Pottery Wheel: Making a bowl, basic step by step guide

Pottery Wheel: Making a bowl,
basic step by step guide
If the clay starts to feel hot or your hands are
sticking you need to use more water.
Step 1: Centre the clay
For your pot to work it is important that the clay
is centred. This is the most important step.
- Make clay into a ball
- Throw ball of clay onto the centre of the DRY wheel head
- Once attached, wet hands and clay well
-Place one hand on top of another around clay as shown in picture
- While wheel spins very fast apply pressure by pulling the clay towards yourself.
- Clay is centred when you stop feeling your
hands wobbling/ being moved around
Step 3: Make the hole wider
- Keep your hand cupping the side of the clay
- With the opposite hand, make the ‘L’ shape again and place your fingers back in the hole you
created.
- As the wheel spins slowly, apply pressure out the
way towards your protecting hand. Make sure you
use plenty water and be careful or the clay might
break
- Your lump of clay should begin to look more like
a bowl at this stage
Step 4: Make the walls taller
-Make sure your hands are wet and place them
either side of the bowl as shown in the picture.
- As the wheel spins fast, apply a little pressure
equally from both your hands as if squeezing
-This should make your bowl taller
-Steps 3 and 4 can be repeated a few times until
you are happy with the shape
Step 2: Make a hole
If you are right handed use your left hand/ if you
are left handed use your right hand.
-Make an ‘L’ shape or gun with your thumb and pointer finger/ middle finger
-Take the opposite hand and use it to cup the side
of the lump of clay
-As the wheel spins quite fast, point your ‘L’ downwards and apply pressure to make a narrow hole
as seen in picture.
-Be careful not to go too far as you will end up
with no base (if this happens smooth in a small
lump of clay)
Step 5: Take your bowl off the wheel
- Wash and dry your hands
- Get a wire from the tool box
- Pull the wire tightly while pushing it flat against
the wheel head
- Pull the wire towards yourself, under the pot and
your pot should come loose
- CAREFULLY lift your pot and get a counsellor to
put your name on the base
- Clean off your wheel head then wash your hands
in the slip bucket