Pottery involves a variety of specialized tools that guide you through the entire process: from preparing the clay to shaping and final surface finishing. Many of these tools are specifically designed for certain techniques, while others are true all-rounders.
In the following illustrated article, we will look at the 30 most important tools.
If you are currently looking for pottery tools, please visit our website. With the code WERKZEUG10, you will receive 10% off your entire order, including shipping.
Your Formwerk Berlin Team ❤️
Table of Contents
- Everyday Tools: The Foundation for Every Project
- Tools for the Pottery Wheel
- Tools for Forming and Shaping
- Tools for Clay Slabs
- Tools for Freehand Sculpting
- Tools for Working with Molds
- Tools for Decorating
- Tools for Glazing
- Final Overview of all 30 Pottery Tools
1) The 8 Most Important Everyday Tools
While basic tools can be assigned to specific work steps, in practice they are often versatile. Especially at the beginning, a small selection is perfectly sufficient.
Indispensable for working with clay: the wire
A clay cutting wire (also called a cutting wire) is an absolute basic. You use it to cut pieces of clay from the block or to cleanly remove finished pieces from the pottery wheel. For a basic set, we recommend a wire 45 cm long. To prevent your pieces from sticking to the table, you should ideally work on a wooden disk or a wooden board, so you can move them easily. You don't need special equipment for this. Standard wooden boards are suitable.
A typical wooden board for working with clay
If you want to make several identical parts, precise work is crucial. When rolling out clay, a rolling pin and guide rails will help you achieve a uniform thickness.
|
|
 Our recommendation instead of guide rails & rolling pin: Height-adjustable clay roller
|
Finishing also plays a major role. Sponges can be used to smooth and clean surfaces, while a stick sponge (also called a paddle sponge) helps remove excess water from vessels. Optionally, there are also sanding sponges for sanding or finishing larger seams.
Stick sponge (left) for deep vessels; fine sponge (right) for smoothing & cleaning
If you pause a piece, you must protect it from drying out. Garbage bags or cling film keep the clay moist. If you want to make several identical pieces, precise work is crucial. This applies to weighing the clay as well as mixing glazes. An accurate scale helps you avoid errors.
Simple cling film from the supermarket keeps the clay moist
Summary: The 8 most important everyday tools
- Wire – cuts clay and removes pieces from the wheel
- Wooden disc/wooden board (bat) – base and transport aid
- Rolling pin – for evenly rolling out clay
- Wooden guide rails – determine the thickness of the clay slab
- Simple sponges – smooth and clean surfaces
- Stick sponge – removes water from vessels
- Scale – for precise weighing of clay and glazes
- Cling film/garbage bags – keep workpieces moist
2) Tools for the Pottery Wheel
At the pottery wheel, you can further develop and refine your piece with various tools. Especially when shaping edges, curves, or uniform wall thicknesses, simple but versatile tools like the trimming tool are used. Ribs made of wood, metal, or plastic also help to smooth surfaces and cleanly draw out shapes.
What are ribs? Ribs in pottery (sometimes also called rubber scrapers or pottery ribs) are small, kidney-shaped tools used for shaping, smoothing, and trimming clay. They are part of the basic equipment in pottery.
|
Wooden trimming tool |
 Ribs or also called rubber scrapers |
If you want to throw more complex shapes or produce several identical pieces, you will need additional aids. A caliper and a vernier caliper help you to transfer measurements precisely and to work reproducibly.
|
Wooden caliper |
 Vernier caliper with large display for easy reading |
A bat allows you to throw workpieces stably and then transport them without having to touch or deform them directly.
Wooden bat, alternatively a wooden board can also be used
Summary: The 4 most important tools for the pottery wheel
- Trimming tool or ribs – removes excess clay and forms curves
- Caliper – transfers measurements for identical pieces
- Gauge – helps to precisely control proportions
- Wooden disk (bat) – for throwing, modeling, and transporting
The everyday tools mentioned under 1) are of course also relevant for the pottery wheel, such as wire to remove finished pieces from the pottery wheel.
3) Tools for Forming and Shaping
Once you master the basics, pottery is all about forming and shaping. This is where cutting and modeling tools come into play. Many potters even make their own tools, for example from wood, bamboo, plastic, or simple everyday materials like old credit cards. This makes getting started particularly straightforward.
