Q&A for How to Make Ceramics

I don't use them personally, so I'm not entirely positive, but the plastic-based clays supposedly dry on their own. So the polymer clays or air dry clays will supposedly dry on their own without heat. Most of the pros use water-based clay though, which needs to be fired in a kiln at least once.

Absolutely! You're going to be a little limited in your options if you don't have a pottery wheel or a kiln, but you can you still sculpt things at home.

If you’re making traditional clay pottery, you can fire it outdoors by creating a fire and stacking the pots on top, then covering the pottery with an insulating mound of natural materials such as tall grass and animal dung. You’ll need to leave openings around the bottom and at the top to let in air and let out smoke. Alternatively, you can use air dry clay, which doesn’t need to be fired at all.

Yes, you can! If you’re using air dry or oven-baked clay, you’ll need hardly any equipment. For more traditional clay pottery, you’ll need a small kiln. You’ll also need a potter’s wheel if you plan to make wheel-made ceramics instead of just hand-shaped ones.

It can be. If you take classes, you may need to pay some tuition. A small kiln for home use may cost between $300 and $2000, while pottery wheels tend to run around $200-$500. You’ll also need to pay for clay, shaping tools, and glazing materials. Once you buy the initial equipment, it won’t cost as much to keep your hobby going.

Yes. However, you would have to hand wash all of it, as it would not be dishwasher-safe.

Bake the clay first according to the directions on the package to cure and harden the clay completely. Then, apply the glaze and read the directions on the glaze to adjust the temperature on the oven to the right setting. Finally, bake the piece a second time to cure the glaze.

That depends on the cone temperature, not necessarily time. Check the glaze container for the cone. Then check the instructions on your kiln and determine how fast or slow you want to "ramp" it up. If still in doubt, call the kiln manufacturer or ask at a pottery shop.

You have to be a little careful, and keep this away from children, especially when using the glazing method, but otherwise it is quite safe.

If currently leather hard, or still moist, you would want to put a hollow object over it, such as a bucket, and wrap the project in a damp rag. Leave it there and check regularly until it is at the dryness you want it to be.

Ask your teacher! If you read the article above you should know exactly how to do it, though. The only thing that the article doesn't go into detail on is "ramping your kiln," but if you read the manual for the kiln it will explain. Ramping your kiln just means raising the temperature a few hundred degrees every hour or so until you reach the desired temperature. If you were to skip ramping it your project could crack or shatter from temperature shock. How much you raise the temperature and how long to wait before raising it varies by the kiln.

There is a difference between glaze and paint. Glaze makes the surface of the clay smooth, while paint only colors the surface. You can buy glaze online at pottery equipment suppliers.