Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
It’s funny, when I was first taught how to make store jars there was so much emphasis on throwing the lids so they fit perfectly once fired. The thing is, in that instance, I was making lidded jars where the body and gallery were glazed, which meant the process shown in this video wasn’t really applicable. My entire approach changed once I started making these sorts of lids, pots where lid and body nestled together with only the bare clay touching, as it allows making them purposefully too large, which means they can be ground back once fired to have much smoother, silky finish.
The clear downside is the extra work. There’s also the process of cracking the lid off of the jar, which can be problematic if you whack the lid too harshly, or you hit once of the finer edges at the top that are more prone to chipping. It’s for this step that I use one of humankind’s greatest tools, a chunk of wood. It’s softer than metal and provided I strike the lid where the glaze protects it, it should eventually dislodge those waddings that are propping the lid up.
Here’s my recipe for that stuff by the way, which is as simple as it gets:
50% coarse alumina hydrate
50% kaolin, (I use EPK but I’m sure other variants work too)
Mix the raw materials together and then very slowly add water, (I do the initial mixing with a damp cloth thrown over the bucket to keep the dust to a minimum). You want the mixture to have a clay-like consistency but be wary, this mixture will turn to a slurry very rapidly even if you only oversaturate it a little bit, so add the water splash by splash. Then I wedge it up like I would the clay I throw with and it’s stored in an airtight bucket.
As for the stuff used to grind the lid into place, that’s Chemico valve lapping paste, (not sponsored). Its carborundum suspended is gel, essentially, and it quite literally grinds away the bare stoneware on the body and lid until it fits flush. Work slowly, never force the lid in and finally it’s all washed off with hot soapy water.
#asmr #pottery #satisfying #craft #ceramics
It’s funny, when I was first taught how to make store jars there was so much emphasis on throwing the lids so they fit perfectly once fired. The thing is, in that instance, I was making lidded jars where the body and gallery were glazed, which meant the process shown in this video wasn’t really applicable. My entire approach changed once I started making these sorts of lids, pots where lid and body nestled together with only the bare clay touching, as it allows making them purposefully too large, which means they can be ground back once fired to have much smoother, silky finish.
The clear downside is the extra work. There’s also the process of cracking the lid off of the jar, which can be problematic if you whack the lid too harshly, or you hit once of the finer edges at the top that are more prone to chipping. It’s for this step that I use one of humankind’s greatest tools, a chunk of wood. It’s softer than metal and provided I strike the lid where the glaze protects it, it should eventually dislodge those waddings that are propping the lid up.
Here’s my recipe for that stuff by the way, which is as simple as it gets:
50% coarse alumina hydrate
50% kaolin, (I use EPK but I’m sure other variants work too)
Mix the raw materials together and then very slowly add water, (I do the initial mixing with a damp cloth thrown over the bucket to keep the dust to a minimum). You want the mixture to have a clay-like consistency but be wary, this mixture will turn to a slurry very rapidly even if you only oversaturate it a little bit, so add the water splash by splash. Then I wedge it up like I would the clay I throw with and it’s stored in an airtight bucket.
As for the stuff used to grind the lid into place, that’s Chemico valve lapping paste, (not sponsored). Its carborundum suspended is gel, essentially, and it quite literally grinds away the bare stoneware on the body and lid until it fits flush. Work slowly, never force the lid in and finally it’s all washed off with hot soapy water.
#asmr #pottery #satisfying #craft #ceramics
