Cleaning Bottoms

Bottoms up! I'm talking here about the foot or bottom of pottery pieces... One of the final things I do before putting a price tag on my ceramic pottery is sanding the bottom or foot.

I have had more than one person tell me they purchased handcrafted pottery which scratched thier expensive table top at home so they threw the pottery in the trash! Not only was the new owner of the pottery upset, I'm sure the potter who created the piece would also be upset to know the fate of their hard work.


A few seconds of sanding will make all the difference. I use two differnt types of sandpaper, no special files or tools needed.


For really rough spots or getting chunks of kiln wash off the bottom, a heavy grit belt sander type paper works great, it is called "cloth belt" and comes in sheets, rolls and the circular type (pictured below). The belt grinder cloth is much stronger than typical paper so it won't tear. If you are handy or know someone who is handy with a saw, a block of wood can be cut for to slip inside the circleular sandpaper or it can be held in your hand.

Cloth Belt

Sandpaper sponges are the wonderful invention I use in a fine grit to smooth the botttom as soft as a baby! They last a long time, can be used on greenware, bisque or after the glaze fire, best of all, they are cheap. I get mine at our local hardware store for .39 cents each! 3M makes them under the name of Pro Pad.

Sponge Sanders

Pesky Details which must be done!

Those pesky "minor details" which sometimes seem unimportant and/or a waste of time can be make the difference if customers will purchase your pottery a second time or not. I know from my sales that repeat customers represent a large percentage of my sales. And we all know that word of mouth is the best advertising!

No matter what our reason or excuess to be mindful of the details, it is so very important that the extra time be taken to do the finishing touches to each and every piece of pottery created. The cool thing is, you get to decide when a ceramic creation is complete and which of the details are needed.



So, in this series, I'll be talking to some details which I feel are "must do's" and some things to make them easier.

Intro: first blog ever!

I’ve been toying with starting a blog… many, many months have gone by and still not one word has been written, until now. So, here, now today is the first installment and introduction.
I won’t bore you with my bio as that can be found on my website http://www.tpotspottery.com/ . As this continues to grow; my goal if for an informative page, not only about what I am working on, also with hints, tips and techniques for the beginner to advanced potter. Ceramics is a huge field with so many wonderfully crazy things to try from manipulating and stretching the clay to (and past) it’s capacity, to mixing glazes, changing up firering techniques and of course, the tools and equipment- oh how I love all the different toys we get to play with.!
Check back soon for more…