5 Tips for Fixing Wobbly Rims @floriangadsby

Uploaded November 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

It’s been a while since I’ve added a new video to my ‘Beginner’s Guide’ series on YouTube, so this week I felt compelled to cover another topic in agonising detail and this time it’s the very simple process of levelling an uneven rim—you can watch the longer, fully narrated tutorial on my YouTube channel, which you can find via the Linktree in my profile’s biography.

The first important thing to note about an uneven rim is that ultimately, depending on the severity of course, it isn’t something to get hung up on. I often make pots that have slight undulations in then lip, it happens to every maker, and you can either deal with it immediately, at the throwing stage, or, like I often do, I wait until the leather hard stage to trim it away.

In the longer video I show five different techniques, four involving tools and one that requires only your hands, together with discussing why these undulations appear in the first place, which could be down to poorly wedged clay, inconsistently centred clay, or uneven movements during the throwing process itself they can also be created by tiny air-pockets or from wiring the vessel off the wheel.

I think each of these five techniques is useful in different situations, one isn’t simply better than all the others, and I find myself flitting between them as I craft pots. So, if you happen to click over and watch the longer video, thank you, and if you’ve got any other methods for fixing a wobbly rim, I’d love to hear about them!

#pottery #tutorial #howto #ceramics #handmade #process

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