I went back to the pottery studio recently, and oh boy, did I learn some new things!

I got there and the first thing I had to do was trim my pieces from the previous throwing session! Which was news to me, but I learned it is a very important step in the process of making pots.

Trimming is the process of removing the excess clay from the bottom of your piece. This happens after your pieces have dried to a leathery texture. This step is completed on the pottery wheel and requires a few key tools and materials. Here is a picture of my pieces pre-trimming with the tools I used to trim them.

It really helps when your pieces are smooth on the top, but mine were not. This made attaching them to the wheel a bit more difficult. Pieces are attached using extra, wet clay to hold the pieces in place. The wheel is then turned on and the tools are used to remove the excess clay from the bottom of the pieces. This clay naturally builds up when you are forming the pieces on the pottery wheel. Bottoms can be trimmed to be flat or have fancy shapes. This process is also important for making a piece more uniform, removing excess clay so the pieces aren’t so heavy, and to enhance the appearance of the piece.

Once this process is completed the pieces are ready for their first round of firing in the kiln! Such excitement!