If you’re one who likes to get your hands dirty while making something from start to finish, then you probably already have a few trusty tools in your arsenal to help you along the way — a high-quality chef’s knife, a heavy cast iron skillet, a pastry brush, and so on. But what about the small but essential tools like a mini offset spatula and an exacto knife? What about the tools for encasing your creations in something like a vase or a frame? The list goes on and on.
To help make sure you’re selecting the best tools for the job, we rounded up the top ceramic pottery tools from ceramicist and ceramic tools expert, Josh P
Our Editor’s Best Ceramic Pottery Tools Reviews
- [THE ORIGINAL CLAY WEDGING BOARD] - Penguin Pottery designed the original MDF clayboard clay wedging board back in 2020. Today, it is a must-have pottery tool in the pottery tools equipment and supplies world. Manufactured in the USA from water-resistant renewable wood sources using Medex MDF, the highest-quality board material widely used in the ceramics industry (we do not use less water-resistant Masonite board or fiberboard as other brands).
- [EASY TO CARRY AND USE] - We designed our clay board with a built-in handle to make it super easy to carry. Unlike other brands, our board has rounded edges, including the handle! We care about your experience so we make our board easy on your hands. We also do not add a canvas found in canvas covered board for clay to prevent accumulation of dry clay dust, a common problem with other mud tools.
- [DURABLE AND STRONG] - Our clay boards are made with 3/8" Medex MDF on purpose, because it's the perfect thickness for strength and durability, without making it too heavy to carry. It also prevents clay from sticking, and works better than pottery plaster, clay mat, and polymer clay mat. Clay texture sheets, clay slab roller, pottery forms, pottery turntable, and pottery molds for clay can be placed on top. We also make our ceramic bats with Medex MDF. Check them out!
- [LIFETIME WARRANTY] - Our boards will last a very long time, and if you have any issues, we will give you a refund or replace your board - no questions asked! All Penguin Pottery products are backed by our Lifetime Warranty. See warranty & support section for more information.
- [MANY OTHER APPLICATIONS] - Use our boards as a portable table for laptops, outdoor painting, handbuilding clay, clay glaze table, craft table, art board, DIY workbench, DIY table, and many other portable applications. A must have pottery tools for your pottery studio, ceramics classroom (one for each kid!) or community ceramics program.
- 18 Pieces in Total: This set of clay tools contains most of the basic tools you may need for pottery making and sculpting. They are great for carving, cutting, chipping, modeling, trimming, smoothing, etc.
- Exquisite Design: These pottery tools provide various shapes and sizes for your creative use. Some of them come in a double-ended configuration, giving you more usable tools and helping you save storage space.
- Sturdy Material: Made of high quality stainless steel and wood, our carving tools are sharp and sturdy enough for sculpting soft materials, including polymer clay, ceramic clay, fondant, cake, dough, wax, soap, etc.
- Zipper Tool Bag: This large-capacity tool pouch helps you to keep things organized and bring your equipment to pottery class. High quality zipper puller allows you to easily open and close to find and store tools.
- Excellent Gift: Our pottery tools kit is a great gift for both beginners and advanced pottery crafters. The aspiring artists in your life, no matter what their level of expertise, no matter whether they are adults or kids, are sure to appreciate this thoughtful gift that could promote their creativity and imagination.
- The Xiem retractable scoring tool provides an ergonomic solution to scoring and storing.
- The 6 sharp tines ensure depth and precision of scoring marks with little pressure.
- Tines are efficiently retracted back into the plastic sheath for safety when not in use.
- Designed in the USA by Kevin Nguyen.
- Xiem Tools are the new essentials and the premier choice for clay artists.
- Precision Tool: This 30mm ceramic clay pottery throwing trimming spinner tool allows for precise control and easy rotation when shaping and detailing ceramic pieces.
- PrecisioSmooth rotation: The compact ceramic tool smoothly rotates clay works with minimal friction, allowing for efficient trimming and detailing.
