Beginner Questions about Making Pottery

It is easier than ever to teach yourself to make pottery. Pottery tools and equipment are cheaper and more available, there are plenty of books, magazines, videos, and online resources and communities, and you may even be able to find studio space locally. The biggest challenge to teach yourself pottery is getting access to a kiln. The first step is the easiest: get some clay and make something!

It is possible to make pottery at home but there are some challenges. If you want to use a pottery wheel, you can often find used wheels for sale or buy cheap, beginner wheels online. The biggest issue is accessing a kiln to fire pots so they can be more durable and used for food. There are also safety concerns such as clay dust, chemicals, and ergonomics. If you have space that you don’t mind getting dirty or dusty, you can start to make pottery at home.

Making pottery can be simple to start and it is a good idea to try it first before you make large investments. You can get some pottery clay and form the clay into pots using only your hands to give you an idea if it is something you enjoy. You can also get access to tools and equipment by taking a local pottery class. Books and videos will teach you more about the process. Many tools can be purchased at a small price, some can even be made.

To make traditional pottery that can be used for food and drink, at minimum you will need proper clay, compatible glaze, and a way to fire the pots. You may also want to use some tools and equipment like a pottery wheel to make the process more efficient and enjoyable. You will also need some kind of space to work.

There are many ways to make pottery with the most popular being throwing pottery on the wheel, making slab or coil pots, or pinching clay into the shape of pots. Each way has its own special techniques.

There are many tools that can be used to make pottery including tools to cut, flatten, stamp, texture, smooth, trim, glaze and fire pottery. A basic pottery tool kit often includes a sponge, a rib, a needle tool, a wooden trim tool, a loop or ribbon tool, and a wire tool.

You do not need a pottery wheel to make pottery. Pottery forms can be made in a number of ways including pinching the clay with your hands, rolling out flat slabs to cut, bend, and combine into pots, and rolling coils to build the parts of pots.

There are a few variables that you need to consider while choosing how much clay to use for a pot. The bigger the pot, the more clay you will need. The desired thickness of the walls and base of the pot will also need to be considered. You should be able to use about a pound of clay (half a kilogram) to make a cup or mug so a ball of clay between the size of a lemon and a lime could be a good place to start. The good thing about pinching, or using slabs or coils is that more clay can be added easily as you create the pot.

You do not need a kiln to make pottery but it is difficult to make functional pottery that is water tight and food safe unless it is fired to high temperatures in a kiln. Pots can be fired in metal barrels or holes in the ground but these pots should be used for decoration only. Pottery can be left unfired but is very fragile and will turn back into clay if it gets wet. You can also make pots from air dry clay or oven dry clay but these kinds of clay are not generally considered safe to use with food.

After you make some pottery you need to let the clay dry. When the clay is completely dry most potters bisque fire the pots, apply glaze and other decoration, and then fire them again to finish them.