Career Overview
Operate production machines such as pug mill, jigger machine, or potter's wheel to process clay in manufacture of ceramic, pottery and stoneware products.
Also Known As
- Glazer
- Jiggerman
- Potter
- Production Potter
Alternate Job Titles
- Clay Mixer
- Glazer
- Jigger Artisan
- Jigger Machine Operator
- Jiggerman
- Kiln Worker
- Manufacturing Potter
- Pot Maker
- Potter
- Pottery and Porcelain Model Maker
- Pottery Machine Operator
- Pottery Manufacturer
- Production Potter
- Pugmill Operator
- Thrower
What You'll Do
In this role, your typical responsibilities include:
- Operate gas or electric kilns to fire pottery pieces.
- Mix and apply glazes to pottery pieces, using tools, such as spray guns.
- Raise and shape clay into wares, such as vases and pitchers, on revolving wheels, using hands, fingers, and thumbs.
- Adjust wheel speeds according to the feel of the clay as pieces enlarge and walls become thinner.
- Position balls of clay in centers of potters' wheels, and start motors or pump treadles with feet to revolve wheels.
- Move pieces from wheels so that they can dry.
- Prepare work for sale or exhibition, and maintain relationships with retail, pottery, art, and resource networks that can facilitate sale or exhibition of work.
Emerging Responsibilities
As this field evolves, you may also:
- Apply glazes to pottery pieces, using tools such as spray guns.
- Decorate pottery using tools such as brushes.
- Load and unload pottery from kilns.
- Mix chemicals according to recipes to create glazes.
Knowledge You'll Use
You'll need solid knowledge in these areas:
- Fine Arts
- Production and Processing
- Design
Key Abilities
This career requires key abilities in:
- Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Finger Dexterity
- Manual Dexterity
- Control Precision
- Visualization
- Near Vision
- Multilimb Coordination
- Information Ordering
- Category Flexibility
- Originality
Work Style
People who excel in this career typically demonstrate:
- Attention to Detail
- Dependability
- Innovation
- Cautiousness
- Achievement Orientation
What Matters in This Career
This career tends to satisfy these work values:
- Achievement
- Relationships
- Working Conditions
- Recognition
- Independence
Education & Preparation
Typical Education: Some College Courses
Related Work Experience Needed: Over 4 years, up to and including 6 years
On-the-Job Training: Anything beyond short demonstration, up to and including 1 month
Education Details: Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Experience Required: Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Technology You'll Use
Popular Technologies & Software
- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Outlook
Tools & Equipment
- Air cleaners
- Air compressors
- Ball mills
- Banding wheels
- Carving spatulas
- Carving tools
- Ceramics kilns
- Clay cutters
- Clay extruders
- Clay mixers
- Clay presses
- Cleanup tools
- Conveyor feeding systems
- Dial calipers
- Digital scales
Work Environment
- Freedom to Make Decisions
- Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls
- Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals
- Deal With External Customers or the Public in General
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams
Salary & Job Market
Wages reported for the broader Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic occupational group (BLS 2024), which includes Potters, Manufacturing.
| Salary Percentile | Annual Wage |
|---|---|
| Entry-Level (10th percentile) | $34,950 |
| Median | $45,690 |
| Top Earners (90th percentile) | $61,050 |
Workers Employed Nationally: 34,750
Related Careers
If you're interested in this career, you might also consider:
Molders, Shapers, and Casters, Except Metal and Plastic
Education: Not specified
Median Salary: $45,690
Jewelers and Precious Stone and Metal Workers
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $49,140
Craft Artists
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $38,480
Painting, Coating, and Decorating Workers
Education: Less than a High School Diploma
Median Salary: $40,860
Stone Cutters and Carvers, Manufacturing
Education: High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED)
Median Salary: $45,690
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Occupational data sourced from the O*NET OnLine database, developed by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Wage data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), 2024.