Necessary Pottery Supplies

Essential pottery equipment for the novice potter It takes more than just clay, a pottery wheel, and an electric kiln to make pottery. The following items are just some of the additional pottery supplies and tools you'll need to get started. Furniture Pottery can require some long hours, which means a good seat is an essential piece of pottery equipment. The best pottery stools are thus comfortable, adjustable, ergonomic, and versatile. If you purchase a pottery stool with wheels, make sure they're lockable: pottery making involves your whole body, and a sudden shift would definitely mess with your throwing. Kiln furniture, specifically kiln shelves, is another necessity. You'll also want to make or purchase kiln wash, a material mix that protects your shelves from melting glaze.

Bats

No, not the fanged and winged kind - though if you wanted to create a Gothic pottery studio, bats would be a nice touch. Pottery bats are discs made from plaster, wood, or plastic that can be attached to pottery wheels before throwing. A pottery bat allows you to more easily lift ware from the wheel without damage.

Giffin grip

A Giffin grip is a pottery wheel attachment with holders that keep your pots centered as you trim their bottoms. Giffin grips are great for handling awkwardly shaped pots and will save you time on trimming while making it a less tedious procedure.

Pottery tool set

Pottery tool sets are probably the easiest way to get the basic items you need for creating pottery. A standard pottery tool set might include a sponge, pottery needles for trimming and scoring, a rib for shaping and smoothing pots, a wire with wooden handles that's used for cutting clay, pottery carving tools, modeling tools, brushes, etc.

Measuring tools

Pottery scales and weights enable you to accurately weigh out clay or glaze recipes. You'll probably also want a set of potter's calipers to take accurate measurements of the dimensions of your pieces.

Throwing aprons

Pottery can get messy, especially if you're a beginner. Pottery aprons help keep the clay off your clothes and also provide convenient pockets for holding tools while you're working.

In addition to these items, you'll also want a knife, a spray bottle, towels, buckets for water or mixing glazes, splash pans, extra sponges, and some safety goggles, among other pottery accessories.