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Pottery is the collection of containers and pots manufactured from different types of materials like clay, stone and porcelain. Making pottery is not only a profession but also a hobby to many people. They learn the techniques of making pots with different materials and use them for decoration, art collection and for cooking etc. The history of pottery lies years back and the first pot was probably made with clay without the aid of any tools and they were burnt or dried in the bonfire. The temperature required to dry them is about 900 degrees. The art of pottery was introduced in different times in different parts of the world. In Japan it started at around 10500 BC and in China the time was approximately 10000 BC. After that this started in South America and North Africa. The potter's wheel which is an ancient tool used for making pottery was discovered in the debris of Mesopotamia. This is also found in the Indus Valley civilization. The old specimens of the ancient pottery techniques are found in all parts of the world as this has always been an important part of the lives of the human beings. They used to cook food and store water in the pots which were made by the potters. Equipment Required for Pottery The oldest tool used to make pottery was hand. Till date the potters use their hands to make pots apart from the other equipments. But this is a slower technique and consumes a lot of time to prepare one specimen. The potter's wheel is another basic tool for pottery. This is like a turn table where a ball of clay is kept in the middle and the wheel is rotated thereafter. While the wheel rotates hands are used to shape the various parts of the pot. Some people use electric motors to increase the speed of the wheel. Then there are shaping tools available which are used to give the pots the perfect that you wish. These are anvils, paddles and ribs. Some tools are also used for rolling the material properly and these tools include rolling pins, roulettes etc. Sometimes you will require a cutting tool which can be a knife, wires or fluting tools. The chamois, burnish stones etc are used to add the finishing touch to the pottery. Some additive compounds are used to make the pots glazy and shining. There are different types of pottery and many people take this as a hobby to collect pottery for their personal collection. The antiques and age-old pottery can be extremely beautiful but expensive at the same time. You will find many of them in the curio and antique shops and auctions.
Article Source: http://www.articlesforfun.com
April Kerr owns website Pottery Mad which has details of where to buy Roseville pottery and Red Wing pottery.
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