How to Form a Rim in Pottery

When first starting out on a pottery wheel, compressing a rim is an important step for ensuring the structural integrity of your piece. Forming the rim properly on a cup or mug, for example, will also ensure drink-ability and a pleasant user experience.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Pottery wheel
• Clay
• Water
• Sponge
• Scrap of Newspaper
• Optional: Needle tool

How to Form a Rim in Pottery

1. Creating the rim: When building pottery at the wheel, when you are at the point of creating a rim, you will have already centered your clay and opened the piece to create a bottom and sides.

2. Take the moistened forefinger and thumb of your left hand and gently place them on either side of the rim of your piece as it spins. (Be careful not to tug or pull the clay, or you will change the shape of the pot)

3. Cross the dampened index finger of the right hand to press gently on the top of the rim. This compresses the rim of the piece.

4. Proceed to pull and shape the piece as you wish, but be sure to compress the rim following each pull to maintain structural integrity of the piece. (repeating steps 2 and 3)

5. Using a needle tool: If the rim is damaged, rough, or too tall --use a needle tool--gripped firmly against the right palm and fingers. With the same "clip" you use in compressing the rim (step 2), poke the needle through the top of the piece and allow the wheel to create a solid cut all the way around the rim. Re-compress the rim (repeating steps 2 and 3) before moving on.

6. Use a damp slip of newspaper along the edge of the rim for a smoother surface, such as a drink-able lip on a coffee mug.

Tips & Warnings

• For this example, the steps are outlined for a right-handed individual, with their wheel spinning counter-clockwise.
• For hand-building a rim (without a wheel), you may wish to add an additional coil of clay to the piece to create a smooth, consistent rim.

Resources

• Centering your Pottery
• Getting Started: Shaping