10 Steps to Throw a Pottery Mug
When I first began learning pottery, I quickly realised how overwhelming the process could be. Centring the clay, pulling up walls, shaping, fixing the rim, sponging out the water, and so on. What helped me most was breaking it all down into clear, manageable steps, which I wrote on a piece of paper and pinned next the wheel. Instead of seeing the entire act of throwing as one daunting process, I learned to approach it as a sequence of smaller actions, each building on the last, which with time and plenty of practice, would gradually become more seamless.
That’s the idea behind this weekend’s video. I take you through the 10 essential steps involved in throwing a mug on the wheel, from preparing the clay to forming the final shape. Along the way, I share practical advice on getting your wheel set up correctly, preparing your clay so it behaves more predictably, (or not in this instance), and even how using a mirror can help tremendously to see your pot take shape.
Whether you’re completely new to pottery or just looking to refine your process, I hope these steps and techniques help simplify the craft and make the wheel feel a little less intimidating.
Thanks for watching!
📖 • ORDER MY BOOK: https://geni.us/bymyhands
🏺 • If you want to learn how to throw a pot, you might like my 'A Beginner's Guide' series: • How to Throw a Pot — A Beginner's Guide
📢 • Find out much more about my work here: https://linktr.ee/floriangadsby
⏱ • Timestamps:
0:00 - Introduction
1:05 - Weighing out and preparing my clay, 300 gram lumps
3:36 - Tips & tricks regarding tools and wheel setup
5:06 - STEP ONE - centring
7:19 - STEP TWO - opening up
8:43 - STEP THREE - the first pull
10:03 - STEP FOUR - the second pull
11:27 - STEP FIVE - the third, shaping pull
12:39 - STEP SIX - removing the skirt of clay
13:18 - STEP SEVEN - refining the walls of the cup
14:49 - STEP EIGHT - chamois leathering the rim
15:33 - STEP NINE - wiring the pot off the wheel
16:15 - STEP TEN - lifting the pot off the wheel
17:35 - A cross-section of the cup
18:15 - Some encouraging words
21:03 - Clean up
*I throw using both a Rohde HMT 500 & 600 potter's wheel and fire using Rohde kilns too, the electric is a TE-200 and the gas kiln is a KG-340.
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