My Favourite Handbuilding Tools

I love handbuilding, almost as much as I love my cat. Since I’ve started ceramics, I’ve always stuck to handbuilding, sometimes trying out the wheel but too often failing. I simply don’t have the patience to learn at the wheel, my back hurts and my hands are never at the right place… Massive respect to the ceramicists who kept up with it.

I love the idea of handbuilding too because it’s something that’s made just with your hands, not necessarily using tools. That being said, tools are super helpful and I thought I’d make a little list of my favourite ones if you’re starting out or just curious! By the way, I didn’t use any of those tools at the beginning of my ceramics journey and was completely fine. I think that adding tools to your practice can make the process quicker and you can really get into the details more accurately. So here is my list of favourite tools (ranked, the best being the last one for suspense!):

#5 Pottery Knife

A classic

#1 Rubber Kidney (The Winner!)

This is by far my favourite tool. Used to smooth out clay by compressing it, it’s my best friend at the pottery. For me, it’s been an absolute game changer in my practice, turning pieces that are a bit rough around the edges into more refined works. A few ways to use it:

• When making slabs, you can smooth out the imperfections, compress your clay by holding it at an angle and gently pushing on the clay.

• To smooth out coils and seams (for example when binding two pieces together)

• To finish pieces and give them a polished look - I could spent hours compressing the clay and smoothing out the surface. It buffs the clay, giving it a shiny finish.