Tools to start with

For all activities

• 1 apron. Prefer a waterproof one to clean it after each session.
• 1 plywood board about 25 x 25 inches to work on. Clay sticks to most surfaces but not so much on wood, plaster and fabric.
• 1 plastic sheet to protect your work surface if necessary.
• 1 clay cutting wire. A homemade alternative is a 10-inch nylon wire or cooking thread tied to a large button at each end.
• 1 potter knife. A homemade alternative is a knife with a sharp extremity.
• 1 small round sponge for cleaning your pieces. Consider a soft baby sponge that will last forever.
• 1 large sponge for cleaning the surfaces. Consider a bath or heavy-duty sponge.
• 1 large bowl with water to wash your hands and the sponges.
  Be aware: do not wash your hands and tools full of clay in the sink, it will block the drain! Instead, wash them in a bowl and dispose of the water in your garden or toilet (flushing it immediately).
• A piece of plastic to cover your pots while they dry.
• Clingfilm to wrap and store the clay.
• Decorating tools such as domestic or natural items that can be pressed into the clay as decoration: stamps, buttons, lace, shells, leaves, etc.
• 1 set of acrylic paint and 1 medium brush (for air-drying clay).
• 1 tin or spray of exterior clear high-gloss varnish to waterproof your pots. Choose Ultra-tough, marine quality for boats, yachts and exterior woodwork (for air-drying clay).

Pinched and coiled pots

• 1 stainless steel flexible palette in the form of a kidney to scrap your pieces.
• 1 rubber kidney tool for smoothing pieces. A homemade alternative is a hotel access or membership card.
• 1 metal loop tool to carve pieces.
• 1 old toothbrush for joining pieces of clay.
• 1 fine modelling wood tool to finish your pieces. A homemade alternative is a teaspoon, a bamboo skewer, chopsticks, a wooden tongue depressor, or a large lollipop stick.
• 1 needle tool for carving fine lines. A homemade alternative is a needle fixed into a cork.
• Set of round hole cutters useful for producing holes in lamps, teapots, etc. Alternatives are metallic straws, small section pipes, etc.
• 1 fork for scoring when joining two pieces of clay together (when working with firing clay).
• 1 teaspoon for burnishing the surface of your pots (when working with firing clay).
• 1 small Surform tool with a blade 65 x 40 mm to shave excess of clay. You can find them at DIY shops.

Slab building

• 1 wooden rolling pin such as the one for rolling pastry.
• A set of wooden rolling guides for instance 6, 9 and 12 mm thick and 460 mm long. You can purchase them at a timber merchant or DIY shop.
• 1 piece of cotton fabric, for instance, an old bed sheet or tea towel, to cover your work board when rolling clay and dry your hands.
• 1 set of cookies cutter of different shapes.