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Welcome
Welcome to the Kiln Goddess' Clay Pit of Tools. Tools are wonderful. Tools are addicting. Lets talk about clay tools and what you will need to get started. Then we can talk about the tools we want just cause we like them. This lens is still under construction, suggestions and comments appreciated.
Hand Tools
Hand Tools are the basic tools you will need to make something in clay.
Generally there is a 'basic tool kit' sold in most clay supply stores. This is the backbone of your hand tool collection. In this tool kit you will find a usually round sponge(holds a lot of water), a wire tool(for slicing and cutting clay), a metal rib(good for scraping or smoothing), a wooden rib(good for shaping), a wooden modeling tool(good for many tasks from shaping, scraping, carving etc.), a needle tool(good for etching, poking, incising, etc), a double ended ribbon tool(for fine trimming), and a large loop tool(for rough trimming and clay removal).
To this basic set of tools you can add an endless amount of specialized tools. I would suggest a blue rubber rib, a fettling knife to round out my basic tool collection. Put off buying alot of tools til you find how you like to work in clay.
You can make your own tools or even order tools custom made to your specifications. Potters seem to collect tools and end up with a bucketful.
Generally there is a 'basic tool kit' sold in most clay supply stores. This is the backbone of your hand tool collection. In this tool kit you will find a usually round sponge(holds a lot of water), a wire tool(for slicing and cutting clay), a metal rib(good for scraping or smoothing), a wooden rib(good for shaping), a wooden modeling tool(good for many tasks from shaping, scraping, carving etc.), a needle tool(good for etching, poking, incising, etc), a double ended ribbon tool(for fine trimming), and a large loop tool(for rough trimming and clay removal).
To this basic set of tools you can add an endless amount of specialized tools. I would suggest a blue rubber rib, a fettling knife to round out my basic tool collection. Put off buying alot of tools til you find how you like to work in clay.
You can make your own tools or even order tools custom made to your specifications. Potters seem to collect tools and end up with a bucketful.
Your Basic Tool Kit from Dick Blick
This is your basic kit that you will need to start working with clay.
Kemper Pottery Tool Kit
Quality tools of finest stainless steel and select, smooth hardwood. Includes a potter's rib, steel scraper, wood modeling tool, needle tool, ribbon tool, loop tool, sponge, and wire clay cutter.
Kemper Fettling Knives
Use these knives to trim, carve, remove mold marks and sculpt ceramics, greenware, styrofoam, and more. The softer steel blade is flexible enough to bend while the harder is a tempered steel blade with the same feel as other conventional blades. Blades are 4" (102 mm) long, total length 8" (203 mm).
Kemper Pottery Tool Kit
Kemper Fettling Knives
Great Tools on eBay
Once you have the basic tools there are many other tools that are specialized for certain tasks. After you explore a bit in clay you will find some of these tools great time savers. Ebay sometimes has great deals on tools that are hard to find elsewhere.
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Clay Equipment
Equipment is where the money in the studio is sucked into. kilns, wheels, slab rollers, extruders, puggers, mixers, not to mention glazing equipment all carry a hefty price tag. A small studio will not likely need all these things luckily. Most clay artists start small and buy equipment as their business grows. A kiln or wheel is likely the first purchase tho you can rent space in a someone elses kiln if you do not have your own. Extruders and slab rollers and time saving devices that allow a clay artist to spend more time creating than preparing to create. Puggers and mixers might not be neccessary at all if a clay artist buys all their clay premixed.
There are lots of manufacturers but some have rose to the top and have a strong reputation in the ceramic industry: Soldner, Scutt, Paragon, Peter Pugger, Brent, etc.
There are lots of manufacturers but some have rose to the top and have a strong reputation in the ceramic industry: Soldner, Scutt, Paragon, Peter Pugger, Brent, etc.
Clay Equipment on eBay
Ebay is a great place to find good deals on new and used clay equipment.
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand byPotters and Their Tools
- A Potter's Tools
- A great 3 page overview of one potter's selection of tools with photos to show how they are used.
- Process: Tools
- Photos of one potter's favorite tools.
