There are many ways of making pots, so potters have highly
individualized needs for tools. This is one reason that I make or
modify many of my tools. This site is to show the different tools
I use in making pots, and how they are used.
Although pottery can be formed without the use of any
tools, many tools have evolved as extensions of hands, or to do things
that hands can't do.
You can see my specifications for a useful two level
wedging table here. (This is really the only tool necessary for clay
preparation. I recycle hundreds of pounds of clay each year just
by wedging the clay briefly by hand. Visit my tips
page for how to do that.
When the clay is wedged, a scale is valuable for determining
the amount of clay a vessel will be made from. I use a spring scale,
commonly used for estimating shipping weights for packages. They
occasionally are inaccurate, but will suffice... I frequently measure
twice the amount of clay needed, then wedge that amount into a kidney
shaped mass and cut it in two on the cutoff wire attached to the wedging
table.
(this is the typical state of my wheel, with many of
the tools I use on it.)
The potter's wheel probably deserves a whole article
to itself. But in a nutshell, there are kick wheels and electric
wheels. Kickwheels are cheaper, slower, and can be made by someone
with some knowledge of carpentry. Electric wheels are as essential
to a production potter as electric saws are to a carpenter. Both
electric and kick wheels do the same thing, but electric wheels eliminate
a lot of extra time and motion. I learned on kickwheels, have built
a kickwheel, and much prefer electrics for the reasons cited. But if you
are a beginner or hobbyist, either is fine. (And if you're a pro
who uses a kickwheel, you're entitled to your opinion also.)
The first tool I apply when making a pot is the sponge
on a stick. For many potters the sponge floats in the slop bucket (where
it frequently vanishes), and some even hold it in their hand while making
pulls on the clay. I prefer having it on a stick (for the same reason
paint brushes have handles), so as to apply water quickly and accurately
over an area I want lubricated, or to remove excess water from the bottom
of forms. I make my sponge and stick by sticking a stick into a sliced
cube of synthetic sponge, and wrapping it tightly with fishline at the
upper end, tying with several square knots to finish. Also shown
is the cheap commercial kind sold at paint departments--it's good for cleaning
crevices to remove glaze.
The next tool likely to be used is the rib. Ribs
can be used on the inner or outer surface of pots to smooth, stretch, or
compress clay surfaces. I have used wood, plastic, and metal ribs,
and prefer plastic ones made from credit cards. Metal ones can be
dangerous when they get into recycled clay. Here are some rib shapes
I use:
Mostly I use one rib at a time, finding the surface which
closest approximates the form I am working with. Sometimes two can
be used at once, as illustrated.