# Potters, Manufacturing

> Operate production machines such as pug mill, jigger machine, or potter's wheel to process clay in manufacture of ceramic, pottery and stoneware products.

- Code: 51-9195.05 (O*NET-SOC; SOC 2018 51-9195)
- Family: [Production](https://foundation.org.ai/occupations#family-51), one of its 114 occupations
- Tasks: 23 tasks (18 core and 5 supplemental)
- Page: https://foundation.org.ai/occupations/51-9195.05
- JSON: https://foundation.org.ai/data/tasks/51-9195.05.json

## What the work is made of

1. Operate gas or electric kilns to fire pottery pieces.  
   Core task · Task 21210 · Rated by 51 people who do the job, August 2020
2. Mix and apply glazes to pottery pieces, using tools, such as spray guns.  
   Core task · Task 21211 · Rated by 52 people who do the job, August 2020
3. Raise and shape clay into wares, such as vases and pitchers, on revolving wheels, using hands, fingers, and thumbs.  
   Core task · Task 15118 · Rated by 52 people who do the job, August 2020
4. Adjust wheel speeds according to the feel of the clay as pieces enlarge and walls become thinner.  
   Core task · Task 15115 · Rated by 51 people who do the job, August 2020
5. Position balls of clay in centers of potters' wheels, and start motors or pump treadles with feet to revolve wheels.  
   Core task · Task 15117 · Rated by 52 people who do the job, August 2020
6. Move pieces from wheels so that they can dry.  
   Core task · Task 15122 · Rated by 51 people who do the job, August 2020
7. Prepare work for sale or exhibition, and maintain relationships with retail, pottery, art, and resource networks that can facilitate sale or exhibition of work.  
   Core task · Task 15119 · Rated by 51 people who do the job, August 2020
8. Attach handles to pottery pieces.  
   Core task · Task 21212 · Rated by 51 people who do the job, August 2020
9. Press thumbs into centers of revolving clay to form hollows, and press on the inside and outside of emerging clay cylinders with hands and fingers, gradually raising and shaping clay to desired forms and sizes.  
   Core task · Task 15114 · Rated by 52 people who do the job, August 2020
10. Pack and ship pottery to stores or galleries for retail sale.  
   Core task · Task 21213 · Rated by 52 people who do the job, August 2020
11. Smooth surfaces of finished pieces, using rubber scrapers and wet sponges.  
   Core task · Task 15120 · Rated by 52 people who do the job, August 2020
12. Pull wires through bases of articles and wheels to separate finished pieces.  
   Core task · Task 15123 · Rated by 52 people who do the job, August 2020
13. Design spaces to display pottery for sale.  
   Core task · Task 21214 · Rated by 51 people who do the job, August 2020
14. Verify accuracy of shapes and sizes of objects, using calipers and templates.  
   Core task · Task 15127 · Rated by 51 people who do the job, August 2020
15. Examine finished ware for defects and measure dimensions, using rule and thickness gauge.  
   Core task · Task 15124 · Rated by 51 people who do the job, August 2020
16. Maintain supplies of tools, equipment, and materials, and order additional supplies as needed.  
   Core task · Task 15126 · Rated by 51 people who do the job, August 2020
17. Operate pug mills to blend and extrude clay.  
   Core task · Task 15131 · Rated by 52 people who do the job, August 2020
18. Perform test-fires of pottery to determine how to achieve specific colors and textures.  
   Core task · Task 15125 · Rated by 52 people who do the job, August 2020
19. Start machine units and conveyors and observe lights and gauges on panel board to verify operational efficiency.  
   Supplemental task · Task 15129 · Rated by 51 people who do the job, August 2020
20. Operate drying chambers to dry or finish molded ceramic ware.  
   Supplemental task · Task 15128 · Rated by 51 people who do the job, August 2020
21. Adjust pressures, temperatures, and trimming tool settings as required.  
   Supplemental task · Task 15130 · Rated by 51 people who do the job, August 2020
22. Design clay forms and molds, and decorations for forms.  
   Supplemental task · Task 15121 · Rated by 51 people who do the job, August 2020
23. Teach pottery classes.  
   Supplemental task · Task 15133 · Rated by 51 people who do the job, August 2020

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## Where this comes from

Quoted from O*NET 29.0, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, under CC BY 4.0: free to copy and reuse, with credit. Nothing on this page is written by the Org.AI Foundation.
