The Best Pottery Tools
Updated on: February 14, 2024
Whether you’re a seasoned artist or a passionate beginner, having the best pottery tools is crucial for creative success.
In this blog post, we’ll introduce you to top-notch tools curated for selective potters. Join us as we explore designs and craftsmanship that will elevate your pottery game.
1. R1 Trapezoid Handheld Clay Extruder
If you're looking for the right pottery tool to help you create clean, beautiful accents for your ceramics projects, our R1 Trapezoid Handheld Clay Extruder is a must-have! You'll be able to create feet for slab-built platters, dishes, or plates, as well as handles for mugs, pitchers, and other vessels in three easy steps! Just slice the clay, cut it to length, and attach it to your piece!
Check out the R1 Trapezoid Handheld Clay Extruder demo below!
2. P4 Teardrop Fluting Tool
This teardrop fluting pottery tool with a 6-mm diameter stainless-steel blade with a "U" shaped tip creates shallow yet wide flute grooves. It’s perfect for creating smooth grooves with clean, rounded edges, resulting in a really interesting pottery sculpting design you’ll love.
See the P4 Teardrop Fluting Tool in action in the demo below!
3. P8V Curved V Tip Palm Carver
The P8V Curved V Tip Palm Carver features our popular V-tip blade on a shorter (3.5-inch/88-mm) handle. This short handle is covered in foam for increased comfort during ceramic sculpting and offers increased maneuverability and quicker turning carving capabilities. The sharp, stainless-steel blade creates crisp V grooves and leaves little to no burs or debris during pottery sculpting!
Check it out in the demo below!
4. K2 Curved U Tip 6-mm Carver
You’ll love this "U" Tip 6-mm Curved Clay Carver with a stainless-steel pottery sculpting blade. It has a unique ergonomic handle shape that is great for making thousands of repetitive strokes and reduces fatigue. By placing the thumb behind the pottery tool blade and fingers on the back end of the handle, you can carve away from yourself or grip the sides when pulling toward yourself.
Check out the K2 Curved U Tip 6 mm Clay Carver in the demo below!
5. L3 Diamond Stylus Tool
The L3 Diamond Stylus Tool features diamond sgraffito tips on both ends — a small football-shaped tip on one end and a large football-shaped tip on the other. This unique pottery sculpting tool is perfect for freehand carving, sgraffito detailing on dry clay, and cleaning up bisque lines and grooves.
Take a look at the L3 Diamond Stylus Tool in the demo below!
All of these great pottery tools above are bundled together at a discounted price in out 4-Piece Exotic Clay Carving Tool Set.
6. Pottery Trimming Spinner
This genius little ceramic sculpting tool helps you stabilize your piece and disperses downward pressure, which helps keep thin-walled pottery pieces from collapsing. The colored lines on the Trimming Spinner also make convenient division hash marks! It is the perfect pottery sculpting partner to our Sticky Bats and Sticky Pads too!
See how potters use the Pottery Trimming Spinner in the demo below!
7. Shrink Ruler (Double-Sided)
The handy Shrink Ruler from DiamondCore® Tools is one of our favorite specialty pottery sculpting items! It’s an innovative way to measure how much your clay will shrink. The two-sided, flexible ruler has four clay shrinkage percentages to aid in matching lids to bowls and other projects where an exact match is crucial. It’ll help make the perfect lids for casserole dishes, cookie jars, and other creations.
See how the Shrink Ruler is used in the demo below!
8. THE CINK - Portable Clay & Water Filtering Recycling System
No more clogged sinks or plumbing issues! THE CINK is an innovative clay and water filtration solution for all ceramic artists. Easily rinse your ceramic tools, sponges, splash pans, buckets, and more without worrying about damaging your plumbing system. THE CINK doesn’t require a water source, and it’s portable, so it a great fit for any ceramics studio, classroom, or home set-up. It’s perfect for any ceramic artist who is sick of dealing with messy clean-up and clay-clogged pipes (which, let’s be honest, is pretty much all of us).
Learn how to use THE CINK in the demo below!
9. T8 Wedge Clay Trimming Tool w/ Flat Head Handle
The T8 Wedge Clay Trimming Tool is the perfect pottery sculpting tool when flat and smooth trimming is needed. It provides a seamless transition from curves to corner cuts. With this tool, you can quickly shave off large, thin ribbons and then seamlessly transition to the rim at the bottom of the pot.
