Three Essential Types of Pottery Tools

Did you know that there are three main types of pottery? They are stoneware, porcelain, and earthenware. The very first examples of pottery date back to thousands of years ago in China, where clay was burned at lower temperatures, like those found in a regular cooking fire. Later, high temperature kilns were developed.

Kilns are pottery tools that remove water from clay, increasing strength and hardness, as well as setting the shape, and they can be heated by electricity, wood, coal or gas. There are multiple methods of pottery shaping, including injection molding, casting, wheel throwing, and hand shaping.

If you are interested in using pottery tools and ceramic supplies in order to make ceramics in your free time or for business, there are several essentials you need to keep in mind.

First, many people enjoy shaping clay with pottery wheels. Pottery wheels are either pedal or electrically operated, and they move quickly enough that the hands can form even shapes in the clay. It takes a bit of practice to understand how to use these pottery tools, but most people figure it out quickly enough. Pottery wheels for sale range in price from about a hundred and fifty dollars for the most simple and basic models, to closer to a thousand for the most complex, electric powered, and heavy duty designs.

Second, getting the right type of pottery clay is important. Often used types of clay include Kaolin, ball clay, fire clay, stoneware clay, common red clay, and bentonite. Different types of clay are good for different projects. Red clay, for example, is more suitable for making bricks, while stoneware is commonly used for pottery.

Three, pottery glazes are an essential part of pottery, and are important pottery tools for what they provide to the clay object either artistically or physically. Glazes are a coating that is used to a ceramic body through the firing process. Glazing can waterproof, strength, decorate or color an item.