Beginner path

Start here

This order matches a first class and the first months afterward. Skip a step only when you already have that record or that answer from your own studio.

A few words that prevent mix-ups

• Clay body. The specific clay you were given, not the word “clay” in general. The name and batch belong in the log.
• Shrinkage. How much a measured length shortens between two stages you name. It is not absorption, and it is not a volume percentage.
• Absorption. A fired porosity figure some sheets report after a water test. Do not type it into the shrinkage calculator.
• Cone 06 and cone 6. Different cone numbers. The leading zero is part of the number. Neither number, by itself, is a food-safety claim or a kiln schedule.
• Leather-hard. A handling stage, when the clay is firm enough to join or trim and still holds moisture. It is not a firing instruction.

Follow this order

1. Prepare for a class — Ask what the studio requires before you buy tools or choose clothes. This draft is not on the public site yet.
2. Learn the materials vocabulary — Cone, shrinkage, and absorption are different fields on a sheet. This draft is not on the public site yet.
3. Keep a clay log — Record the batch, stage, and result you actually had. This draft is not on the public site yet.
4. Choose basic hand tools — Find out what the studio already provides. This draft is not on the public site yet.
5. Understand drying problems — Check uneven drying before you change the clay. This draft is not on the public site yet.
6. Use measured shrinkage — Plan a finished size from lengths you measured. This draft is not on the public site yet.

Safety pages that are not instructions here

Dust control, kiln installation, and food-contact suitability are not taught on this path. Until those drafts have a qualified review, use the primary pages below and your studio’s own rules.

• Princeton Environmental Health and Safety: Ceramics
• Orton: pyrometric cones
• U.S. FDA guidance on “lead free” pottery labeling

Those links are references, not a claim that this site summarizes them completely or that U.S. guidance applies in every country.

Other paths

• Before my first class. Show up able to ask useful questions. Let the studio’s rules decide clothing, tools, and clay.
• Improve my making. When something cracks or a join opens, record the stage and check the likely conditions before changing clay or firing.
• Understand materials and tools. Read the sheet in front of you, keep a log, and keep absorption, shrinkage, and food-contact claims apart.