Pottery - with Lid

When you’ve gotten the hang of throwing mugs and bowls and are ready to branch out into some more challenging forms, making jars is a great step. Throwing the body of the jar isn’t too much different from throwing a cylinder, but you might wonder how to make a lid for a jar.

In today’s post, an excerpt from the Pottery Making Illustrated, Jared Zehmer gives great instruction for how to make one of the most popular types of lids for jars. - Jennifer Harnetty, editor.

P.S. Learn how Jared Zehmer creates square, inserted lids for his faceted jar forms in the Pottery Making Illustrated.

Great Instruction on How to Make a Classic Jar lid

by Jared Zehmer

Making a Round Lid

To create a jar with a round lid that fits over the rim and has a flange that drops down into the jar, begin after figure 5 by pulling the leftover thick rim inward and upward, reducing the thickness and creating a thin, rounded edge with a slight upward sweep. Take a measurement of the inside (A), cut the jar free from the bat with a wire tool, and then set it aside to dry to the leather-hard stage while keeping it on the bat.