Find the Best Pottery Tools for Every Project
Updated: December 2024
Having top pottery tools is important for your success in the studio. This is true whether you focus on wheel throwing, hand building, or advanced techniques.
This guide lists important items for every pottery studio. These tools will help you achieve professional results when shaping, trimming, and finishing your projects.
We’ll explore essential tools for cutting, shaping, and smoothing clay. From clay extruders to fluting tools, we’ve curated an impressive lineup that suits beginners and experienced artists alike.
1. R1 Trapezoid Handheld Clay Extruder
For the right pottery tool for your ceramics projects, try our R1 Trapezoid Handheld Clay Extruder. It helps you create clean and beautiful accents!
You can make feet for slab-built platters, dishes, or plates. You can also create handles for mugs, pitchers, and other vessels. It only takes three easy steps! Just slice the clay, cut it to length, and attach it to your piece!
2. P4 Teardrop Fluting Tool
This teardrop fluting pottery tool has a 6-mm diameter stainless-steel blade with a "U" shaped tip that creates shallow yet wide flute grooves. This pottery sculpting design is great for making smooth grooves with clean, rounded edges. With this tool, you will be sure to create a unique piece that you will love.
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. We cover this short handle in foam for comfort. It also allows for better control and faster turning. The sharp, stainless-steel blade creates crisp V grooves and leaves little to no burs or debris during pottery sculpting!
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 special handle shape that is easy to hold. This design helps you make many strokes without getting tired. It lets you remove excess clay with ease.
To use the pottery tool, place your thumb behind the blade. Put your fingers on the back of the handle. This way, you can carve away from yourself. You can also grip the sides when pulling toward yourself.
5. L3 Diamond Stylus Tool
The L3 Diamond Stylus Tool has diamond sgraffito tips on both ends. One end has a small football-shaped tip, while the other end has a large football-shaped tip.
This special pottery tool is great for freehand carving. It works well for sgraffito details on dry clay. You can also use it to clean up bisque lines and grooves.
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 clever ceramic sculpting tool helps you stabilize your piece. It spreads downward pressure, which keeps thin-walled pottery from collapsing. The colored lines on the Trimming Spinner also make convenient division hash marks! It is the perfect pottery sculpting partner for our Sticky Bats and Sticky Pads too!
7. Shrink Ruler (Double-Sided)
The handy Shrink Ruler from DiamondCore® Tools is one of our favorite specialty pottery sculpting items! An innovative way to measure how much your clay will shrink exists.
The flexible ruler has two sides and shows four clay shrinkage percentages. This helps match lids to bowls and other projects where a perfect match is important. It’ll help make the perfect lids for casserole dishes, cookie jars, and other creations.
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.
You can use the CINK without a water source, and it is also portable. This makes it a great choice for any ceramics studio, classroom, or home setup. Great for any ceramic artist tired of messy clean-up and clay-clogged pipes. Let’s be honest, that’s most of us!
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.
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!
11. T7 Avocado Pottery Trimming Tool
Our T7 Avocado Ceramics Trimming Tool has become 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.
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.
13. Glaze Fountain Classic
The Glaze Fountain Classic is essential for every ceramic artist. It helps coat the insides of bisqueware with a smooth layer of glaze. Just press the foot pedal to create a controlled fountain of glaze. This makes the process faster and easier.
14. Bird of Paradise Pottery Multi-Tool
The Bird of Paradise Pottery Multi-Tool is a handy tool for ceramic artists. It helps make their work easier and better. Its slim and stylish design includes the following features:
- Pottery Knife
- Needle Tool
- Scoring Tool
- Precision Blade
- Mini-Wrench
- Cutting Guide
- #1 Phillips Screwdriver
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 will get clean and precise results. You can create a koala-inspired head with two smaller ear humps on each side. Our R12 extruder originally inspired this design.
Pottery Tools for Different Skill Levels
Explore our diverse range of pottery tools tailored to cater to your various skill levels. Our pottery tools collection has something for everyone. If you are a beginner, you will find easy-to-use tools. If you are an experienced artist, there are advanced options available.
Step up your pottery game with tools that spark creativity, no matter your skill level.
Shop Skill Level Sets
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 friendly and knowledgeable team is here to help you pick the perfect tool for any ceramic project. If you have any questions about the tools above or just want to brainstorm ideas, leave a comment below!
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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