A Brief Introduction to Basic Pottery Tools

A Brief Introduction to Basic Pottery Tools

1. The sponge is one of the most useful tools in a pottery kit. It helps potters absorb or distribute water during throwing. 

2. The metal scraper looks like ribs, but it's lighter and used to smooth wet and soft leather-hard greenware. They come in a variety of shapes and can also be made of rubber, or wood.

3. The potter's rib is made of boxwood. Many different shapes are vailable. They can also be made of rubber. 

4. The wire clay cutter is useful in cutting large lumps of clay and also in removing thrown ware from the potter's wheel. When throwing off the mound, fishing line or other very flexible cut-off lines work best.

5. The long metal needle sets into wooden, metal, or plastic handles. It's one of the most versatile tools in pottery. Use it, among other things, for neatly trimming the top edges of pieces while they're on the wheel and for scoring slabs and coils.

6. The loop tool is often used to remove controlled amounts of clay from wheel-thrown and sculpture pieces. The shaped cutting head is made from heavy stainless steel ribbon with sharpened edges.

7. The boxwood modeling tool is useful in all sorts of hand-building. They come in an variety of shapes.  Although called modeling tools, the triangular-headed varieties are also excellent trimming tools while throwing on the wheel.

8. The Ribbon tool can be used for carefully hollowing out handmade pieces. It's handy for trimming greenware and for use in hand-building.