Pottery Supplies: A Great Guide in 10 Minutes

There are some special supplies needed to create pottery. Some are very basic such as clay and water. Some are very specific to the process of making pottery such as ceramic glazes. For the purpose of this article, we will consider “pottery supplies” as something that can be used up and replaced. Pottery tools and ceramic equipment will be covered in more detail on separate pages.

Pottery Clay

Clay is the most necessary of all pottery supplies. To make functional pots which can be used for food and drink you should use a clay that can be fired in a kiln. This clay, if properly fired, is more durable and food safe than air dry clay or oven baked clay. There are many different kinds of pottery clay but they generally fall into three categories.

Porcelain

Porcelain is usually white or off white and considered very pure. It is fired at a high temperature, resulting in a non-porous, glass like material which is strong and durable. It can be very translucent when thin. This is usually the most expensive kind of clay to buy.

Stoneware

Stoneware is made from clay and other minerals often including iron or other “impurities” compared to porcelain. It is usually gray or brown but can range from off white to very dark brown. It is fired at a high temperature, resulting in a dense, strong material that is non-porous or nearly non-porous.

Earthenware

Earthenware is a clay that is fired at a lower temperature than stoneware and porcelain. This results in a porous material that can be glazed or unglazed. It is not as strong as stoneware or porcelain and can be more susceptible to chipping and breaking. One popular kind of earthenware is terra cotta which is a reddish brown clay often used to create common flower pots or roof tiles.

Water

The simplest of pottery supplies is water. It is used to keep the clay moist and workable. It is also used for certain techniques such as throwing on the pottery wheel. Water right from the tap can be used in these instances. But if you are mixing your own glazes, it is recommended to use purified water to avoid unwanted minerals in the water affecting your glaze recipe.

Glaze

Pottery glaze is often used to improve the appearance and function of pots. Glaze is a combination of chemicals which are usually suspended in water to form a liquid that can be applied to the surface of pots. When a glaze is fired to a high enough temperature in a kiln, it melts and sticks to the pot. This creates a glass like coating which can be a variety of textures and colors.

Glaze can come in premixed pints or gallons or as dry powder that you can mix yourself. You can also create your own glaze using raw materials by following one of the many available glaze recipes available in books or on the internet.

Pottery is not required to be glazed. Some potters leave part of pots unglazed so the bare clay is visible, especially on the outside of their pots. If the clay is fired so that it becomes fully vitrified, or non porous, it can function as expected. But it is recommended to use a proper liner glaze for the surfaces of functional ware that will come into contact with food and drink.

Glaze can be applied to pots in many ways. If you have smaller amounts of glaze to use, like a pint of each color, brushing a few coats of glaze onto the pot is recommended. If you have a few gallons of a glaze you can pour the glaze into or over the pot. You can even dip the pot into the glaze. For very large pots, or to achieve certain effects, you can spray glaze onto a pot.

Slip

Slip is a liquid form of clay. It can be cast in molds to form pots or parts of pots. It can also be used to join moist pieces of clay together like adding a handle to a mug. Slip can also be used to decorate the surface of a pot with texture and designs. It can be made from the clay body that you are using or bought pre mixed.

An easy way to make slip is to dry out a few pieces of the clay that you are using. Then break these larger pieces into smaller pieces and put them in a bucket or container. Add just enough water to submerge most of the clay. More or less water to make the slip thinner or thicker. Then mix well.

You can also use few other pottery supplies to make magic water which can be used to make a slip for attaching parts of a pot to each other.

Decals and Other Surface Treatments

Glaze is the most common way to decorate the surface of pottery. But there are many other pottery supplies that provide additional options as well.

Ceramic Decals

Images can be created on a computer and then printed to create ceramic decals. Special printers can print images that can be fired in a kiln without the color burning away. Some regular black and white laser jet printers have iron in the toner and can be used to create iron colored images.

The images are printed on decal paper. The decal is soaked in water which loosens the paper backing. The clear film containing the image can then be slid onto a glaze fired pot. Air bubbles and wrinkles can be squeezed out. The pot is fired again, hot enough to melt the image into the glaze on the pot.

Color decals can be ordered from special printers. Some will even let you order your own design and print them for you. Black and white laser printers can be found anywhere that sells office supplies. Check the MSDS sheets for the toner cartridge to confirm that it contains iron.

Underglaze, Overglaze, Engobes

There are plenty of pottery supplies that are similar to glaze but offer additional effects and characteristics.

Underglaze is a kind of pigment that is applied to a pot and then a glaze, often clear, is applied over to create the glassy surface. Underglaze can be found in liquid form for brushing, lining, or screen printing. Underglaze crayons or pencils are also available.

Overglazes are similar to glazes but create unique effects. They are applied on top of glaze that has already been fired. The pot is fired again, usually at a lower temperature to make the overglaze permanent.

Engobes are similar to slip but often melt more during a firing. They can be applied to a pot before or after bisque firing. Colorants are often added to engobes for decorative purposes. Engobes can even be applied over fired glaze surfaces to add texture after firing again.

Raw Materials and Chemicals

Though not required to make pottery, there are plenty of raw materials and chemicals that can be used to mix some of your own pottery supplies. Most of these substances come as a dry powder. These powders can be mixed together then added to water to create glazes or clay bodies.

