Handmade clay pottery is an ancient craft that involves several meticulous steps to transform raw clay into beautiful, functional pieces of art. It is a blend of artistic skill and scientific knowledge, requiring patience and precision at every step to produce durable and beautiful pieces.
Generally, the craft of pottery making involves the steps described below.
Gathering and Preparing the Clay
Sourcing Clay - Clay can be dug from the ground or purchased from suppliers. Potters often choose specific types of clay based on their properties and the desired outcome of the pottery.
Wedging - The clay is kneaded or wedged to remove air bubbles and ensure a uniform consistency. This step is crucial as air bubbles can cause the pottery to crack during firing.
Forming the Pottery
Hand Building techniques:
Pinch Pots - A ball of clay is pinched and shaped into a pot using the fingers and thumb.
Coil Pots - Long ropes of clay are rolled and then stacked in a spiral, smoothing the coils together to form the walls of the pot.
Slab Construction: Flat pieces of clay (slabs) are cut and assembled together using scoring and slip to create boxes, tiles, or other shapes.
Wheel Throwing:
Centering - A lump of clay is placed on a potter’s wheel and centered by applying pressure while the wheel spins.
Opening - The center of the clay is opened up using the fingers.
Pulling Up - The walls of the pot are pulled up and shaped by applying pressure and guiding the clay upwards.
Shaping - The potter shapes the clay into the desired form, such as bowls, vases, or mugs.
Drying
Initial Drying - The formed pottery is left to dry until it reaches a leather-hard stage, where it is stiff but still damp enough to work with.
Trimming and Refining - At the leather-hard stage, excess clay is trimmed away, and details are refined. Handles and other attachments can be added at this stage.
Final Drying - The pottery is allowed to dry completely, turning bone dry before it can be fired. This stage is called greenware.
Bisque Firing
Loading the Kiln - The bone-dry pottery is loaded into a kiln for the first firing, called bisque firing.
Firing - The kiln is gradually heated to a temperature of around 1,800°F (980°C). This process removes any remaining moisture and hardens the clay, making it porous and ready for glazing.
Glazing
Applying Glaze - Glaze can be applied to the bisque-fired pottery by dipping, brushing, pouring, or spraying. Glaze is a liquid mixture of minerals that will melt and form a glassy surface when fired.
Glaze Decoration - Additional decorative techniques, such as painting with underglazes or adding slip, can be applied before the final firing.
Glaze Firing
Loading the Kiln - The glazed pottery is carefully loaded into the kiln for the second firing.
Firing - The kiln is heated to a higher temperature, usually between 1,800°F to 2,400°F (980°C to 1,320°C), depending on the type of clay and glaze. This process vitrifies the clay and melts the glaze to form a smooth, glassy surface.
Cooling and Unloading
Cooling - After the glaze firing, the kiln is slowly cooled to avoid thermal shock, which can crack the pottery.
Unloading - The finished pottery is carefully removed from the kiln once it has cooled completely.
Final Touches in the craft of pottery making:
Inspection - Each piece is inspected for quality and any defects.
Sanding - The bottoms of the pieces are often sanded to remove any rough spots left by the glaze firing.
Finishing - Any additional decorative touches or corrections are made before the pottery is ready for use or sale.
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