At the end of a session, layer dried scraps of clay from handbuilding with slops from the wheel in an empty clay bag. Seal the bag and pummel it…

Getting the clay slops out of the bucket is much easier if you have lined the bucket with a cloth or bag made out of synthetic material.

Reconstituting dry clay? Put dry clay you have broken up in a bucket and cover with hot water. It breaks down much quicker than with cold water.

This is a reliable way to waterproof pots which are to be used as vases (e.g. raku, crazed earthenware, pit pots, sawdust fired pots). Chop or grate candle or paraffin wax into small pieces…

Transferring complicated or simple repetitive designs onto clay is easy. Trace your design onto a piece of tracing paper, then on the reverse side of the drawing, go over the lines with a broad tipped whiteboard marker.

Zip seal bags

Pottery Log App.

This app which only works with Apple products, is free and a great way to keep a record from start to finish of your projects, including your photos.

If you are photographing glazed pots try this. Spray artists' matt finish fixer (used to fix charcoal drawings) on the "hot spots".

14 Ways To Stop Clay Warping

Having Trouble Centering Your Clay on the Wheel?

Take a small spirit level that fits within the splash tray of your wheel. Lay it across the wheelhead in various directions and make sure it is level at all times…

MARCH 2013

Make yourself a spray booth by cutting a square hole in the side of a 20 litre bucket with a hacksaw or angle grinder. Put a small plastic turntable…

MARCH 2013

For a great little wire tool take a 'U' bolt with two nuts on either side and a taught wire in between. Put Loctite on threads before screwing nuts in place. U bolts come in different sizes.

It is very annoying to get thick dribbles on a pot during glazing. Efforts to remove them by rubbing with finger often results in removing glaze on body of pot and getting thin patches.

To help with extruding clay, spray kitchen cooking oil into clean barrel before dropping in clay. This makes it easier to extrude and to clean.

To help with extruding clay, spray kitchen cooking oil into clean barrel before dropping in clay. This makes it easier to extrude and to clean.

A polystyrene block with 3 nails in it pointing upwards (see illustration) will give a good stand on which to place your work

When you require intricate, unpressed decoration from metal, wood or plastic stamps…

A pizza cutter may be used in conjunction with a straight edge or ruler to produce clean lines when cutting slabs…

Old Tupperware storage containers make brilliant boxes to keep small clay pieces in when you want to keep them wet.

To prevent underglaze or overglaze coloured decoration from smudging, spray over the decoration with a light coat of…