How to Sand Pottery for a Smooth, Professional Finish
A rough foot ring is the first thing a customer feels when they pick up your work, and it is what scratches their table. Sanding pottery is how you fix …
How to Trim Pottery: The Best Trimming Tools from Beginner to Pro
Trimming is where a thrown pot gets its foot ring, its final weight, and a clean profile from the belly down. Trim at the wrong moisture and you tear or …
Paper Clay Slip: How to Make It and Use It for Repairs and Joins
How to make paper clay slip and use it for repairs — fixing cracks at leather-hard and bone dry, adding handles to dry pieces, and why it works when standard slip won’t.
Underglaze Basics: What It Is, When to Apply It, and How to Use It
Underglaze basics for pottery — how it differs from glaze, when to apply (greenware vs bisque), application methods, how to apply a clear coat, and common mistakes.
How to Care for Slipcast Porcelain
Slipcast porcelain has a refined, smooth surface and precise form that sets it apart from wheel-thrown work. Caring for it correctly keeps it looking its best and ensures it lasts …
Introduction to Nerikomi: Japanese Patterned Clay
Nerikomi is a Japanese ceramics technique that creates intricate, geometric patterns running through the clay itself — not on the surface. Slice through a nerikomi piece anywhere and the pattern …
How to Load a Kiln: A Complete Guide for Potters
How you load your kiln directly affects how evenly your work fires. A poorly loaded kiln creates cold spots, uneven glaze results, and damaged shelves. A well-loaded kiln uses space …
Budget-Friendly Slip Bucket System for Slipcasting
This is Part 2 of a two-part series on building a budget-friendly slipcasting setup. Part 1 covers the DIY drainage table — the PVC grid and under-bed container that lets …
Creating Templates for Pottery: Wheel Throwing, Slab Building, and Mold Making
Templates are one of the most underused tools in a pottery studio. Whether you’re throwing consistent sets on the wheel, building slab forms, or making molds for slipcasting, a well-made …
One, Two, or Multi-Part Mold? How to Decide for Slipcasting
One of the first decisions you make when approaching a new slipcasting project is how many parts your mold needs to be. Get it right and the piece releases cleanly …