Walking the Line: Crafting Homewares with Air Dry Clay

In recent times, I've received a flurry of emails from fellow air dry clay enthusiasts, all asking the similar intriguing questions: "Can you craft functional homewares like candleholders, vases, and more using air dry clay?" I get asked about vessels that will hold water or be placed outside. While I truly wish I could offer a resounding "yes" to fulfill all your sculpting aspirations, the reality is a bit more complex.

Why can't I make pottery out of air dry clay?

The term "pottery" typically encompasses ceramic ware that undergoes firing in a kiln. It spans a vast array of items, including vases, mugs, pots, and dishes. Although some use the term pottery for sculptures, but in this discussion, I'm referring specifically to homewares meant for practical use.

First, let's delve into the critical characteristics that make traditional ceramic pottery suitable for daily use:

When clay is fired in a kiln, it undergoes a process called vitrification, turning it into a hardened, non-porous material. While fired clay on it’s own could be used to hold water, it is still slightly porous and would eventually get absorbed into the clay body and weaken it over time (possibly causing it to break). Think of a terracotta pot – left outside they often crack because of the water they have absorbed from the plants they hold. Glaze is the thing that creates a full waterproof seal on the clay, making a vessel ideal for holding liquids.

Air dry clay* lacks these features and so it will never be waterproof enough to hold any kind of liquid. Many clays would simply absorb the water and break apart, leak, or at the very least warp.