Manufacturing Potters
Overview
Manufacturing potters shape clay into products like mugs, tiles, vases, and bowls using tools such as potter’s wheels, jigger machines, pug mills, and industrial drying chambers. They design forms and molds, mix and spray glazes, run gas or electric kilns at precise temperatures, and check each piece with calipers and gauges to make sure it meets exact size and quality standards. Many also plan displays for stores or galleries, manage supplies and orders, and build relationships with retailers and art networks to get their work sold or exhibited.
Did you know?
Manufacturing pottery involves repetitive hand and arm movements, prolonged standing, and exposure to clay dust and kiln heat, which can lead to musculoskeletal strain and respiratory concerns.
At a Glance
Growth
Stable
Top Skill
Critical Thinking
Key Responsibilities
- Pack and ship pottery to stores or galleries for retail sale.
- Mix and apply glazes to pottery pieces, using tools, such as spray guns.
- Perform test-fires of pottery to determine how to achieve specific colors and textures.
- Position balls of clay in centers of potters' wheels, and start motors or pump treadles with feet to revolve wheels.
- Pull wires through bases of articles and wheels to separate finished pieces.
- Operate drying chambers to dry or finish molded ceramic ware.
- Design clay forms and molds, and decorations for forms.
- Teach pottery classes.
- Adjust wheel speeds according to the feel of the clay as pieces enlarge and walls become thinner.
- Attach handles to pottery pieces.
- Smooth surfaces of finished pieces, using rubber scrapers and wet sponges.
- Design spaces to display pottery for sale.
- Adjust pressures, temperatures, and trimming tool settings as required.
- Maintain supplies of tools, equipment, and materials, and order additional supplies as needed.
- Verify accuracy of shapes and sizes of objects, using calipers and templates.
- Operate gas or electric kilns to fire pottery pieces.
- Raise and shape clay into wares, such as vases and pitchers, on revolving wheels, using hands, fingers, and thumbs.
- Start machine units and conveyors and observe lights and gauges on panel board to verify operational efficiency.
- Press thumbs into centers of revolving clay to form hollows, and press on the inside and outside of emerging clay cylinders with hands and fingers, gradually raising and shaping clay to desired forms and sizes.
- Prepare work for sale or exhibition, and maintain relationships with retail, pottery, art, and resource networks that can facilitate sale or exhibition of work.
- Move pieces from wheels so that they can dry.
- Operate pug mills to blend and extrude clay.
- Examine finished ware for defects and measure dimensions, using rule and thickness gauge.
Career Considerations
Physical Demands and Work Environment
Manufacturing pottery involves repetitive hand and arm movements, prolonged standing, and exposure to clay dust and kiln heat, which can lead to musculoskeletal strain and respiratory concerns.
Industry Competition and Job Security
The American pottery manufacturing sector faces significant competition from imported ceramics and increasing automation, potentially limiting job growth and wage increases.
Skill Development and Training Requirements
Success requires mastering both traditional pottery techniques and modern manufacturing processes, often necessitating apprenticeships or specialized vocational training programs.