Making pottery remains a popular hobby for people who don’t mind getting their hands dirty, an like the idea of creating a piece of art that is one of a kind. The cool think about pottery making is that it requires only a few potter supplies, such as pottery tools and pottery clay, to make attractive home decor. Also, the basics of potter making can be learned in a relatively short period of time.
Although pottery wheels are not essential for making pottery, owning a good pottery wheel give pottery enthusiasts an extra tool for making bowls, cups, and other types of clay vessels. Of course, we aren’t talking about the start ship Enterprise, the Millennium Falcon, nor the Edmund Fitzgerald, but beautiful glazed tea sets, water jugs, and moonshine casks. The only limits are the ones that exist in your own mind!
While they were nothing compared to today’s potter wheels, pottery wheels were invented way back in the days of ancient Mesopotamia. Nonetheless, when pottery wheels were first produced between 6,000 and 4,000 B.C, it made a revolutionary impact on the production of earthenware. By the way, earthenware must be fired between 1,000 and 2,000 degrees Celsius, which, for Americans, is the equivalent of 1,830 and 2,190 degrees Fahrenheit!
Of course, earthenware is merely one type of pottery, which also includes porcelain and stoneware. Regardless of the type of pottery that professional artisans, hobbyists, or beginners make, there are all sorts of pottery tools and supplies that can greatly one’s pottery experience.