My Most Used Pottery Tools

*I highly recommend shopping or ordering through your local pottery store, however, I know not everyone has the privilege to do that. As such, I will be linking elsewhere for most of my suggested items available online. But please shop small and support your local community if you can, they need us!* 

THROWING & HAND BUILDING:

Mudtools Sponge - White is my favorite, it’s ultra soft and the perfect finishing sponge.

Scoring Tool - Xiem makes a nice one that retracts so you don’t stab yourself when it isn’t in use. 

Fettling Knife - For cutting rolled out slabs.

Needle Tool - Nice to fix uneven walls.

Wire Tool - Mudtools makes some that are easy on the hands. 

Wood & Metal Ribs - Simple, effective, readily available. I like  a nice rounded wood one for the inside of bowls, a sharp pointed wood one to get the skirt of clay off the base of my bat, and a straight metal one for cleaning up the lines on sharp edged pieces. 

Regular Round Sponges - Yellow and cheap, best for throwing with.

Rolling Pin, Multiple Thickness Rings - Easy to roll out small slabs with this. 

TRIMMING TOOLS: 

Do All Trimming Tool - Mudtools for the win again. I never use anything else.. this one is inexpensive, easy to use, and works on all kinds of pots. 

Red Rib Tool - Smoothes out pots before and after trimming, the straight ones are nice for perfecting slabs too. I like the red the best.

GLAZING:

Fan Brushes - For brush on glazes.

Skinny Brushes - For detailed work with glaze. 

Fineline Applicator - Pens you can fill with thinned underglaze. 

Liquid Latex - Paint it on before glazing, let it dry, and peel it off when you’re done. Better than wax for most glazing purposes, and faster than masking tape.