With modeling loops and various modeling tools, you can specifically remove material, define edges, or cleanly carve out shapes. At the same time, these tools are also excellent for shaping surfaces. Especially in techniques like sgraffito, where patterns are incised into the clay, they play a central role.
A modeling loop (top) and a modeling tool (bottom)
For more precise and repeatable results, use specialized tools such as knives, hole cutters, or cookie cutters. These allow you to cut out clear shapes cleanly and reproduce them exactly.
Pottery needle (top), pottery knife (middle), and hole cutter (bottom)
A particularly versatile tool is the pottery needle. It is part of the basic equipment and is constantly used – for scoring connecting surfaces, for preparing bonding areas, or for fine lines and details on leather-hard clay.
Cookie cutters are tools you use to punch out uniform shapes from clay, such as circles or decorative patterns.
Especially as a beginner, a small set of a few tools is often enough to implement most shapes and techniques.
Summary: The 6 most important tools for forming
- Modeling loop – removes material and forms details
- Modeling tools – versatile for forming and processing
- Pottery needle – for scoring, joining, and drawing
- Pottery knife – for precise cuts
- Hole cutter – punches out clean shapes
- Cookie cutters – create uniform shapes
4) Tools for Clay Slabs
Working with clay slabs is one of the most fundamental steps in pottery. Instead of working on the potter's wheel, for example, you roll out the clay evenly and can then directly create shapes such as plates, bowls, or simple vessels from it.
For this step, you only need a few easily available tools. The most crucial aspect is to roll out the clay evenly so that your piece becomes stable and does not warp later.
A linen cloth is best as a base, as the clay adheres less to it and is easier to remove. Alternatively, you can also work on a wooden board – ideally in combination with a cloth over it.
A simple linen cloth is perfectly sufficient
The clay is then rolled out like dough with a rolling pin. To ensure the thickness is uniform everywhere, you work with guide rails. You place these to the left and right of the clay and roll over them. This automatically creates a uniform thickness – without much experience.
A simple rolling pin (also called a slab roller) for rolling out by hand
Especially if you want to make several similar pieces, this method is particularly practical. You work quickly, controllably, and achieve clean, repeatable results.
For many projects, rolling out clay slabs is the first step before forming and further processing.
Summary: The 2 most important tools for clay slabs
- Linen cloth – base for rolling out clay
- Rolling pin – ensures uniform slabs
Guide rails and wooden board were already listed under 1) Everyday Tools.
5) Tools for Freehand Sculpting
In freehand sculpting, you work without a fixed mold or pottery wheel and build up your piece step by step by hand. The main goal is to connect individual clay pieces, build up shapes, and cleanly smooth out transitions.
For two clay pieces to hold together permanently, it is not enough to simply press them together. The contact surfaces must first be roughened to improve their connection. An ordinary toothbrush or a similar brush is suitable for this. Roughening creates a textured surface to which the clay adheres better.
Toothbrush (top) and boxwood modeling tool (bottom)
In addition, some water or so-called slip is usually used. This is liquid clay that acts like a kind of glue. You apply it with a small brush to the roughened areas and then connect the individual parts.
A simpler brush from a craft store is completely sufficient for beginners
After assembly, it's time for finishing. This is where modeling tools and ribs in various shapes come into play. With them, you can smooth transitions, cleanly work out edges, and refine the surface. They are also particularly helpful in hard-to-reach places that you can't easily get to with your hands.
|
Metal rib |
 Rib, rubber scraper or rubber rib |
Metal ribs complement this work by helping you to straighten surfaces or define clear lines and transitions.
Summary: The 5 most important tools for free-form modeling
- Toothbrush – roughens surfaces for connections
- Modeling tool (boxwood) – for smoothing and shaping
- Rubber rib – for fine surface finishing
- Metal rib – precise shaping and smoothing
- Brush – applies water or slip
6) Tools for working with molds
When working with molds – usually made of plaster – you use predefined structures to create uniform and repeatable pieces. This method is particularly helpful if you want to produce several identical pieces, such as bowls, plates, or series of cups.
In contrast to free-form modeling, the mold already provides the basic structure. You work less "freely," but much more controlled and reproducible.
One of the most common techniques is working with clay slabs. Here, you either place the rolled-out clay into a press mold or over a form (drape mold), so that it takes on its contour. Then you adjust the clay, press it evenly, and remove excess material.
