Instructions for Using a Pottery Wheel

Create beautiful clay vessels with the help of a pottery wheel.

A pottery wheel is a magical tool that transforms lumps of clay into beautiful and smooth-sided clay bowls, vases, plates and cups. Mastering the pottery wheel takes practice, but the results are well worth the effort. Archeologists have discovered centuries-old pottery vessels around the world that tell tales of past civilizations. Your pottery will also deliver a message to future generations, the story of an artist who combines artistic expression with the creation of a functional object.

Things You'll Need

• Pottery wheel
• Powdered clay
• Bowl
• Water
• 24-gauge wire
• Wire cutters

Instructions

1. Mix the clay powder and water together with your hands until the clay is soft and pliable. Cover the clay with plastic and let it rest for at least three days and up to a month. The longer the clay rests, the more pliable it will be.

2. Remove the plastic and knead the clay thoroughly for at least 20 minutes to remove all air bubbles and make the clay very smooth. Let the clay rest for 1/2 hour.

3. Cut a 3-foot section of wire with the wire cutter.

4. Place a lump of clay on the potter's wheel. Dip your hands in the bowl of water.

5. Kick the flywheel with your foot to make it spin.

6. Push your wet fingers into the center of the spinning clay. Create low, thick sides to the vessel.

7. With one hand on the outside of the vessel and the other hand on the inside of the vessel, gently pull the clay walls up to the desired height. Keep the wheel spinning.

8. When the vessel is completed, stop the flywheel from spinning. Wrap each end of the wire around the fingers of each hand. Slide the wire under the vessel to remove it from the pottery wheel.

References

• The Pottery Place; Gail Gibbons; Harcourt; 1987