Clay Tools From the Past
Clay has been worked by man for a very, very long time. It is fascinating to look at how and what a ancient clay worker used for tools. Here are some sites that discuss ancient clay tools of the past.
- Pottery Tools-New England
- Tools used to make New England Native American pottery.
Make Your Own Tools and Equipment
A clay artist on a tight budget might find some of these websites helpful. Plans and directions on how to make your own tools and equipment.
- The Anti-Establishment Mixer
- An article by Paul Soldner. How to build your own motorless clay mixer.
- Making Your Own Pottery Tools
- Tips and suggestion for making your own tools out of everyday items.
- A Potter's Tools-Making your Own
- How to make your own wedging table, bats, loop tools, trimming tools, plaster stamps, throwing ribs and sticks, sponge sticks, hole punchers, scrapers, and glaze density tester.
- Make Your Own Clay-Sculpting Loop Tools
- Some directions on making your own loop and ribbon tools using stuff found at any hardware store.
- Build your Own Kickwheel
- An article from Morther Earth News. If you wish to build the wheel the diagrams needed can be found under the tools side bar.
- Another Kickwheel
- A different set of plans for a kickwheel
- Build Your Own Electric Wheel
- An article from Ceramic Monthly on building your own electric wheel for cheap.
- Build Your Own Clay Extruder
- Directions and plans by Otto Pearsall found at The Studio Potter website.
- How to Build Your Own Hydrometer
- Simple instructions on how to make your own.
Used Tools and Equipment
On a budget? Just can't swing the price for what ya need? Consider buying used. Here are some links to some places to buy and sell used clay equipment.
- Laguna Trading Post
- A great place for individuals to buy and sell ceramic related products.
Clay Tool Manufacturers
- Kemper Enterprises, Inc.
- Handcrafted tools for the Ceramic Arts.
Alternative Uses
Here are some other tasks your clay tools can used for...some of these might be hazardous so please use common sense when trying something new.
- Ray's Pumpkin Carving Tutorial
- A Halloween alternative use for your clay tools.
- Kiln Cooking
- How to cook a turkey in your electric kiln--NOTICE--not manufacturer approved ;)
- Pizza on the Grill
- Somewhere in these responses is someone using kiln shelves to make pizza on their barbeque grill. Sounds fun
- Pizza Stone
- And here someone has tried using a kiln shelf as a pizza stone in his oven but didn't have good results so I guess you'll have to just try it for yourself :)
Great Stuff on Amazon
Building Pottery Equipment,
Amazon Price: (as of 12/11/2009) 
List Price: $17.95
Handmade Potter's Tools
Amazon Price: (as of 12/11/2009)
List Price: $24.95
Suggestions and Feedback
I welcome your feedback. Would you like something added? Know a good link or book? Did I manage to misspell something? Did you find a dead link? Let me know, afterall this Kiln Goddess isn't all knowing ;-)
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Great Stuff on CafePress
A guy can never have enough tools
Price: 14.99
Clay Tools on Amazon
18 Deluxe Dental Tools
Good for carving fine details in clay.
Avg. Customer Rating: 
Amazon Price: (as of 12/11/2009)
List Price:
Clay Cutters on Amazon
Perfect to use with slabs to make ornaments, amulets and a variety of other creative uses.
Clay Cutters: Oval
Amazon Price: $1.89 (as of 12/11/2009)
List Price: $1.69
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Clay Cutters: Round
Amazon Price: $1.39 (as of 12/11/2009)
List Price: $1.69
Usually ships in 3-4 business days
Clay Cutters: Rectangle
Amazon Price: $1.89 (as of 12/11/2009)
List Price: $1.69
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Plunger Style Cutters Can be Used to Cut Out Shapes From Clay, Dough and Other Materials (Set of 4)
Amazon Price: $11.95 (as of 12/11/2009)
List Price:
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
R & M Musical 8 Piece Cookie Cutter Set
Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 12/11/2009)
List Price: $9.99
Usually ships in 24 hours
by KilnGoddess
The Kiln Goddess is an artist/potter. She loves working in clay as well as metals, mosaics, and nearly all mediums she tries. She especially loves whe... (more)
