- Leather Hard - Clay which has dried sufficiently to be stiff, but is still damp enough to be joined to other pieces.
- Bone Dry - Clay that is completely dried but not yet fired. Clay forms are most fragile at this stage.
If the clay is bone dry and you try to trim it, you will have to apply more pressure to cut in. Pushing against so much might cause it to fly off wheel, and you could lose your piece. This would also dull the tools. It would be impossible to score and slip anything to clay that is bone dry because you can't scratch the surface.
If the piece is too soft when you try to trim it, the tools will cut into it, and the centrifugal motion might deform the entire piece.
I still have to finish the coil pot, and add a little bit more to the top of it.
