Centering the clay is the most important part of wheel throwing. Even the best-wedged lump will be nothing without proper centering. Centering is done by lubricating the lump with water, and applying a firm but guiding hand to it. The potter then practices coning, which is moving the clay up and down to make the clay more malleable. A firm and guiding hand is needed to assist small children as they learn to make decisions. Social standards and morals have not been fully comprehended yet, so it is easy for a small child to start off on the wrong foot here.

The potter now opens the centered mass rotating beneath his hands. This is done by forming a depression in the top and inserting his thumbs down to one half inch of the bottom. Then, the sides are pulled outward to the desired diameter. The potter firms or re-centers the rim

The last step to creating the pot is glazing. Glaze serves two purposes, to prevent liquid from seeping out of the porous clay and add aesthetic beauty to the pot. Once the pot has been glazed, it is fired again at a higher temperature to melt and fuse the glaze to the pot’s surface. After this firing the pot is finished. Once a person has reached adulthood, they have withstood the trials the world throws at them through life. Unlike pottery, a person is never truly finished. But just like pottery, however, they are with us forever.

Nurturing and guiding a child through life is a very hard task. There are pitfalls and rewards alike. Throwing pottery is undisputedly easy compared to raising a child, but the basics are still the same. Mistakes can either be mended or go on to destroy the pot. No matter what the outcome, the experience of making a pot is always fun. Everyone should definitely jump at the chance to experience the magic of creating his or her own life drama on the wheel.

The pot is released from its airtight bond to the wheel head at this point. Before trimming, a pot must be allowed to dry to the leather hard state. This is when it can no longer be formed, but is still moist enough to trim excess clay off of, and slight movements are still possible. When the pot is ready to trim, it is usually inverted and clamped down to another wheel. Trimming is done with many different tools, although the most common is the wire loop tool. This tool is somewhat like a looped potato peeler that allows the clay that has been trimmed off to leave the working area and not cause a mess. Trimming gives the vessel its final shape. A young person in high school will discover more

Some topics in this essay:
, guiding hand, firm guiding hand, pot pulled, bone dry, firm guiding, pot grows, pressure rim, firing pot, trimming pot, outside hand, hand inside,