- VARIETY OF USES: From trimming mugs and bowls to shaping vases and planters, this versatile tool supports a wide range of pottery techniques for beginners and professionals.
- Compact and portable: its compact size makes it easy to store and transport for pottery artists working both in studio and on-the-go.
- Perfect for Pros and Beginners: Whether a seasoned ceramic artist or pottery hobbyist, this clay trimming spinner provides the handling needed for a wide range of projects.
- Must Have Clay Tools: Our pottery trimming spinner tool is made of thick acrylic and disc is made of metal, sturdy and durable, which makes the pottery have a longer service life!
- Colorful Scale Design: The precise multi-color scale design makes it more convenient for you to trim ceramics. Ceramic trimmer spinner rotary disc wheel tool is necessary tool for equalizing the ceramic.
- Easy to Use: Works by placing it in a center of the workpiece in order to trim without needing clay lugs. This enables you to hold it down securely while it's spinning.
- Product Size: 1.48" diameter trimmer, 4.7" diameter acrylic disk. DIY trimming tool is designed for a variety of ceramic restorations. A perfect gift for family and friends!
- Professional Pottery Tool: Trimming spinner tool for your pottery work is wonderful gifts for yourself, family and friends! if you want to make extremely high-quality pottery, you will love the ceramic tools. When you receive the pottery trimmer tool, you need to remove the protective film before use.
- PRODUCT DETAILS - Brand: LYMGS; Owner: JQ Whale; Material: Soft Silicone; Color: Red; Size: Large - 122 x 58 mm / 4.8 x 2.28 inch, Middle - 104 x 52 mm / 4.09 x 2.04 inch, Small - 86 x 53 mm / 3.38 x 2.08 inch; Total Weight: about 60g.
- HIGH QUALITY - The LYMGS ceramic potter ribs are made of high quality silicone, soft and comfortable to touch, durable and does not produce burrs or cracks under normal use, are designed to stay smooth even after long term use.
- ERGONOMIC MODELING - The shape of the soft pottery rib makes it more comfortable to hold and makes it easier to make the ceramic, in addition, the ergonomic modeling potter rib is an extension of the potter's hand, convenient and pratical.
- FUNCTION - There are 3 different sizes of these soft pottery ribs, providing you more size choices, smooth, comfortable to hold and easy to clean or store, lightweight and portable to use. They can create perfect angle transitions and forms. Also, the clay sculpting tools remove finger marks for a perfect blemish-free finish.
- WIDELY USED - The pottery clay ribs are suitable for smoothing, shaping and finishing pottery pieces and clay, they are also good gift choices to give the pottery clay ribs for your friends and famlies who love to play with clay, make ceramic crafts or DIY craft work.
- Material: Aluminum alloy, Color: Silver, Length:12.3cm
- The tools are widly used in Pottery & Ceramics, Polymer clay, Soap art, Wax carving, Jewelry design, Hand model and so on
- This Tool set is perfect for fine sculpting, detailing and trimming.
- Professional quality tools,not only fit for the seasoned expert but also for the dabbling novice.
- Package included: 6 Pcs different clay sculpting tools
- Hardcover Book
- Schwartzkopf, Deb (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 192 Pages - 06/02/2020 (Publication Date) - Quarry Books (Publisher)
- Package includes sculpting tools, clay color shapers, hole cutters, ball styluses and wooden sculpture knives. Totally 61 pieces pottery tools yield a wide variety of options like smoothing, cleaning, carving, modeling, cutting, scrapping, brushing, shaping and sculpting to bring your vision to life.
- These durable and finely crafted professional sculpting tools are easy to work with and clean. The wooden handles are smooth and comfortable yet ensuring a firm and secure grasp. The corrosion resistant metal of pottery tools are solid and bent but don’t break when pressure is applied.
- The best choice for beginner level pottery and ideal for cleaning and creating decorative effects on clay surfaces. Our sculpting tools work well with all types of clays. You can find most tools in multiple sizes to help with large sculptures or more precise detailed work.
