UPDATE: Click here for our new 2023-24 Gift Guide!
Looking for a gift for a potter? Or perhaps ideas of how you can treat yourself? This post includes gift ideas for someone who works with clay and has sections for gifts under $25, $50, $100, and concludes with other ideas.
When shopping, keep in mind that most potters probably already have a basic tool kit and a few others tools. In a separate post, we’ve also got a handy guide to the best tools for pottery beginners, and there are many other posts on this site with reviews of tools we love.
Note: This site uses affiliate links for sites such as Amazon and Blick. If you click the links and complete a purchase, we may receive a percentage at no extra cost to you.
Gifts Under $25
Kemper Clay Drill
The Kemper Clay Drill
This single tool is a workhorse and replaces an entire set of hollow hole punches, many of which are more difficult to use and clean. The Kemper Clay Drill is easy to use, a breeze to clean, and is the best way to make holes in greenware for teapots, flower pots, lamp cords, or wherever you need a hole. This quality steel tool can drill a hole as small as 1/16” of an inch or as big as 3/4”. Simple insert and twist, and keep drilling to your desired diameter. The beveled edge results in a clean, even hole. It’s one of my favorite tools and usually costs around $4 to $5, making it a perfect stocking stuffer.
Xiem Studio Tools BatMate
The Xiem Studio Tools Bat Mate
The BatMate from Xiem Studio Tools is a 12-inch diameter piece of synthetic fabric that can be placed in between a bat and wheel head to virtually eliminate any wobble, improving the accuracy of throwing and trimming. Many potters, however, wet the fabric and place it directly on a wheel head to use when trimming pots. Pots will stay put just by tension, without adding little balls of clay wadding. This saves time and works just as well. At around $15, this is a tool that gets used all the time once it’s in a potter’s kit.
Hand Cream
Weleda Skin Food
Pottery and clay can be hard on hands, especially in the colder months and any potter will appreciate some nice lotion. Our favorite everyday cream is O’Keeffe’s Working Hands Cream (shop at Amazon), but if you wanted something more fancy, the Weleda Skin Food is a rich, luxurious cream that will help protect hands during a long studio session or at home.
Another favorite of many is Potter’s Skin Butter from Cara Mae Skincare. (For a complete look at hand creams, check out our studio hand cream review here. )
There are many great lotions, but I love Skin Food because it is extra thick, smells great, melds into your skin quickly, and the squeeze tube makes it easy to use at home or studio. It usually costs around $19 for a 2.5 oz tube.
Mini Ribbon Tool Set
Mini Ribbon Tool Set
This set of 6 tools is great for detail work, decorating, and finishing a piece of pottery or a sculpture. At 5 1/2” each, the metal tools don’t take up much room but they can do a lot. I don’t like to have dozens and dozens of tools, but I always have a set of these nearby, especially for detail work or scraffito. For around $13, it’s a great addition to a potter’s tool kit.
Xiem Studio Tools Precision Applicator
The 3 oz Precision Applicator from Xiem Studio Tools.
Another awesome tool from Xiem is the precision applicator, available in 1 and 3 oz sizes. The applicators have a soft, flexible rubber bulb with a variety of screw-on metal tips. Mostly used for slip trailing and slip decoration techniques, these bulbs can be used to apply just about any type of thicker, viscous liquid. The larger 3 oz size will be the best option for most. There are cheaper slip-trailing options that are a plastic bottle with similar metal tips, but the rubber bulb in the Xiem applicator provides steady, even pressure that is just easier to use. For around $20, this is a quality tool.
Green Split Leg Apron
This green split-leg apron is popular with many of my students and has a few features that make it a nice upgrade from a standard kitchen apron. Made from cotton, it has an adjustable, clip-on neck strap and it also has clips to attach the split legs to either leg. Some may prefer a longer apron (such as the Claypron) but this apron covers the thighs and the split-leg design makes it perfect for sitting at the pottery wheel. Usually available for $20 to $25, the Revco green apron is available in 36”, 42” and 48” lengths.
