Hand Building Pottery

Hand building is the oldest form of pottery making.  Research suggests that potters have been hand building since the Neolithic era which started about 10,000 BCE.  So, by learning to hand build you are joining an ancient Stone Age tradition, which I think is pretty cool.

And funnily enough, there is a lot about pottery making that hasn’t changed over thousands of years.  The basic hand making techniques are more or less the same.  Our aesthetic tastes may have changed, but the methods are curiously similar.

There are three basic pottery hand building techniques.  They are;

• Pinch Pottery
• Coil Pottery
• Slab Pottery

With each of these pottery techniques, the clue is in the name.  Pinch pottery involves pinching the clay into the shape that you want it to be.  Coil pottery involves building your pots out of coils of clay.  And slab pottery involves building your pots out of slabs of clay. 

Often pinch pottery is taught first, because in some ways the technique is simpler to manage than working with coils or slabs.  But, you can try out which ever one takes your fancy and go from there.

Here is some beginner info on each of these pottery making techniques so that you can get started…

Wheel Throwing Pottery

Wheel throwing involves making pottery on a potter’s wheel.  It’s sometimes said that it’s called wheel throwing because potters will often slap the clay onto the wheel head when they start a pot. 

However, the name has its origins in the old English term ‘thrawan’, which means to turn or twist.  I am a bit of a pottery history nerd, and if you are that way inclined as well, you can check out some other interesting historical information on pottery here.  

But back to wheel throwing…

Throwing pottery involves a series of steps on the wheel.   Whatever you are making on the wheel, you need to center the clay first, which means that you get it in the center of the wheel head. 

If you are making a tall pot, like a mug, vase, or jug, you open up the clay which means that you make what looks like a clay donut with a hole in the middle.  Next, you extend the walls of the pot upwards, this is known as ‘pulling up’ the walls.  After you’ve pulled the walls into a cylinder, you can shape the clay in whatever way you like.

There are other techniques involved in making flat pieces like plates and platters.  If you like the sound of wheel throwing you can start by checking out these articles. 

Choosing Your Clay

In addition to considering your pottery making technique, it helps to know a bit about the different types of pottery clay you can use.

The first distinction I’m going to make is between air dry clay and pottery clay.  As the name suggests, air dry clay dries in the open air and doesn’t need to be fired in a kiln. 

A kiln is essentially a large oven-like piece of equipment that heats pottery to high temperatures.  These temperatures are usually somewhere in the range of 1852F (1011C) all the way up to 2377F (1303C).  

I’ll say more about firing and kilns later.  But, for now, it’s enough to know that the main difference between air dry clay and pottery clay is that you don’t need a kiln for air dry clay.

Most of the beginner info on The Pottery Wheel is about pottery clay, which does need to be fired.  Don’t worry if you don’t own a kiln, there are plenty of places that will fire your pottery for you.  If you want some suggestions about where to get your pottery fired, you can check out this guide.

Earthenware Clay

Earthenware clay fits into the low fire category.  In fact, low fire temperatures are often called ‘earthenware temperatures’.

When it’s fired, earthenware clay turns from being clay into ceramic material.  This means that once it’s fired, it can never become clay again.  However, although fired earthenware is ceramic and won’t dissolve, it is still porous.  For this reason, you need to glaze earthenware pottery to give it a watertight seal. 

Glaze is applied to pottery in a liquid form.  One of the key ingredients in glaze is silica.  Silica melts when it is in the kiln forming a molten layer on the pottery.  When the kiln cools down, the molten glaze turns solid and, if the pottery has been glazed well, it forms a waterproof layer on the porous ceramic body. 

There is lots of information on glazing for beginners on The Pottery Wheel.  If you want to know more, you can jump to that section here.     

Earthenware clay comes in a range of colors, including white, cream, buff, brown, red, and even black. A familiar type of earthenware clay is red terracotta.  It can have a smooth or a gritty/sandy texture, and it can usually be used for hand building and wheel throwing. 

Each clay body is slightly different, so read the manufacturer’s description of what the clay looks like and how it handles.

Porcelain Clay

Porcelain is one of the more refined types of clay.  It contains a high percentage of kaolin which is a very pure kind of white clay also known as china clay. 

Some porcelain fits in the mid fire category, but most porcelain is high fire and is often fired up to 2377F (1303C). 

Usually, porcelain is a very pale grey color or a white/off-white color.  Once fired it is normally white and can have a translucent appearance.

You can always call the supplier and get some guidance from them. Most pottery suppliers are very helpful.  In the meantime, you can also check out the following information on clay here…

Kilns and Firing Your Pottery

There are lots of different types of kiln.  Some are fueled by gas or wood, but most are heated using electricity.  Certainly, the majority of potters making pottery at home are using electric kilns.  The reason for that is that they are easy and convenient to use. 

Generally, pottery is fired two times.  The first firing is called the bisque fire, and this turns the clay into ceramic material.  When the pots come out of the bisque fire, they have a rough matte texture. 

Pottery glaze is then applied to the ‘bisque ware’ also called ‘biscuit’.  Then the pots are put back into the kiln for a second firing called the glaze fire.  When they emerge from the glaze fire, they are covered with a decorative and watertight glassy coat.

For more information and tips on firing you can check out these resources on The Pottery Wheel.

Pottery Making Tools

Lastly, whether you are wheel throwing or hand building you will find that there are pottery tools that make your life a lot easier. 

I thought it would be helpful to give you an overview of the pottery tools that I use every day.  There are lots of different tools available.  I have some that I use now and then, but there is a group of tools that I reach for all the time.

Top Pottery Tools for Hand Building 

Don’t feel you have to buy all of them at once.  You can buy them as and when you need them.  But it’s helpful to get a bit of an overview of the tool situation as you start out.

Also, bear in mind that when you start out you will probably be able to find things lying around the home that will do the job too. 

• Canvas sheet (ideally stretched over a piece of wood)
• A wide rolling pin
• Clay knife (fettling knife)
• Needle tool
• Rubber rib tools
• Serrated rib tool
• Clay beveler
• Banding wheel
• Wooden pottery bats (ware boards)
• Small chamois leather
• Wooden modeling tools
• Small paint brush
• Clay Shredder or Surform