scratch test: does a fingernail leave a clean, defined mark (not mushy)?

The stages you'll see

1. Soft (still deforms easily)
2. Soft leather hard (holds shape but you can still bend it)
3. Leather hard (firm, cool to touch, clean scratch marks) ← this is trimming time
4. Stiff (starting to lighten in color, harder to carve)
5. Bone dry (room temperature, uniform light color)

Take a photo at each stage. You'll reference these forever.