Making Clay Pots on a Turning Wheel
Throwing clay pots on a turning wheel is a very enjoyable and stress-relieving activity. While it takes practice to learn how to make clay pots on a turning wheel and develop throwing techniques, anyone can learn the process and practice the methods until they perfect the art. You can make pottery of various sizes on a turning wheel and make many pots within 10 minutes.
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Instructions
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Take out a ball of clay from mixed clay or a section of clay. The size of the ball you choose depends on the size of the pottery piece you want to make. You can cut down a large ball to make a smaller piece of pottery but you cannot add more clay later.
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Pat the clump of clay into a lumpy ball. Hold the ball 2 feet over the center of the pottery wheel and throw the ball down toward the middle of the pottery wheel. Dampen your hands and press the pedal to get the wheel turning slowly. Cup both hands around the clay ball and squeeze to center the clay on the pottery wheel.
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Hold your thumbs together with your finger held high and fanned out. Hold your hands steady and push your thumbs down into the center of the clay ball to open up the pot. Move your thumbs slowly apart, stretching the opening out to the desired diameter. Press your thumbs down into the clay ball to make the bottom of the pot thinner; the bottom and all sides should be no more than ½ inch thick to prevent the pot from breaking when firing.
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Apply clay slip to the outer walls and inside of the clay to prevent friction as you work with the clay. If the clay is not wet, the clay will start to stick to your hands and you will destroy your previous work on the pot.
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Use one hand to pull up the walls of the pot into the desired height. Pinch the sides of the pot with your fingers and thumb and pull up slowly on the walls as the clay spins. The direction the walls taper or flare depends on how you hold your hands. To pull the walls in, hold your hand up high and pull the softly on the walls; to keep the walls straight, pull straight up on the wall and to flare the walls, hold your hand pointing away from the center of the ball and pull softly.
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Press the walls of the pot between your fingers and thumb to thin the walls as necessary. If the walls become too tall as you thin them, use the cutting wire to remove some of the clay from the top of the pot.
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Allow the finished pot to dry overnight and become green, or rubbery, before you attempt to remove the pot from the pottery wheel. You may have to allow a longer drying time, depending on how much slip you use. To remove the pot, slide the cutting wire under the pot to cut through the clay and lift the clay pot loose.
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Turn the pot upside down on the pottery wheel and position it in the center of the wheel. Use smaller clay balls to hold the pot into place. Turn the wheel slowly and use clay shaping tools to form the lip at the bottom of the pot while the clay is still green and rubbery. Allow the pot to dry completely before firing.
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Tips & Warnings
It is best to use pre-filtered clay from a block, so you do not have hard places or rocks in the clay that will mess up your design as you start spinning the pottery wheel.
You may also shape the clay with clay shaping tools as the pot is on the wheel or while the pot is still green before complete drying.
Use a sponge to apply more slip and to smooth the inside and outside of the pot before completion.
References
Resources
- Photo Credit clay pitcher image by Leonid Nyshko from Fotolia.com
