Master and Mold
Each piece of Peter Pots Pottery is fully handmade from concept to completion. Every design begins as a handcrafted three-dimensional master from which plaster production molds are made.
Pouring Slip
Our process is called slip-casting, where our specially-formulated liquid clay, or slip, is poured to fill the plaster mold.
Trimming Pots
As the mold absorbs water from the slip, a thick layer of clay lines the mold, and the liquid center is then poured out.
When the clay inside the mold dries to be leather-hard, it can be safely trimmed, removed from the mold, and allowed to dry completely.
Once dry, this fragile greenware undergoes extensive hand finishing, to smooth the surface, round the edges, shape final details, and prepare it for glazing and firing.
Each piece is signed Peter Pots when it is ready for the next step, glazing.
Peter Pots glazes are formulated and mixed on the premises and applied directly to the greenware.
Each piece has both white and colored glaze applied, creating our unique and distinctive appearance.
The pottery is then ready for firing, and each piece is carefully positioned on the shelves of the kiln.
Once loaded, our kiln is fired to nearly 2200 degrees F, a process that takes about ten hours to reach that temperature.
After a full day of cooling, the kiln can be opened and the magic of the process is revealed.
Each piece is now fully vitrified and rings like a bell, and the colors of the glaze have blossomed and blended to their rich appearance. Customers on that day often buy Peter Pots still warm from the kiln.