Sign-In
Cart
Why Did My Pottery Crack?: A Practical Guide to Preventing Cracks, Warping, Weak Attachments, and Firing Failures During Building, Drying, Bisque Firi
Paperback
Crafts GeneralPottery & Ceramics
Publisher: Independently Published
Published: Jul 29 2026
Pages: 304
Weight: 0.81
Height: 0.76 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
Why did your pottery crack-even when it looked perfect before firing?
Cracks can appear during building, drying, bisque firing, glaze firing, or even after a piece has cooled. The difficult part is figuring out where the problem actually began. A crack that appears in the kiln may have started with uneven thickness, poor compression, mismatched moisture levels, rushed drying, a weak attachment, or improper firing conditions.
Why Did My Pottery Crack? is a practical troubleshooting guide for beginner and intermediate potters who want to prevent cracks, warping, broken handles, weak joints, and firing failures.
Inside, you will learn how to:
- Identify common pottery cracks and their likely causes
- Prevent S-cracks in wheel-thrown bowls, mugs, and vessels
- Avoid cracks around handles, feet, knobs, spouts, and attachments
- Match moisture levels when joining clay pieces
- Improve scoring, slipping, compression, and reinforcement
- Dry pottery slowly and evenly without warping
- Recognize when clay is truly bone dry and ready to fire
- Reduce cracking during bisque and glaze firing
- Understand dunting, thermal shock, glaze-fit problems, and cooling cracks
- Repair damage during the soft-clay, leather-hard, and bone-dry stages
- Decide when a damaged piece should be repaired or reclaimed
The book also explains why uneven wall thickness, heavy attachments, trapped moisture, improper kiln loading, fast heating, and sudden cooling can damage otherwise promising work.
Whether you create mugs, bowls, plates, tiles, planters, sculptures, or slab-built pottery, this guide will help you diagnose problems more accurately and prevent them from happening again.
Stop guessing why your pottery failed. Learn how to build, dry, and fire stronger ceramic pieces while wasting less clay, time, and effort.
Also from
Rhea, V.
50 Foods That Last Forever-Until Stored Wrong: Shelf-Life Mistakes That Ruin Long-Lasting Foods
Rhea, V.
Paperback
The Forgotten Anti-Aging Methods: Old-World Secrets for Youthful Skin and Healthy Aging
Rhea, V.
Paperback
Also in
Pottery & Ceramics
Amazing Glaze Food-Safe Recipes: Innovative, Lab-Tested Techniques and Recipes
Kline, Gabriel
Collins, Bill
Hardcover
Mastering Cone 6 Glazes: Improving Durability, Fit and Aesthetics
Hesselberth, John
Roy, Ron
Paperback
Mastering Hand Building: Techniques, Tips, and Tricks for Slabs, Coils, and More
Cobb, Sunshine
Hardcover
Making Things: Finding Use, Meaning, and Satisfaction in Crafting Everyday Objects
Boyle, Erin
Pearlman, Rose
Hardcover
Making Pottery Without a Kiln: Happy Little Projects to Make for Your Home
Schmidt-Kohl, Daniela
Paperback
Wild Clay: Creating Ceramics and Glazes from Natural and Found Resources
Levy, Matt
Shibata, Takuro
Shibata, Hitomi
Hardcover
A Beginner's Guide to Kintsugi: The Japanese Art of Repairing Pottery and Glass
Hori, Michihiro
Hardcover
Native American Pottery of the Southwest: 25 Pieces from the Isaacs-Swartz Collection
Isaacs, Stephen
Paperback
Amazing Glaze Recipes and Combinations: 200+ Surefire Finishes for Low-Fire, Mid-Range, and High-Fire Pottery
Kline, Gabriel
Hardcover
The Beginner's Guide to Hand Building: Functional and Sculptural Projects for the Home Potter
Cobb, Sunshine
Paperback
Practical Pottery: A Complete Guide to Getting Started in Making Beautiful & Functional Bowls, Plates, Vases & More on the Wheel
Borgbjerg, Sus
Liebe, Susan
Hardcover
Mastering Kilns and Firing: Raku, Pit and Barrel, Wood Firing, and More
Oesterritter, Lindsay
Hardcover
Grounded in Clay: The Spirit of Pueblo Pottery
Kinsel, Rick
Pottery Collective, Pueblo
Poon, Elysia
Hardcover
Mastering Sculpture: The Figure in Clay: A Guide to Capturing the Human Form for Ceramic Artists
Córdova, Cristina
Hardcover
Creative Pottery: Innovative Techniques and Experimental Designs in Thrown and Handbuilt Ceramics
Schwartzkopf, Deb
Paperback
Material Matters: An Artist's Guide to Understanding Ceramic Materials
Swanson, Linda
Bloomfield, Linda
Hardcover
Pottery for Beginners: Projects for Beautiful Ceramic Bowls, Mugs, Vases and More
Leigh Ford, Kara
Paperback
Playful Pottery: The Mud Witch's Guide to Creating Curvy, Colorful Ceramics
Matsuda, Viviana
Paperback
Pinch Your Pottery: The Art & Craft of Making Pinch Pots - 35 Beautiful Projects to Hand-Form from Clay
Atkin, Jacqui
Hardcover
Magical Metal Clay: Amazingly Simple No-Kiln Techniques for Making Beautiful Accessories
Heaser, Sue
Paperback
The Beginner's Guide to Wheel Throwing: A Complete Course for the Potter's Wheel
Weber, Julia Claire
Paperback
Around the World in 80 Pots: The Story of Humanity Told Through Beautiful Ceramics
Museum, Ashmolean
Jones, Keith Brymer
Hardcover
Earth & Fire: Modern Ceramicists, Their Tools, Techniques, and Practices
Johnson, Kylie
Johnson, Tiffany
Hardcover
Architectural Pottery: Ceramics for a Modern Landscape
Lauria, Jo
Chavkin, Daniel
Head, Jeffrey
Hardcover
A Practical Guide to Kintsugi Techniques: Mastering the Japanese Art of Broken Pottery and Glass with Gold
Takara, Jun
Paperback
Modelling Figures in Clay. Simple Animals.: Practical clay modelling made easy.
