{"title":"How to Make a Slab Mug - Hand-Built Pottery Mug, No Wheel","canonicalUrl":"https://www.craftingstepbystep.com/pottery/how-to-make-a-slab-mug","category":{"slug":"pottery","name":"Pottery"},"creator":{"name":"Rebekah Hower","channelUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyio6gVZ4bDoh8slZ1BH0Xg","sourceVideoUrl":"https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yh9gGfrlwac"},"tldr":"Make a slab mug by hand: trace a template, carve a pattern, roll it up, then slip and score the seam, base and handle. No wheel needed.","quickAnswer":"Make a slab mug by hand: trace a template, carve a pattern, roll it up, then slip and score the seam, base and handle. A medium project: about 2 hours. You need 12 things, including stoneware clay, clay slip and food safe glaze. The 10 steps start with smooth Both Sides of the Clay Slab, trace the Paper Mug Template Onto the Clay Slab, cut Out the Mug Body and Smooth Its Edges and roll a Clay Coil for the Mug Handle.","totalDurationSeconds":776,"videoDurationSeconds":776,"difficulty":"medium","project":{"difficulty":"medium","projectMinutes":120,"waitMinutes":null,"totalMinutes":120,"estimatedCost":null,"yield":"1 mug"},"tools":["rolling pin or slab roller","needle tool","pottery knife","wooden carving tools","loop tools","sponge","paintbrush","hair dryer","paper or card stock template"],"materials":["stoneware clay","clay slip","food safe glaze"],"steps":[{"number":1,"title":"Smooth Both Sides of the Clay Slab","text":"Start with a slab of clay rolled out evenly, about a quarter inch thick. Run a damp sponge or a wooden rib over the whole surface to wipe away the canvas texture. Flip it and do the other side. A smooth slab carves cleaner and shows fewer marks once the mug is glazed. Keep the sponge damp, not dripping."},{"number":2,"title":"Trace the Paper Mug Template Onto the Clay Slab","text":"Lay your curved paper mug template along the edge of the slab, close to one side so you leave plenty of scrap clay. Trace all the way around it with a needle tool or the point of a wooden tool. Press lightly but keep the line continuous. Then lift the template off and set it aside for the next mug."},{"number":3,"title":"Cut Out the Mug Body and Smooth Its Edges","text":"Cut along the traced line with a pottery knife or needle tool, holding the blade straight up. Peel away the extra clay and keep it under plastic, because the base and handle come from it. Dip a finger or sponge in water and run it along every edge, top and bottom, so nothing is sharp once it dries."},{"number":4,"title":"Roll a Clay Coil for the Mug Handle","text":"Squeeze a piece of the scrap into a log. Wet your hands slightly so they glisten. Roll the clay on the table, moving your hands outward as you go, with light even pressure so the coil stays round and smooth. Measure it against the height of your mug body to make sure it is long enough to fit your fingers."},{"number":5,"title":"Shape the Clay Coil Into a Mug Handle","text":"Bend the coil into the handle shape you want. It should look like a candy cane or an ear. Cut both ends at an angle with the needle tool so they sit flush against the curved side of the mug. Set the handle aside gently so it firms up without losing its shape while you work on the body."},{"number":6,"title":"Carve a Texture Into the Flat Mug Slab","text":"Test your tools on a scrap first. Wooden tools, loop tools and even the back of a paintbrush all leave different marks. Here, fine branch lines go on with a small wooden tool held at an angle so the grooves stay clean. Leaves are pressed in with a loop tool and pulled slightly. Dots from the tool's back end fill the gaps."},{"number":7,"title":"Curl the Carved Slab Into a Mug Cylinder","text":"If the slab is still floppy, firm it with a hair dryer for a few seconds. Lift it carefully from one end and curl it around until the two short edges meet and it looks like a cup. Set it on a soft towel so the carving does not flatten. Support it with your hand rather than squeezing it."},{"number":8,"title":"Score and Slip the Mug Seam Together","text":"Scratch up both edges where the cylinder will join, using a wooden tool. Brush slip onto both scored edges. Press the edges together with a slight overlap, working inside and outside, until slip oozes from the seam. Then smooth the seam with a damp brush and sponge, and even out the rim."},{"number":9,"title":"Attach a Clay Base to the Bottom of the Mug","text":"Stand the mug on the scrap slab and trace around the bottom. Cut the circle out and smooth its edge. Score the outer ring of the base and the bottom edge of the mug, then brush slip on both. Press them together and run your fingers all around until slip oozes. Flip it over and smooth the inside seam with a tool."},{"number":10,"title":"Attach the Handle to the Side of the Mug","text":"Hold the handle against the mug and mark where the top and bottom touch. Score those two spots and both handle ends, then add slip. Support the inside of the mug with one hand and press the handle on until slip oozes out. Check that it sits straight, clean the joins with a damp brush, and sign the bottom."}],"commonProblems":[],"recipe":null,"lastUpdated":"2026-11-08T15:10:45.607Z","published":"2026-11-08T15:10:45.393Z","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."}