Do you attend our ceramics studio or make pottery at home? We handpicked some of our favorite resources and tools to help you on your journey.
Helpful Online Handouts: Handouts by Vince Pitelka. A studio potter, writer and teacher, Pitelka shares this link with his students and potters online and we want to pass it on to you! Here you will find a plethora of pottery handouts that can be quite helpful:
Most tools you may find in ceramics supply stores or online. However, many household items can be used for pottery as well. Here is an example of a Pitelka handout describing ways to buy, make, find, and improvise pottery tools:
Standard Tool Kit: FCS Clayworks and many ceramics stores sell a standard tool kit for new potters that is helpful to get started. Most basic tool kits will come with a sponge, needle tool, wire tool, ceramic loop tools, wood modeling tools, and a metal, wooden or plastic rib. This is a great way to get started and be prepared for throwing on the wheel. Here is an example of a Standard Tool Kit:
Scale: If you would like to replicate your work you can do so by weighing your clay after wedging. Consistent weight in balls of clay means you have one less thing to worry about when getting ready to throw consistent pieces.
If you’re making your own glazes, weighing your ingredients will help with consistency and gaining similar colors from each glaze batch.
We suggest utilizing a scale that will weigh to the tenth of a gram or use a triple beam balance. We highly recommend the digital OHAUS scale band. We recently got the OHAUS SJX1502N/E Scout Portable Balance, 1500 g x Certified 0.1 g, NTEP, Class II.
Signing Your Work: Many potters will sign or stamp their work. Though using a wooden tool to hand carve your insignia works well! If you’d rather keep each insignia consistent, you can find many different stamp options online or design your own. We recommend metalclays.com. You can send in your design and they’ll send you a custom stamp! Or you could check with your local library, they may have a 3D printer you can use to make your own.
Underglaze/Glaze Tools and Tips:
1.Use a red rib to burnish pots at the trimming stage for a smooth canvas to paint.
2.Turntables are helpful for maneuvering your work to work on all sides.
3. Mop brushes are perfect for no streak under/glaze application. Avoid stiff brushes when working with under/glaze.
4. If you work with underglaze, consider getting an air-tight pallet to keep those colors fresh for repeated use.
5. If you’d like a thin underglaze application try a syringe
bottle, using this usually means less coats and a thin line because of the precise application.
6. You can use a pencil to mark the bottom of the pot for wax and glaze application. Set the pencil on the table and run it around the bottom of the pot. This makes wax application a snap!
7. Speaking of wax, adding this step to your glaze routine cuts down on time and waste. Apply to the bottom of pots to keep glaze from absorbing into the clay in that area
8. Use a wide foam brush for wax application on the bottom of pots for the fastest application.
We want to reiterate these tools are helpful additions to any potter, but you do not need all of these tools to be successful. Every potter’s journey is different and what works for one may not work for another. Being part of the pottery community is wonderful because you can try new methods and tools, then pick and choose what works best for you! Keep an open mind and an open eye for new pottery tools; whether bought, made, found, or improvised. Anything can be a diverse tool with the right mindset.
