How to Make Coil Pottery

this article will tell you how to make pottery using coils of clay.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• clay
• flat surface
• water
• kiln
• paint
• glaze

1. Get good quality clay. Take a fist-sized piece of clay and roll it into a ball. Then flatten it and pound it out until it is round and flat. That will be your base.

2. Then, take a little ball of the clay. Roll it back and forth between your fingers or on a hard surface until it is uniform in width. It shouldn't be to skinny or too thick.

3. Put the end of the "rope" of clay on the edge of your base. Make sure it is not running along the outside of your base and is on top of it. Wrap the clay around the base. If it is long enough, you can keep going around on top of the coil that you just put down. Repeat this step until your pot is as tall as you want. As you're putting on the coils, you can make the width of the vase change by adding longer or shorter coils.

4. Then you are ready to fire it. Just put it in the kiln. If you are firing other projects with it, make sure they aren't touching or too crowded.

5. Once it cools down, you can glaze it or paint it. If you want to use it, glaze; if you want it as decoration, paint. The glaze seals the clay and prevents bacteria from getting in the clay, so cover every spot. You will have to fire it again if you glaze it.

Tips & Warnings

• They clay will get dry as you handle it. Wet your hands and run them along the clay as needed. A spray bottle filled with water will work, also.
• Remember that the clay will shrink after you fire it.
• Make sure that the pot stays firm and upright and does not droop.