- Contain with 61 pieces different size which is from 6 inch to 8.5 inch. Smoothing and comfortable to hold and easy to use. These handy little tools are lightweight and sharp, providing for fine detailing, accuracy and efficiency.
- These handy little pottery tools of professional pottery tools are lightweight and sharp, providing for fine detailing, accuracy and efficiency. Perfect for color shaping, blending, drawing, fine detail, touch-up work and remove the fingerprints, making dots, blending seams in clay, painting on rocks and making paper flowers. It’s suitable for clay sculpture, DIY handicraft carving.
- Reinhardt, Emily (Author)
- English (Publication Language)
- 160 Pages - 09/05/2023 (Publication Date) - Quarry Books (Publisher)
Best Ceramic Pottery Tools Buying Guide
Before choosing the best ceramic pottery tools you should consider following options:
1. Brush: It is the first thing that you need to paint on a pot. They come in different sizes, thickness and materials.
The most commonly used brush is the nylon bristle brush. It is used for applying glaze and slip and is available in two types: soft and firm. Soft is ideal for applying glaze while firm is used for slip.
You can also use the ink brush for applying glaze. It is ideal for staining and painting intricate designs.
The other type of brush is the synthetic brush. It is used for applying glaze, slip and ink. The advantage of synthetic brushes is that they can hold more paint and are resistant to breakage.
The third type of brush is the shish brush. They are used for applying glaze and slip.
2. Sponges: Sponges are an essential tool to smooth out glazes and slips. You can buy them in different forms such as synthetic, paper and natural.
Synthetic sponges are the most commonly used. They can be re-used, easy to clean and absorbent.
Paper sponges are the least absorbent of all but they are more durable, economical and eco-friendly. Natural sponges are the most absorbent, but they are expensive.
3. Scraper: Scrapers are used to smooth out glazes and slips. The two types of scrapers are the straight and curved.
The straight scraper is used to remove glaze or slip from the pot’s interior while the curved scraper is used for smoothing out the glaze on the surface of the pot.
4. Shaping tools: This refers to the tools used for detailing and carving the pot. They include gouges, rib, line and flat chisels and are made from different materials such as wood, steel and plastic.
5. Angle gauge: It is used to measure the degrees at which the slip is applied to the pot. They are available in different forms such as plastic, steel and wood.
6. Slip gauge: This is used for measuring the depth of slip on the pot. There are two types of slip gauge – the fixed and adjustable.
The fixed slip gauge is used for measuring the depth of slip on the outer surface of the pot while the adjustable slip gauge is used to measure the amount of slip in a pot.
They are available in different forms such as a steel gauge, plastic gauge and a wooden gauge.
What else you should know about ceramic pottery tools
1.What are the most essential tools for ceramic pottery?
The most essential tools for ceramic pottery are clay, water, a kiln, and glazes.
2.What are the different types of ceramic pottery tools?
Some common ceramic pottery tools include:
-Clay cutting wire
-Pottery wheel
-Kick wheel
-Potter’s knife
-Sponge
-Slab roller
-Extruder
-Fettling knife
-Trimming tool
-Carving tool
-Score and slip
3.How do I choose the right tools for my project?
There is no one definitive answer to this question. The best way to choose the right tools for your project is to consult with experts in the field, read reviews, and test out different options to see what works best for you and your project.
4.How do I care for my ceramic pottery tools?
Ceramic pottery tools can be cared for by washing them in warm, soapy water and then drying them with a soft cloth. If they become dirty or stained, they can be cleaned with a soft brush or toothbrush.
5.Where can I find the best ceramic pottery tools?
There is no definitive answer to this question as it depends on personal preferences. However, some good places to look for ceramic pottery tools include art supply stores, online retailers, and specialty stores that sell pottery supplies.
Conclusion
On the market, there are numerous best ceramic pottery tools. Hopefully, the list of the top ten best ceramic pottery tools will save you time researching and deciding on the best one for you.