10 Essential Pottery Tools and How to Use Them

While there are loads of tools to choose from, here’s a short list to get you started on your clay journey!

P.S. If you only want to have or can only afford the bare minimum, we recommend having a wire clay cutter, wood rib, needle tool, large pear loop tool, and a versatile sponge. Wooden skewers are also great, as they can be used in place of needle tools, fettling knives, for slipping and scoring, and for measuring diameters and heights!

1. Rib (Metal, Rubber, or Wood)

Used for shaping, smoothing, and refining forms on the wheel or by hand. 

Metal - Flexible and sharp, great for cleaning up the outside of your piece, scraping off excess glaze, or chipping off slip and underglaze on greenware

Rubber - These come in a variety of soft and stiff options and are great for shaping and smoothing greenware

Wood - Though they feel hard, wood ribs, like gyubera (cow tongues), are actually soft, and  are perfect for shaping clay on the wheel, coming in a variety of shapes

2. Wire Clay Cutter

Exactly what you think! Perfect for wiring your piece off the wheel or cutting off chunks of clay. Did you know you can even 3D print them (though wire is sharper and can cut better)?

3. Needle Tool

Like a needle, it’s sharp, pointy, and precise! Great for checking the thickness of your piece’s bottom, scoring, trimming uneven rims off, and sketching out your foot or other designs.

4. Fettling Knife

Looks kind of like a mini-kitchen knife, and works for all slicing needs!

5. Loop Tools

These come in a variety of shapes, sizes, and materials, with the most common being a large pear loop tool and a dual-ended loop tool. They’re perfect for removing clay, whether that’s trimming or hollowing out a piece. Wire loop tools are great for more precise carving or removal. 

6. Sponge

Great for throwing and handbuilding! When throwing, it can help with long nails, sensitive hands, and keeping moisture. For hand building, it can help with sealing and smoothing surfaces. Mudtools has a great selection of sponges with different densities and textures for all uses!

7. Slip and Score Tool (or Serrated Rib)

Some are dainty for precision, while serrated ribs can cover lots of area and quickly!

8. Rolling Pin

Makes slab-making a lot easier! You can always try tossing your slabs if you don’t have one. 

9. Extruder

Great for when you need to make consistent and even shapes quickly. 

10. Banding Wheel

Helpful for spinning work when applying wax or slip. Also perfect for handbuilding, as it makes it so that you don’t have to pick up your piece while working on different faces of it.