Rollins, Brian
Paperback
Ceramic Glazing for Beginners: What Every Ceramic Artist Should Know to Get Better Glazes
Roy, Gill
Paperback
Artisan Air-Dry Clay: The Beginner's Guide to Easy, Inexpensive & Stylish No-Kiln Pottery
Hostasova, Radka
Paperback
Wheel-Thrown Ceramics: Altering, Trimming, Adding, Finishing (A Lark Ceramics Book)
Davis, Don
Paperback
How To Use A Pottery Wheel: A Step-by-Step Guide to Mastering Clay Control, Form, and Technique
Fiorillo, Leo L.
Paperback
Intermediate Guide to Ceramic Glazing: Layer Glazes, Underglaze, and Make Triaxial Blends
Roy, Gill
Paperback
Glaze Inspirations: A Photographic Guide to Glaze Practice & Surface Techniques
Punter
Taylor
Paperback
Pottery For Beginners: Projects, Equipment & Tools Needed To Get Started: Pottery Making Guide
Knight, George
Paperback
Inside Japanese Ceramics: Primer of Materials, Techniques, and Traditions
Wilson, Richard L.
Paperback
Ceramic Glazes: A Beginner's Guide to Understanding Ceramic Glazing and Firing Techniques
Williams, Jacob
Paperback
The Urban Potter: A Modern Guide to the Ancient Art of Hand-Building Bowls, Plates, Pots and More
Proctor, Emily
Hardcover
The Lladró Guide: A Collector's Reference to Retired Porcelain Figurines in Lladró Brands
Whiteneck, Peggy Rose
Hardcover
A Passion for China: A Little Book about the Objects We Eat From, Live with and Love
Hatch, Molly
Hardcover
From Mud to Market: Tips and observations on selling Pottery. For those just starting out or those wanting a boost
Johnson, Adam
Ceramic, Adam
Paperback
Aramaic Bowl Spells: Jewish Babylonian Aramaic Bowls Volume Two
Bhayro, Siam
Shaked, Shaul
Ford, James Nathan
Hardcover
Talking with the Clay: The Art of Pueblo Pottery in the 21st Century, 20th Anniversary Revised Edition
Trimble, Stephen
Paperback
No Kiln, Handbuilding Clay Projects: 50 Elegant Projects to Make for the Home
Vannier, Charlotte
Paperback
Intermediate Guide to Ceramic Glazing: Layer Glazes, Underglaze, and Make Triaxial Blends
Roy, Gill
Hardcover
Polymer Clay 101: Master Basic Skills and Techniques Easily Through Step-By-Step Instruction
Otterbein, Kim
Mabray, Angela
Paperback
The Science of Polymer Clay: The Chemistry, Techniques, and Creative Mastery Behind Modern Artistry.
Glass, Caspian
Paperback
Ceramic Glazing for Beginners: What Every Ceramic Artist Should Know to Get Better Glazes
Roy, Gill
Hardcover
The Potter's Bible: An Essential Illustrated Reference for Both Beginner and Advanced Potters
Scott, Marylin
Hardcover
Wheel-Thrown Ceramics: Altering, Trimming, Adding, Finishing (A Lark Ceramics Book)
Davis, Don
Hardcover
Digital Crafts: Industrial Technologies for Applied Artists and Designer Makers
Shillito, Ann Marie
Paperback
Pottery For Beginners: Complete Pottery Handbook - Hand-Building and Wheel Basics for New Ceramicists
F. Rice, Murphy
Paperback
Totally Kiln It: Pottery Project Book - 80 Project Sheets to Record your Ceramic Work - Gift for Potters
Project Book, Pottery
Paperback
Complete Guide to Paper Clay: Mixing Recipes; Building, Finishing and Firing; 10 Practice Projects
Tardio-Brise, Liliane
Paperback
Mastering Microwave Kilns Methodology: Techniques for Fast and Efficient Ceramic Firing
Franklin, Luther
Paperback