Christmas Gift Ideas for Potters - 2021
It's always hard to know what to get someone for Christmas, but the good news is that there's no shortage of options when buying for a potter.
I’ll give my Top 5 suggestions for a few different categories first, then the main post will expand on the recommendations and break them down by process.
Top 5 for Beginners
Beginner Books
A higher quality version of a basic tool:
A voucher for a local studio that offer day classes
Top 5 for Intermediates
A higher quality version of a basic tool
An unusual tool
Books
A Ceramic Materials Workshop course ($75+ see Glazing below for more info)
My Top 5 under £10/$10
My Top 5 under £25/$25
My Top 5 over £25/$25
Hartley & Noble Russian Doll Batt System (£100)
My Tools
Firstly, these are the tools I designed myself! These were tools I originally made because I wanted them and couldn’t find anyone else selling them. It was only after months of people asking me where the could buy them that I made extras for sale. I use mine all the time, I would replace them immediately if lost, and I’m as proud to sell them as any of my ceramics.
Foot Trimming Tool (£25) - This tool is a quick and easy way to add a consistent rounded foot to a thrown piece. It would be a great gift for anyone who throws on the wheel, but wouldn’t be any use to someone who handbuilds.
Handle Extruder Dies (From £10) - These need to be used in conjunction with a handheld extruder, and they make quick, comfortable, and consistent handles.
Hole Cutting Guides (From £7.5) - Laser cut guides for precisely marking a pattern of holes. They’re great for making teapots, soap dishes, and berry bowls.
By Process
This section might be most useful to potters trying to think about suggestions when people ask what you want. The individual recommendations are based on what I use and/or rate most highly, ignore them if you know you have a different preference but give them a go if you want a new tool and don’t know what to try.
I also wanted to highlight the underrated giftcard, especially in the run up to Christmas. They’re sometimes seen as a lesser gift because they’re less fun to unwrap and can’t be used immediately, but there are a couple of big advantages. Firstly, it allows the recipient to pick exactly what they want. Also, the gift will be shipped after Christmas. This means it’s not being packed and shipped at the busiest time for most makers and couriers, so reduces the load on both. A lot of the brands listed below offer them, and would make an excellent gift option.
Throwing
Toolsets - The easiest option for a gift, especially for a beginner, is one of the sets of basic tools (£6.99*/$8.99*). Despite the budget price, the tools are actually perfectly usable. At the budget end you can get larger and larger sets (£31*/$25*), not all of the tools will be useful to everyone but generally a lot of them are worth having. There is also a pricier option from Mudtools ($67*) with high quality tools.
Sponges - You can't beat a good sponge for throwing, there’s a significant jump in quality from the budget sponges to the slightly pricier brands. I personally love the Xiem sponges (£4.32/$4.75) as they're a bit firmer, but the Mudtools sponges (£7/$5) are very popular too.
Ribs - Ribs make a great present as there are an infinite number of shapes and materials, each with it's own merit. Two great options are Mudtools (~£6/$7) and Garrity Tools ($10-30). If buying for a potter who already has a couple of the more traditional shapes and sizes, consider some of the stranger looking ones!
Wire - Having a wire the right length with a comfortable handle makes a big difference. I find the shortest Xiem wire (£6.12/$5.95) perfect for almost everything I throw. The standard Mudtools wire (£6.47/$7) is 5" longer, and might be more suited to people throwing larger pots.
Needle Tool - The cheap ones can be a little flimsy, so it's nice to have a more robust needle tool. I use the Xiem (£6.71/$5.95) and Mudtools also make one (£8/$8)
Batt System - I use the Hartley & Noble Russian Doll batt system (£100). The nesting inserts are perfect for studios with limited space as the smaller inserts takes up so much less surface space per piece. Check which wheel the recipient has though, as there are a few different pin spacing options and it’s important to select the correct one. You can get a free gift with any Hartley & Noble order over £100 if you give my name at checkout.
Forms - Not necessarily for throwing (but round ones can be used on the wheel), forms are a great way to make identical plates from slabs of clay. I worked with Hartley & Noble here in the UK to produce a set of round forms that attach to the wheel with the Giffin Grip for a very easy plate making process.
Laser Level - These make great throwing guides as they give a precise mark to throw to without getting in the way (£24*/$20*). They work particularly well when paired with the H&N grid (£30, needs H&N Tile Insert Batt System though)
Books - My personal recommendation is Ben Carter’s Mastering the Potters Wheel (£15*/$14*)
Trimming
Trim Tool - There are a wide range of trimming tools at different price ranges. A new addition for this year are the Diamond Core Tools trimmers, which are available in a great selection of shapes. My personal favourites are the T7 and T9 (£44/$47). A great cheaper option is the Mudtools Do-All (£17.77/$20), or you could splash out and get a Bison ($80+)
Giffin Grip - The best trimming aid I've ever used. It centres and holds pieces with very minimal effort, allowing for much faster and more controlled trimming. (£223/$259*)
Foam/Sticky Batt - A lower tech and priced way of holding pieces while trimming. Xiem do a Foam Batt (£10.20/$10.95) and DiamondCore Tools do the Sticky Batt (£104.95/$76) as well as a few other variations.
Carving tool - Diamond Core Tools have a range of top quality carving tools (£49/$36)
Stamping Tools - You can get alphabet stamps (£14/$15*), pattern stamps (£12*/$14.50*) or rotary grinding bits (£7.29*/$15* (these are what I use for my Peacock Eye pattern)). If the potter you're buying for has a logo then you could buy them a custom pottery stamp. I don’t know who to suggest in other countries, but here in the UK I’d highly recommend Dave and Jo at Lasercutz. They’ve made all the stamps I’ve used in the last few years, and the quality is outstanding.
