How to Buy Pottery Making Tools

Although this may seem surprising to some, anthropologists and archaeologists can track the development of human history by looking at pottery and have made pottery discoveries that date back thousands of years. Whatever your reason, you too have decided to follow in the footsteps of your ancestors and make pottery. Follow these steps to find or buy the pottery making tools you will need.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

1. Read pottery making and clay modeling books if you have never worked with pottery or clay before. If you have prior pottery making experience and have a basic understanding of the texture and movement of clay and the tools needed to mold it into various forms, you are already ahead in the learning process.

2. Visit or practice at a pottery studio to gain additional knowledge of the tools that you will need if you do not have a basic pottery making background. You may also wish to consider joining a pottery club or buying a temporary retail or professional pottery studio rental for additional hands on pre-purchase experience.

3. Make a list of tools that you feel that you absolutely must have to work through all the stages of pottery making from initial clay shaping to painting, glazing and firing. Keep in mind that simple household items such as nails, pencils, toothpicks, toothbrushes, plastic cutlery, cardboard, sand paper, hand held rotary tools, sponges and scouring pads can often replace or work better than many expensive professional tools when shaping and painting your clay.

4. Think durability, as clay is wet and muddy and you will place your tools in the thick of it. Pottery making tool materials include wood, plastic, metal and sponges. All of these materials can break down over time, but some will break down faster than others.

5. Join a pottery making community. Networking with other pottery making enthusiasts can not only broaden your friendship base but also will open you up to a valuable pottery making resource including new friends willing to share their wonderful and not-so-wonderful tool use and purchase experiences.

6. Buy pottery making tools from a professional or legitimate local or online retailer. Keep in mind that many pottery making methods exist and that as you further define your craft and method you will discover which tools best fit your needs.

Tips & Warnings

• Always keep the following in mind when considering which tools to buy: sealed wooden tools last longer than unsealed, as wood cellulose breaks down when wet and you must thoroughly dry unsealed wooden tools to reduce cracking, discoloration and wood rot; thin plastic tools (for example, shapers) clean easily but often wear down or break just as easily; metal rusts and sponges fall apart.

Resources

• Purchase pottery tools from Dick Blick.
• Buy authentic Japanese pottery tools from Japan Pottery Tools.
• Visit Continental Clay's pottery tool retail page.