See the T8 Trimming Tool in action in the demo below!
10. T5 Torch Pottery Trimming Tool w/ Talon Handle
The T5 Torch Pottery Trimming Tool is certain to be a great addition to any pottery sculpting toolset. The angled tip blade is perfect for adding small features and blending them seamlessly into your piece. You can easily transition from curved round to corner cuts! Plus, the beautiful talon-shaped handle tip provides a bonus sculpting tool!
See how to T5 Trimming Tool is used in the demo below!
11. T7 Avocado Pottery Trimming Tool
Our new T7 Avocado Ceramics Trimming Tool is quickly becoming a favorite among our staff and customers! The avocado-shaped stainless-steel blade is perfect for rounding out bowls and other curvy pieces. You can seamlessly transition from curved areas to corner cuts. Plus, the flat round-shaped handle makes for a bonus sculpting tool.
Check out the T7 Avocado Trimming Tool in the demo below!
12. PXW Extra-Wide Carving Tools Set
We’ve listened to your requests for an even wider P10 and P11 tool, and now we’re delivering! The P10XW and P11XW Curved Extra-Wide 18 mm Carving Tools give your pottery an extra helping of texture. Purchase the tools separately or bundle and save when you purchase the set.
Take a look at the P10XW and P11XW Carving Tools in the demo below!
13. Glaze Fountain Classic
The Glaze Fountain Classic is a must-have for every ceramic artist aiming to effortlessly and uniformly coat the interiors of bisqueware with a full layer of glaze. With a mere press of the foot pedal, experience the convenience of generating a pressurized, precisely controlled fountain of glaze, streamlining the process for a quicker and more efficient job.
See how the Glaze Fountain Classic is used in the demo below!
14. Bird of Paradise Pottery Multi-Tool
The Bird of Paradise Pottery Multi-Tool is an all-in-one solution designed to simplify and enhance the work of ceramic artists. Its slim and stylish design includes the following features:
- Pottery Knife
- Needle Tool
- Scoring Tool
- Precision Blade
- Mini-Wrench
- Cutting Guide
- #1 Phillips Screwdriver
Check out the Bird of Paradise Pottery Multi-Tool in the demo below!
15. R207 Koala XL Handheld Clay Extruder
Effortlessly shape clay handles using DiamondCore Tools’ R207 Koala XL Handheld Clay Extruder. With its angled stainless-steel blade, you’ll achieve clean and precise results, crafting a koala-inspired head with two smaller ear humps on either side – drawing inspiration from our R12 extruder design.
Check out the R207 Koala XL Handheld Clay Extruder in the demo below!
Pottery Tools for Different Skill Levels
Explore our diverse range of pottery tools tailored to cater to your various skill levels. Whether you’re a novice seeking user-friendly essentials or an experienced artist in pursuit of advanced tools, our collection of pottery tools offers options suitable for every proficiency level.
Elevate your pottery experience with tools designed to enhance your craft, regardless of your skill level.
Entry-Level Tools Set
Intermediate Tools Set
Advanced Tools Set
Seasoned Tools Set
Find the Best Pottery Tool For You!
While these are some of our favorite and most distinctive ceramic sculpting tools, it's only the beginning. Don’t miss our full selection of carving tools, trimming tools, sgraffito tools, and so much more!
Our knowledgeable team is always here to help you find the best tool for any ceramic project. If you have any questions about the tools above or just want to brainstorm ideas, leave a comment below or contact us!
Jenifer – We recommend our Sgraffito Stylus, Relief-Carving, or Fine Point Carving Tools for your next sgraffito project. Our Diamond Stylus Sgraffito Tools can be used for fine detailing on bone-dry pieces. Our Relief-Carving Tools and Fine-Point Tools can be used in a variety of angles, carving away clay or slip on leather hard pieces.
What are the best too for sgraffitto?
Janene – Thank you for your suggestion. We’ve updated our blog to showcase our tools in action! For more videos of our tools in use, you can follow us on Instagram @diamondcoretools.
I would love to be able to see videos of all of your tools being used,it would be very helpful. Im not sure if you have a separate website showing them being used, if so i would love to know what the website is.
Thanks,Janene Hessing
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