For our complete guide to aprons, click here.
Harbor Freight Canvas Rigger’s Bag
The Harbor Freight Canvas Riggers Tool Bag.
This canvas tool bag has plenty of pockets and space to keep things organized, which is especially important if you work in a shared studio. As many pottery tools are quite small, it is helpful to keep everything together. And as this is open and made from cloth, you can put tools in immediately after cleaning and they will dry out and stay rust free. Usually available for around $25, this canvas tool bag will last for years of heavy studio use.
Neiko Diamond-Coated Drill Bits
5 piece diamond coated drill bit set from Neiko.
Diamond-coated drill bits are the best way to drill holes in bisque or glaze-fired ceramics. (Do this with plenty of water and eye protection, and you’ll also need a cordless drill) While there are numerous name-brand and generic drill bits for cutting accurate holes, this set from Neiko is a great way to get started with diamond bits. Ranging from 5/32” to 1/2”, the Neiko bits are a good size for tasks such as drilling cord holes in ceramic lamps or adding drainage holes for planters. At $10 or less, the Neiko bits are a cost-effective addition to any ceramic studio.
Fun T-Shirts at Society6
Retro 70s Pottery T Shirt (Shop at Society6)
The website Society6 has a lot of fun and interesting t-shirts and other merchandise with pottery and kiln themes. If you see a pattern or design you like, make sure to click around — designs are usually available on multiple products so you can find the right gift.
Society6 is a print-on-demand site where artists and designers can upload their own designs and they make a percentage of the sale price, so not only are you getting a cool gift, but you’re supporting other artists and designers too.
Evolution of Pottery T Shirt (Shop at Society6)
Kintsugi Heart T Shirt (Shop at Society6)
Gifts Under $50
Mastering the Potter’s Wheel by Ben Carter
This approachable book is great for beginners and intermediate pottery students. The thorough, straightforward advice covers a variety of throwing techniques and how to alter and modify those thrown forms. The book even includes a section on stretches and ways to avoid a sore lower back. Published in 2016, it’s a great addition to any potter’s book shelf.
Mastering the Potter’s Wheel, 208 pages, 8 x 10”, 2016, $30
Zebrawood Carving Tool
The P1 Zebrawood Carver from Diamond Core Tools.
The Zebrawood Carvers from Diamond Core Tools are functional, long-lasting (replaceable blades!), and beautiful. At 5.5 inches long, they feel like a pencil and can be used for sharp, even cutting tasks such as scraffitto and other forms of decoration. Diamond Core makes these with a wide variety of cutting blades—the P1 is a great carver to start with. At $37 each, these are on the expensive side for a ceramic tool but the adjustable blade and beautiful wood makes this a great gift for any potter.
Magna Cart
The Magna Cart.
If you work with clay, you need to move stuff all the time. Whether it is boxes of clay, packaged ware for shipping, or large sculptures, the Magna Cart is an invaluable tool that folds up for efficient storage when not in use. Store it in a closet or the trunk of a car, it’s a handy tool that will get used all the time. The cart can hold 150 lbs (I’ve pushed it to 200 and that can be too much), has 5” rubber wheels, a 15” wide base and the handle can extend to 39” tall. There are a lot of folding carts on the market now in all shapes and sizes, but the classic Magna Cart is still the best option.
10,000 Years of Pottery by Emmanuel Cooper
This lavishly illustrated book is a great addition to any potter’s bookshelf. Tracing the history of ceramics from the Ancient Near East through contemporary times, the book covers all parts of the globe along with the arts and crafts movement, ceramics and industry, studio ceramics, and more. Originally published in 1972, the book has been updated continuously since. The most recent 4th edition is available as a paperback for $30. My favorite thing is to just flip through this book for ideas and inspiration—it’s 360 pages long there are full-color pictures on almost every page.
Diamond Hand Pads
Stadea semi-hard foam-backed diamond hand pads.
Semi-flexible diamond hand pads from Diamond Core Tools.
