How Pottery Is Made

Pottery, whether it be a clay flowerpot in your garden or a mug with your company logo on the side of it, adds character and charm to a home or office. It is one of the oldest art forms and fragments have been found in all human societies from prehistoric food storage vessels to tiles on space shuttles. There are several ways pottery is formed but most of these require the clay to go through a chemical transformation in a special device called a kiln.

This is where a bit of the magic happens – it’s here that the clay becomes a true ceramic – a solid material that can withstand great heat but at the same time retains its suppleness and strength. This is because the mineral components in clay are partially melted and chemically bonded to each other creating a strong, hard and durable ‘glue’ that also helps the clay retain its shape.

The two main methods of forming pottery are throwing on the potter’s wheel or handbuilding (or handwork). With this method a solid ball of clay is placed in the centre of a circular turntable, called the wheel-head, which can be spun manually by stick, with foot power or with a variable speed electric motor. This requires a high level of skill to produce work of an acceptable standard but it’s the most efficient way to form larger pots.

Another method of making pottery is known as molding or granulate pressing. This involves placing a lump of clay in a porous mould and forcing the clay into the mould with force. This method is much more labour intensive and can only be used with certain types of clay as they have to be quite dry and free flowing.