How to Bake Pottery Clay in the Oven

Only certain types of clay pottery are suitable for the home oven.

Pottery clay has certain ingredients, which help the clay stay moist when left out. As long as you cover the clay with a damp cloth, you shouldn't have to worry about it drying out. The clay hardens when exposed to high temperatures in a kiln, which is a specially designed oven that bakes all sides of the pot at the same time. With some types of pottery clays, it's possible to skip the fancy kilns and dry your pieces in your home oven.

Things You'll Need

• 1 cup flour
• ½ cup salt
• 2 teaspoons tartar
• 1 cup boiling water
• Cookie sheet
• Shellac

Instructions

1. Use a polymer clay, which has additives that let you bake it in the oven. Alternatively, make your own clay by combining one cup flour, half a cup table salt, two teaspoons tartar and one cup of boiling water. Add a few pinches of powdered juice drink to create a colored clay.

2. Let the pottery sit out overnight or longer, which helps dry out the piece and make it less green. If you put the piece directly into the oven, you risk breaking or damaging it. Keep the pottery out in the sunlight, which helps it dry faster.

3. Set the oven to 300 degrees and allow it to reach the temperature. Traditional clay pottery requires a high temperature that home ovens can't reach. Handmade clay sets and dries at a much lower temperature.

4. Place your clay pottery pieces into the oven on a cookie sheet. Set the cookie sheet on the middle shelf of the oven and leave it for at least 30 minutes. Keep checking the pottery at 15 minute intervals, watching for the pottery to turn darker and firm up. It may take an hour or longer.

5. Remove the pottery from the oven and set it aside until it cools down. Coat the piece with shellac, to preserve the finished piece. The shellac provides a protective coating.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are using uncolored clay, try beating an egg and brushing that on the outside of the piece. This turns the piece a light brown color when baked.

• Always use oven mitts when removing the cookie sheet or touching the pot in the oven. The high temperature of the oven and the clay piece may cause burns to your skin.

References

• Make Stuff: Recipes for Clay and Playdough
• Homeschooling Ideas: How to Fire Pottery without a Kiln
• Cultivating Life: Oven Bake Clay