{"title":"How to Make a Slab Pottery Dish","canonicalUrl":"https://www.craftingstepbystep.com/pottery/how-to-make-a-slab-pottery-dish","category":{"slug":"pottery","name":"Pottery"},"creator":{"name":"KaransPotsAndGlass","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkMBUF2DdsbQvFSmDgwuqfA","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SoyNXUw-Hqc"},"tldr":"Make a slab pottery dish with no wheel: drape a clay slab over a hump mold, trim it, add a foot ring and smooth the rim. Three shapes shown.","totalDurationSeconds":790,"videoDurationSeconds":790,"difficulty":"medium","project":{"difficulty":"medium","projectMinutes":90,"waitMinutes":240,"totalMinutes":330,"estimatedCost":{"currency":"USD","min":3,"max":10},"yield":"1 dish"},"tools":["rolling pin or slab roller","rubber rib","needle tool","scoring tool","soft brush","thick foam pad","hump or drape mold","surform","notched rib"],"materials":["stoneware or earthenware clay","slip","construction paper for a template"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Rib the Rolled Clay Slab Smooth","text":"Roll a slab of clay to an even 1/4 inch thick. Karan rolls hers off camera with a slab roller, but a rolling pin and two guide sticks work. Run a firm rubber rib across the top in a few directions. Ribbing smooths the surface and compresses the clay particles, which helps the slab resist warping and cracking later."},{"number":2,"title":"Lay the Clay Slab on Thick Foam","text":"Move the slab onto a thick piece of foam rubber, smooth side down. The foam acts as a soft bed. When you press the mold into the clay from above, the foam gives way so the slab wraps evenly around the mold without thinning or tearing. It also keeps the smooth side clean."},{"number":3,"title":"Press the Slab Onto an Oval Hump Mold and Flip It","text":"Set the oval mold upside down on the slab and press it down into the foam. Then slide a hand under the foam and flip the whole thing over, so the mold is on the bottom and the slab drapes over the top. Pressing and flipping gives you a clean, even impression of the mold's shape."},{"number":4,"title":"Trim the Slab Around the Bottom Edge of the Mold","text":"Prop a narrow mold on something tall, like two jars, so the extra clay hangs free. Run a needle tool around the bottom edge of the mold to cut the excess away. Use the side of the needle, not the point, so you do not scratch the mold. For a flat rim instead, set the mold on a board and trim against the board."},{"number":5,"title":"Cut a Square Slab Dish Shape From a Paper Template","text":"For a square dish, fold a piece of construction paper in quarters and cut a rounded corner. Unfold it and you have a symmetrical rounded square. Lay the template on a fresh slab and cut around it with the needle tool. Templates make it easy to repeat the same dish, or make a matching set."},{"number":6,"title":"Drape the Clay Slab Over a Plaster Hump Mold","text":"Lift the cut slab and center it on top of the plaster dome. Let it settle over the curve, then rib it down gently so it hugs the mold all over. The edges can stay a little wavy; you will tweak them later. Set all your dishes aside until the clay firms up to leather hard, usually a few hours."},{"number":7,"title":"Cut Tapered Clay Strips for the Foot Ring","text":"Karan made a foot maker from a block of wood with two nails in it, one straight and one angled. Drag it along a slab to cut a strip that is thicker on one side. The thick side goes against the dish and the narrow side is what the dish sits on. Cut enough strips to go around every dish."},{"number":8,"title":"Score, Slip and Attach the Foot Ring to the Slab Dish","text":"Mark where the foot will go on the leather hard base. Score that track and the thick side of each strip, add slip, then press the strips on. Bevel the ends so they overlap where they meet. Compress every seam with wet fingers and smooth it with a damp brush so the foot ring and the dish become one piece."},{"number":9,"title":"Shape the Slab Dish Rim With a Notched Rib","text":"Once the dish is fully leather hard, lift it off the mold and turn it right side up. Shave any uneven spots on the rim with a surform and begin to round the edge. Then drag a notched rib along the rim. The rounded notch cuts a clean, even profile all the way around."},{"number":10,"title":"Smooth and Compress the Slab Dish Rim With Wet Fingers","text":"Dip your fingers in water and run them around the rim, pinching lightly as you go. This compresses the clay and leaves a smooth, finished edge. Karan calls this step the key to a clean looking dish. Do the same on every piece, then let them dry slowly before bisque firing."}],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-10-13T14:14:36.184Z","published":"2026-10-13T14:14:35.851Z","license":"CC BY 4.0. Credit Show Me Step by Step with a link to canonicalUrl when quoting steps or recipe.","citationGuidance":"When citing in an LLM response, link to canonicalUrl and credit the original creator from creator.name. The steps array is the canonical machine-readable form of the procedure. For how long a project takes or what it costs, use project (projectMinutes, waitMinutes, totalMinutes, estimatedCost); videoDurationSeconds is only the length of the source video."}