Below you will find some general categories but some materials may fall into more than one. Another thing to keep in mind is that some materials have multiple names. For example, if one potter refers to “silica” and another mentions “flint” or even “quartz” they could be talking about the same thing.

Clays

There are many different kinds of clay. You can actually go dig up your own right out of the ground. But you can also buy pure versions of different clays from different regions of the world in powder form. Some common kinds of clay include Ball clays, Kaolins, Feldspars, and Bentonite.

Frits

Ceramic frits are made up of a specific amount of raw materials then melted in a kiln and crushed back into powder. The composition of each frit allows it to affect the melting temperature, thermal expansion or durability of a glaze in a specific way. Frits are more consistent and controlled than some other raw materials.

Colorants and Opacifiers

Materials that affect the color, especially in a glaze, are often called colorants which include iron oxide, copper carbonate, and cobalt carbonate. Materials that make a glaze more opaque are called opacifiers such as titanium dioxide, zinc oxide, and tin oxide.

Other Minerals and Chemicals

There is still a huge list of raw materials used in glazes and clay bodies that aren’t in the categories above. Some have very specific purposes such as a glass former like silica or a source of alumina like alumina hydrate.

There are also many different kinds of materials that act as fluxes such as lithium oxide, calcium carbonate, and gerstley borate. Fluxes lower the melting point of a glaze so the glaze will melt within the range that a pottery kiln can fire.

Many materials serve multiple purposes. For example, Nepheline syenite acts as a flux in some glazes but is also a source of alumina. Wollastonite provides silica and calcium oxide which becomes a flux when combined with certain materials.

Many of these raw materials can be purchased from stores that sell other pottery supplies but there are businesses that specialize in raw materials.

Additional Pottery Supplies

There are many, many more pottery supplies that serve very specific purposes. Some are listed below.

• Wax resist and latex resist are used to mask certain areas while decorating a pot with glaze or to keep moist clay from drying too fast to avoid cracking.
• Texturizers can be added to glaze to create texture.
• Gum solution can be added to glazes to improve brushability and slow drying time.
• Deflocculants such as sodium silicate and Darvan solutions can make make a glaze or casting slip thinner and more pourable without adding extra water.
• Flocculants such as Epsom salts and vinegar can make a glaze more gel like and prevent the ingredients from settling at the bottom.
• Sodium silicate and soda ash can be combined with water to create magic water.
• Silk screen supplies such as screens and thickener can be used to screen images onto pots.
• Shells can be used to side fire pots or separate the pots in a kiln.
• There are a number of Menders and Fixes that can be used to repair bisque fired pots or attach broken pieces.
• Kiln wash is applied to kiln shelves to keep pots from sticking to the shelves.
• Grinding discs, diamond pads, Dremel bits, and sandpaper can all be used to grind or smooth pots.
• Pyrometric cones are used to check how much heat is being applied to pots in a kiln.

Containers and Storage

With all of these other pottery supplies, you need a place to store them! It is a good idea to have plenty of plastic buckets, containers and bags available. They aren’t exactly used and then replaced, but the more ceramic supplies you get, the more storage you will need. It is good to keep your pottery supplies organized and your studio running efficiently.

Fuel for Firing

Though you won’t find fuel for firing kilns on the same shelves as other pottery supplies, firing your pots is an important part of the process. Whether you use electricity, wood, natural gas, propane, or something else, make sure you have a reliable source.

Where to Buy Pottery Supplies

Pottery supplies can be purchased from a number of places. If you are lucky, you may have a local pottery supply shop close to where you live. If not, you can order just about any kind of pottery supplies you need online. Some of the popular online retailers are listed here.

Online Pottery Supply Shops

All of these stores have online ordering and will ship your items to anywhere in the United States.

The Ceramic Shop: Philadelphia, PA

Bailey Pottery: Kingston, NY

Seattle Pottery Supply: Seattle, WA

Clay King: Spartanburg, SC

Sheffield Pottery: Sheffield, MA

Krueger Pottery: Brentwood, MZ

Click here for a more complete list of pottery supply shops.

Amazon

You can get a variety of pottery supplies through Amazon.com. And many of them ship for free! One thing to consider as you shop online is that many pottery supplies are cheaper when you order from a pottery supply shop. But most of these online shops charge a shipping cost based on what supplies you order. You may need to consider shipping costs, convenience, and listed price to decide if Amazon is the best online shop to order your pottery supplies.

There is a very small selection of pottery clay for sale on Amazon. The listed price is more expensive than other online ceramic supply shops but clay is heavy and costs a lot to ship so free shipping at Amazon may be worth it. As you shop around, the best price may depend on how much you order and how much it will cost to ship. It may be worth a trip to drive to an in-person ceramic supply shop and pick up clay yourself.

A somewhat limited selection of pottery glazes, underglazes, and overglazes can be found on Amazon. The convenience of Amazon delivery is great if you can find the specific supplies that you need.

Find pottery clay on Amazon.

Find pottery glaze and underglaze on Amazon.

If you are looking for other specific pottery supplies, Amazon has a decent enough selection. You can find kiln wash, wax resist, sodium silicate, epsom salts, grinding pads, pyrometric cones and plenty more. Be sure to compare the price to other online ceramic supply shops though.

What do you think? Are there other pottery supplies that you use? Do you have any tips or ideas to keep your ceramic supplies organized? Are there other ways to use the clay supplies above? Leave a comment below!

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