Finishing
Extruder and/or Dies - There are a wide range of extruders, and each one will have a selection of dies available for it. I use this handheld one (£33/$52) which seemed like the most cost effective way to do it (larger ones are wall mounted and cost £200+). There weren’t any handle extruding dies available for it so I made my own (£10).
Smoothing Tools - These are cheap silicon tipped tools that do a fantastic job of smoothing leather hard clay. I use them on all my handles (£8.99*/$6.49*)
Ball Modelling Tools - These metal ball tools are surprisingly useful, I use mine for getting neat corners when trimming and for smoothing joints where the clay is too firm for the silicon tools above. You can get sets of cheap ones (£9*/$10*) which are fine, but will wear out if you use them for trimming like I do, in which case you’d want the infinitely more durable Xiem versions (£8.50/$14*)
Slip Trailer - There are a range of different styles and sizes for these, but I’m a big fan of the smaller precision bottle style (£8-30*/$8-26*). These have interchangeable nozzles for different sizes of slip trails/dots, and can be bought as a single bottle or a set of multiples, which is great if you have several colours of slip. You can also buy cheaper large sets (£10*/$10*) which aren’t as well made but generally function just fine.
Glazing
Brushes - Most ceramic suppliers will offer a selection, and it's useful to have a choice when glazing. I’m a big fan of the mop and Hake style brushes. If you want a really nice brush, check out Troy Bungart (CA$60+).
Banding Wheel - You get what you pay for here. Most ceramic suppliers have a range, the more expensive ones will be heavier, more stable, and with better bearings (£30-300+/$40+)
Spray Applicator - You can get nozzle applicators for precise work or cheap spray atomisers (£9.50*/$12.50*). They won't match proper spraying equipment for the quality of the result, but they are a cheap and fun way to change things up a bit.
Glaze - A very broad category. If buying for someone else, I'd suggest looking at the brand and type of glaze they currently use (the firing temperature is the important thing here) and getting them something new from that range.
Underglaze - These are a great way to add bright bursts of colour to a piece. They generally have a broad fit and firing range, so make a more universal gift than glaze. You can buy individual pots of underglaze (£8.50/$8), a set (£44/$41*), or even get them as pencils (£8/£15 (I’d recommend getting the black, if you only get one)).
Stain - Stains can be used in many different ways. They can be added to clay, slip, and glaze, or applied afterwards in the form of a wash to produce a huge range of effects. The most reliable brand I've found is Mason (£3.50+/$5+), you could get a small amount of a few colours and be pretty confident the recipient would find a fun use for them.
Lustre - These are precious metals that get applied to glazed work and fired to a lower temperature. They are very expensive (£10 per gram!) which can put a lot of people off buying them for themselves, making them a good option for a gift (£12+/$6+).
Car Dent Puller - Can be really useful as a tool to hold pieces for dipping. Read more about it here (£9*/$20*).
Books - John Britt’s books (£25*+/$16+*+ (there’s one for high fire and one for mid range, check which temperature the recipient will fire to!)) and Linda Bloomfield (£14*+/$28+*+)
Online Glaze Class - I did a Ceramic Materials Workshop class, and I honestly think it’s been the single best thing I’ve done for understanding glazes. I highly recommend them, and they’re a very worthwhile investment. They have a shorter, cheaper, Cone 6 specific course which would be ideal for anyone interested in making and understanding glazes at that temperature, and you can use the offer code oldforgecmw for 25% off.
Finishing
Sanding Pads - DiamondCore Tools do a variety of grades (£19/$15+), and they're very useful for finishing the bottoms of pots. I’d recommend the flexible pads, and if I was only getting one or two I’d start with the 120 and 240 grit.
Grinding Discs - A little pricier than the sanding pads, but these wheel attachment discs are invaluable for levelling the bottom of pieces, a couple of seconds on one of these and mugs won’t wobble anymore. They can be bought attached to a plastic base, or as an adhesive backed disc to be stuck to an existing batt (the safer choice if you don’t know which wheel it will be used on) and in 3 grit sizes - 60/120/240 (I have all three but they’re so good at removing clay that the 240, the finest grade, is the only one I ever need to use. I would suggest getting the 240 or 120, unless you really need to remove a lot of material) (£65+/$70+)
Other
Pottery - There are so many fantastic potters out there creating inspirational work, having more of it in your life can only be a good thing!
Books
Hand Cream - Dry skin is one of the main drawbacks to working with clay, so anything that helps with that would be good. The top suggestion from Instagram was O'Keeffe's Working Hands Hand Cream (£11.50*/$13.19*)
Massage - Pottery is physical, so a deep massage can do the world of good.
Theracane - An easier alternative gift to a massage, this is designed to allow you to release tension in the upper back and neck yourself. I have used one for years and highly recommend them, if you use it for a few minutes each evening while watching TV it can undo hours of tension. (£30*/$30*)
Harry the Potter Shirt - $18+!
Expensive Studio Equipment
I wouldn’t recommend buying pricier pieces of equipment as they’re going to be a very considered and specific choice. As lovely as it would be to surprise someone with a kiln/wheel, it’s worth checking exactly what they’d want first. That said, this is the studio equipment I use. I want to first add that I haven’t used many of the other options, so these choices were based on my research rather than personal experience:
Wheel: Skutt Steven Hill
Kiln: Skutt KMT 818 (previously Potterycraft Comet)
They’re all fantastic pieces of kit and I’d highly recommend them.
* All links that have an asterisk next to them are referral links. It doesn’t change the price you pay at all, but helps support the blog.
If you have any suggestions for things I missed, please contact me through this site or via Instagram, or leave a comment below!