Examples of a press mold (right) and a drape mold (left)
Here, a central tool comes into play: the fettling knife. With it, you can cleanly cut off excess clay without damaging the delicate plaster mold. This is important because plaster is relatively soft and scratches easily.
Fettling knife for cutting off excess clay
Once the clay has dried a bit (leather-hard), post-processing begins. Edges are smoothed and small imperfections are removed. A Surform plane is often used for this. With it, you can remove material in a controlled manner and create clean, even edges.
Surform plane, for smoothing imperfections
Summary: The 3 most important tools for molds
- Fettling knife – removes excess clay
- Press mold / drape mold – gives the clay its shape
- Surform plane – smooths edges and surfaces
7) Decorating tools
Decorating is about giving your piece a personal touch. While form and function are already set, here you decide on the appearance of the surface. This can range from simple color fields to elaborate patterns and textures.
Brushes play a central role here. With classic brushes or special Hake brushes, you apply engobes or glazes to the clay. Engobes are liquid clay colors that are usually applied to leather-hard clay, while glazes later form a glassy surface during firing. Hake brushes can hold a lot of liquid and are therefore ideal for larger areas and even layers.
|
|
 Hake brush |
In addition to applying color, you can also directly manipulate the surface. For this, you use tools like combs, texture rollers, or stamps. With them, you can create recurring patterns, lines, or textures that give your piece an individual character.
|
|
 Texture roller |
Comb
For particularly fine lines and precise details, a slip trailer is often used. With it, you can apply engobe in a controlled manner and draw very even, thin lines.
A classic slip trailer for detail work
Summary: The 6 most important decorating tools
- Brushes – for engobes and glazes
- Hake brush – ideal for large areas
- Slip trailer – for fine lines
- Comb – draws patterns into the surface
- Texture roller – creates repeatable designs
- Stamps – for uniform patterns
8) Glazing tools
Glazing gives your piece its final surface. In addition to aesthetics, it's also about function, such as a waterproof or food-safe coating. To ensure an even and clean result, good preparation is crucial.
Before using the glaze, you should always sieve it. The liquid is passed through a potter's sieve to remove lumps or impurities. This ensures that the glaze can be applied evenly and no unwanted imperfections occur during firing.
A potter's sieve to filter out lumps
To mix the glaze, you need simple tools such as buckets or other containers, as well as wooden sticks (also called stirring sticks) or spatulas for stirring. A measuring cup helps you to accurately dispense water or other components and achieve consistent results.
The actual glazing is often done by dipping. The piece is completely immersed in the glaze, creating an even layer. With dipping tongs, you can securely hold your piece without touching the surface or leaving marks.
Dipping tongs
Summary: The 4 most important glazing tools
- Potter's sieve – filters glazes
- Stirring stick – for evenly stirring liquid glazes
- Measuring cup – for measuring liquids
- Dipping tongs – for even glazing
Final Overview: The 30 Most Important Pottery Tools
Everyday Tools
- Wire
- Wooden bat / Wooden board (bat)
- Rolling pin
- Wooden guide strips
- Sponges
- Sponge on a stick
- Scale
- Cling film / Bin bags
Tools for the Potter's Wheel
- Wooden rib
- Ribs (wood, metal or plastic)
- Calipers
- Measuring gauge
Tools for Shaping and Forming
- Loop tool
- Modeling tools
- Pottery needle
- Pottery knife
- Hole cutter
- Cutters
Tools for Clay Slabs
- Linen fabric
We already listed rolling pin, guide strips, and wooden board under everyday tools.
Tools for Free-Form Modeling
- Toothbrush
- Modeling tool (boxwood)
- Rubber rib
- Metal rib
- Brush
Tools for Working with Molds
- Fettling knife
- Press mold / drape mold
- Surform plane
Decorating Tools
- Hake brush & classic brush
- Slip trailer
- Comb
- Texture roller
- Stamps
Glazing Tools
- Potter's sieve
- Stirring stick
- Measuring cup
- Dipping tongs
With these 30 tools, you cover all fundamental pottery techniques – from the first rolling out of the clay to the final glaze.
If you are currently looking for pottery tools, please visit our website. With the code WERKZEUG10 you will receive 10% off your entire order including shipping.
Your Formwerk Berlin Team ❤️