Clay & Preparation
Everything that happens before the wheel turns: choosing a body, wedging out the air, reclaiming scraps and getting moisture even.
6 tools
Browse →
Independent ceramic reference
Twenty-eight studio tools, explained the way a potter would
Specifications, safety notes, compatible bodies and glazes, and the practical advice that actually matters — for every tool from the wedging board to the kiln vent.
Four free simulators
Throw, glaze, section and fire — without touching clay
Our 3D Studio runs entirely in your browser. Shape a form on a virtual wheel, paint glaze onto a rotating pot, cut a section through it and model a firing curve.
Firing, done deliberately
Bisque and glaze firings you can actually repeat
Understand heat work, ramp rates, soaking and cooling — and calculate a schedule that suits your body, your kiln and the cone you are aiming for.
By stage of work
All tools →
Five categories, in the order you actually work
Clay preparation, wheel and shaping, trimming and cutting, glazing and surface, kiln and firing. Every one of the 28 tools belongs to exactly one.
Wheel & Shaping
The wheel, the ribs, the sponges and the measuring tools that turn a centred mound into a form with intention.
6 tools
Browse →
Trimming & Cutting
Foot rings, clean rims and controlled cuts — the finishing stage that separates a rough cylinder from a resolved pot.
5 tools
Browse →
Glazing & Surface
Buckets, tongs, guns, brushes and resists — the surface toolkit, plus the safety habits that keep glaze chemistry manageable.
6 tools
Browse →
Kiln & Firing
Kilns, shelves, cones, gloves and vents — the equipment and instruments behind every successful firing.
5 tools
Browse →
The studio cycle
Four stages, from raw clay to fired pot
Every tool on this site is tagged with the stage it belongs to, so you can find what you need at the moment you need it.
1
Step 1Wedge & Centre
Homogenise the body, expel trapped air, then bring the mound onto the axis of the wheel.
2
Step 2Throw & Shape
Open the clay, raise an even wall, and compress it with a rib until the form holds its own weight.
3
Step 3Trim & Dry
Turn a foot ring at leather-hard, then dry slowly and evenly so the piece does not crack or warp.
4
Step 4Glaze & Fire
Apply glaze to a controlled thickness, then bisque and glaze fire on a schedule you have logged.
Interactive studio
Four simulators that behave like real equipment
Each one is a genuine parametric model, not an animation. Drag, tune and measure — then read off numbers you can use at the bench. No plugins, no downloads, no data leaves your browser.
Loading the 3D preview…
If it does not appear, your browser may not support WebGL — the four studio tools each include a 2D fallback.
Most read
See all 28 →
Popular tool references
The nine pages readers open most often, ordered by how much use they get in a working studio.
Stoneware Clay
A durable, mid-to-high-fire clay body that throws well, takes glaze predictably and survives thermal shock in everyday use.
Clay Prep
Read →
Pottery Wheel
A variable-speed rotating head that lets you centre, open and raise a wall of clay into a symmetrical vessel.
Wheel
Read →
Trimming Tool
A wire or steel loop set in a handle, used to turn a leather-hard pot, cut a foot ring and refine the profile.
Trimming
Read →
Glaze Bucket
A wide, lidded container that holds mixed glaze at working depth, letting you dip a pot in a single steady movement.
Glazing
Read →
Throwing Sponge
A dense, soft sponge used to keep the clay lubricated, to smooth the wall as it rises and to lift the last of the water out of a form.
Wheel
Read →
Electric Kiln
An electrically heated chamber with programmable controllers, used for bisque and glaze firings with repeatable, logged schedules.
Kiln
Read →
Wedging Board
A plaster-topped table that absorbs excess water and anchors the clay during kneading, so air pockets and soft spots get worked out before throwing.
Clay Prep
Read →
Wire Cutter
A tensioned wire between two handles, used to free a pot from the wheel head and to slice clay into uniform slabs.
Trimming
Read →
Free tools
Three calculators that save a wasted firing
Work out how big to throw a pot, how much glaze to mix, and how long a firing will take. Everything runs locally in your browser.
Clay Shrinkage Calculator
Enter the finished dimension you want and the shrinkage rate of your body, and get the wet dimension to throw, plus the expected dry and fired sizes.
Runs in your browser
Open →
Glaze Batch Calculator
Enter the dry weight of glaze you want and the recipe percentages, and get the gram weight of every material plus the water to add.
Runs in your browser
Open →
Kiln Firing Schedule Calculator
Choose a body and target cone, set your ramp rates and soaks, and get the full schedule with time at each node and the suggested pyrometric cone.
Runs in your browser
Open →
From the blog
All 10 guides →
Guides worth reading before your next session
Long-form, studio-tested writing on centring, safety, glaze defects and the rest of the craft.
How to Center Clay on the Wheel
Centring is not a strength contest. It is a technique for applying pressure to a rotating mass in a way that makes the clay find its own axis.
Tobias Reyes
28 Aug 2026
Pottery Safety: Silica Dust, Kiln Vents, and Glaze Toxicity
Pottery is a dusty, hot, chemically active craft. None of the hazards are exotic — all of them are controllable. Here is what actually matters.
Dr. Ines Kovač
20 Sep 2026
How to Prevent Glaze Defects
Pinholes, crawling, crazing, shivering, blistering — every glaze defect has a cause. Here is how to read the surface and fix it.
Priya Raghavan
16 Sep 2026
Not sure where to begin?
Our beginner's guide covers the minimum kit, how to find a kiln you do not own, and the first five projects worth making.