Carving and altering the surface of a ceramic vessel or sculpture is a great way to make the piece truly your own, and there are a variety of tools that can make this an easy process. A carving tool might be as simple as a dull pencil, something from the kitchen, or an item that you already have from a basic ceramics tool kit.
Definitely start with what you have and don’t get tools you don’t need or won’t use, but sometimes the right tool makes all the difference for carving, shaping, and faceting your pottery or sculpture.
Here’s a few great tools:
The Osti Wire Cheese Slicer has a thick and thin side.
Wire Slicer for Faceting
A double sided, stick-shaped wire cheese slicer can be a game-changer for faceting pottery. This slicer, from Osti, can be tightened at the top and has a 2mm or 4mm thickness. It retails for $13, but there are a variety of slicers out there. In a pinch, you can use a cut-off wire but a slicer like this will be more even.
Stylus Tools
Kemper makes a few double-sided, ball-tipped stylus tools that are great for sgraffito.
Ball-tipped stylus tools are great for sgraffito work. They can be found in a variety of sizes such as the double-end tools with hardwood handles made by Kemper, which are usually available for $4 to $6 each.
You can also use a dull pencil as a stylus, but it does wear down and requires sharpening somewhat often. Or, there are plenty of generic double-ended stylus tool. Click the link below or search for “embossing stylus tool.”
DiamondCore Stylus Tool
DiamondCore makes diamond burr stylus tools that are doubled headed and have foam grips over a wooden handle. These are beautiful tools and very nice to use, but they do come at a premium price, now almost $50 each or $130 for a set of three. With a price 8 to 10 times the cost of a Kemper ball stylus, it’s a real decision to get one of these but if they are in your budget, you won’t regret the purchase.
Scoop-Shaped Clean Up Tool
The Kemper clean up tool.
Carving tools such as the Kemper Clean Up Tool features a scoop end with a point, and another end with a blade for cutting. It can be used for cutting larger areas, scraping, or as a fine point. Kemper makes a few different clean up tools and the clean up tools are also available as generics. The Kemper model usually costs $3 to $5.
Small Loop Carving Tools
The Kemper Wire Loop Sgraffito tool is a great option for detailed carving.
Wire Loop Sgraffito Tool
In addition to stylus tools, another great option for sgraffito carving is a small wire loop tool. Much smaller than a normal loop tool, these really help you get great lines.
The Kemper WLS “wire loop sgraffito” tool is a great option with two loops on a double ended tool. It generally retails for $4 to $6.
Other Wire Stylus Options
The Kemper WS wire stylus has one wire tip.
In addition to the the WLS, there is also the single headed Kemper WS Wire Stylus, which generally costs $6-$12.
The Xiem Incising Pen Tool has two interchangeable tips.
The Xiem Scratch Pen Incising Tool takes the ideas of the Kemper wire tools to another level, with interchangeable tips and a silicone handle. It generally retails for $15 for the handle with two tips.
There is also an option on this tool to buy the handle plus 8 different tips. Shop this option at Etsy.
Ribbon and Loop Tools
The Kemper R2 ribbon tool has a curved side and a flat side.
Ribbon tools and loop tools are another great carving tool. Both are a metal band or wire loop connected to a wooden handle, and often are double side. The small, curved ribbon tool is a great carving tool and there are also many options with different shapes and sizes. Loop tools are often larger and used for trimming pots.
Most introductory pottery kits come with a ribbon tool and a loop tool, but if you don’t have one, look into a Kemper R2 Double Ended Ribbon Tool. It typically costs around $6.
Mini Ribbon Tool Sets
A typical generic mini ribbon tool set includes 6 tools.
Mini Ribbon Tool Sets are made by Kemper, Xiem, and generic manufacturers and are also great for sgraffito and carving. You might find a similar product with the Xiem Scratch Incising Pen (detailed above) but having these sets will also give you the different shapes of ribbon tools, often at an affordable price. This is one product where I think the generic is almost the same as the branded product, and you can often find sets of 6 tools for $7 to $10.
The Kemper set of 6 tools is listed at $13 at Blick, and $20 or more at Amazon.
The Xiem Mini Ribbon Tools come in sets of 3 (by color) or as a set of all 9 tools.
The Xiem Tools Mini Ribbon set features 9 tools with tempered stainless ribbon blades and aluminum handles. It typically retails for $24 at Blick or you can find the tools in packs of 3 broken down by color (see pic at right), for around $14 a pack at Amazon.
Other Mini Ribbon Tools
There are a wide variety of small ribbon tools out there, some ribbon blades on one side and wooden tools on the opposite end. As always, get what is best for you!
Larger Loop and Ribbon Tools
Larger loop tools definitely have a place as carving tools. Generally, I use the standard Kemper loop tools because they are affordable and well made.
The Xiem Pro Multi-Function Tools feature a rounded side and a square side with a smaller blade that is closer to a ribbon tool size, making them ideal for detail work.
But for an upgrade, I have really enjoyed using the Xiem Pro Multi-Function tool. It has a doubled ended ribbon tool on the end of a wooden handle, which has a rounded side and a square side. In a recent test of loop tools, it was one of my favorites. The Xiem Multi-Function tool comes in small, medium, and large sizes and generally cost around $17 each. The medium is a great place to start if you are getting one.
Other Tools for Carving, Sgraffito, and Decoration
A 6 pack of metal decorating combs.
Combing Tools
Serrated ribs and combing tools are another great option for modifying the surface of clay. You can make these yourself, such as from metal or plastic, or there are plenty of options online for a few dollars per rib. Pottery stores carry wooden options, or you can find metal or plastic ribs by searching for “cake decorating combs.” Often, a 6 pack of cake decorating combs are around $10.
One note on these multi packs, is that you may only need one or two of these combs. Some of the smaller grooves may not be as useful for decorating ceramic surfaces.
Pottery Knives and Scrapers
For carving and decorating, knives and scrapers are most useful for clean up, especially in the bone dry stage. If you have a basic pottery tool kit, you already should have a fettling knife and a simple metal rib. But if you don’t, definitely get at least one knife and a metal scraper for your tool kit.
Fluting Tool
The Xiem Fluting Tool has three blades.
Our final recommendation is a bit of a specialized tool — you can get a similar effect from a rounded ribbon tool, but this Fluting Tool from Xiem is well thought out and nice to use. It’s a handle with three sizes of fluted carving tools that can be swapped out as needed. There are also replacement blades available, making this a tool set that you can keep using for a long time, even if the blades wear out. It typically costs around $18-22 for the set.
Conclusion
This post has covered a variety of tools for carving, faceting, decorating, and altering the surface of a ceramic sculpture or vessel. There are a lot of great tools out there, but also ways to do a lot of this with tools you might already have around the house.
Do you you have a favorite carving tool? Let us know in the comments.