Diamond hand pads are the perfect way to sand away burrs, small glaze drips, and rough patches on pots, sculptures, or kiln shelves and posts. Made of industrial-grade diamonds embedded in plastic, these are available from a variety of manufacturers as either soft, flexible pads or semi-hard foam-backed pads. The foam backed are my favorite because they provide structure and support your hand, but the flexible pads are useful for sanding more complicated shapes. Available as sets or individual pads, my recommendation is to get four individual pads in the range of 50 grit, 100 grit, 200 grit, and maybe 400 grit.
The soft pads are available from Diamond Core Tools. The foam backed pads are available from Diamond Core and other companies such as Stadea. Expect to spend $15 to $30 each for one pad, but if used just when needed (use sandpaper for more everyday tasks), they should last for some time, maybe even years.
Gifts Under $100
Banding Wheel
Shimpo Banding Wheels are heavy duty and come in five different sizes.
Banding wheels are very useful studio tools for coil building, sculpting, and decorating. And a high-quality design such as Shimpo banding wheels will last for decades or longer. Made of cast iron with sealed bearings, the Shimpo banding wheels are the best on the market. They are on the heavy side, but this added weight gives the wheels a smooth, even spin. Shimpo banding wheels come in five different sizes ranging from $60 to about $120. For more info, read our complete review of banding wheels, but of the options on the market, there is no doubt that these are the best.
Handheld Extruder
The Nidec Shimpo Handheld Extruder
A handheld extruder is one of the best ways to make handles or other shapes in a quick, efficient way. Basically a specialized version of a caulking gun, soft clay is inserted in the 2” wide barrel, a die is placed at the end, the cap screwed on, and you can pull the trigger and the plunger begins pushing clay through the die. You can also use hollow dies to make small forms that would be almost impossible to make by hand. Until I used one, I was skeptical that this was a useful tool but now I’m a convert—It’s my favorite way to make handles that are uniform and easy to use. For clean up, the whole tool can be plunged under water if necessary.
There are a variety of handheld extruders, which are all about the same, but the Nidec Shimpo Handheld Extruder is compact and well built. The key is getting dies that work for. In addition to the basic dies, my favorite add on is the Scott Creek Handle Die kit, which should match up with any small handheld extruder. The Shimpo Handheld Extruder is usually around $60 and extra die kits generally cost around $40.
MudTools Essentials Kit
The MudTools 9-piece Essentials Starter Kit
MudTools makes innovative tools such as their beloved flexible plastic ribs, and this Essential Starter Kit includes nine of their most popular tools in one kit. A great gift for pottery beginners, experienced potters will also appreciate this kit. Included are three flexible polymer ribs, the Mudshark cutting tool, a cut-off wire with polymer handles, a long plastic scraper/rib, a sponge, the MudTools all-in-one trimming tool, and the MudTools shredder. At around $70, this is a great gift option for every potter. For more info, read our guide here on beginner pottery tools here.
Note: Some marketing describes this as a 10-piece kit, but I would classify the plastic holder as a “tool.”
Other Gift Ideas
Pottery Wheels
Thinking of getting a new wheel as a gift? Check out our guide to table top wheels here, and our guide to full-size wheels here.
Cordless Drill
A drill is a functional, useful tool and a new one can make a great gift. Check out our buyer’s guide to cordless drills or corded drills.
We’ve got a lot of ideas in our various tool guides. Other ideas for gifts include scales for glaze mixing, accessories for glaze mixing, or maybe even tools that can be used in the kitchen or the studio.
Other Gift Ideas:
Classes: A set of classes at your local ceramics studio can be a great gift. If you can’t find a studio, ask a local clay supplier if they can recommend local studios.
Magazine Subscriptions: Magazines are great sources of ideas and inspiration. Check out Pottery Making Illustrated or Ceramics Monthly.
Tours, Trips, or Conferences: Look for pottery-specific travel tours, retreats, or conferences.
What ideas do you have for pottery gifts? Let us know in the comments.
Gift Guides
Check out these posts:
2022 Gift Guide for Potters and Ceramic Artist
