Pottery making methods

Pottery is one of the traditional crafts that man has known since ancient times, as many important archaeological monuments left by ancient civilizations were made from it. Including: preserving foods and growing plants and flowers inside them; This is because it protects plants, maintains soil moisture, and drains excess water from the plant outside.

stages of pottery making

clay processing stage

Clay is the main material in the pottery industry, so care must be taken to obtain a good quality soil, to ensure obtaining high-quality pottery pieces, and some materials can be added to clay to ensure that it does not crack, such as sand, ancient pottery granules, and clay is prepared by the way of hitting the dirt with the stick of a full-bodied; For the purpose of softening it, as the pottery industry needs a good clay paste consisting of fine dirt, after which a circular hole is dug, and three rectangular holes are connected to each other with holes, then red, white and green dirt is placed in the circular hole, water is poured over it, and then left for two hours. Then the mixture of soil and water is stirred, then the impurities in it are removed, and after the mud is filtered in the circular hole, it is distributed over the rectangular holes, and then the mud is left until it becomes coherent.

Clay forming stage

The clay is formed in one of the following ways:

Manual method: The craftsman works on shaping the clay with his hands, and it is difficult for a non-professional person to master the pottery industry with his hands, as this method requires skill and experience.

Mould method: The craftsman uses ready-made moulds, into which he pours clay, and this method is considered easier than the manual method.

The wheel or wheel: The craftsman uses a specialized machine for making pottery, which is a wheel, where he puts clay on it and begins to move it using his feet while shaping the pottery with his hands, and this method requires experience and skill at work.

drying stage

Pottery pieces and pots that were formed are placed in a suitable atmosphere, and they are left for about five days in the summer, and ten days in the winter, to dry.

heating phase

After the drying process, the pottery pieces and tools are placed inside an oven, and a fire is lit beneath it. This process is repeated daily for five days.

pottery burning stage

The furnace is ignited at this stage at a temperature of more than 1000 degrees Celsius, and the burning process continues for more than three days, and after the temperature is reduced to fifty degrees Celsius, the pottery is taken out of the furnace.

The stage of preparing pots and painting them

There is more than one way to paint on pottery. After the pots cool down, they are ready to be painted. Acrylic colours are used to paint pots and leave them for a day to dry, and drawings can be printed on them.