What are clay stamps?
Clay stamps offer hobbyists and professionals alike a perfect way to personalise their pottery, ceramic art, soap or dough creations with their own design or text.
There are many different designs to a clay stamp, with the most common being a logo/makers mark, this is typically a logo or signature imprinted onto the bottom of a pottery piece making it easily identifiable who has made that piece.
How to stamp clay?
There are many variables to be aware of to ensure a clear impression on the clay, these are: clay dryness, clay support, stamp process and stamp design.
Clay Dryness
To get the perfect impression there is a suitable range of clay dryness. Too dry and the stamp won’t be visible, too wet and the tool may stick to the pottery and ruin your design. Some potters have reported that they have found the happy median for the perfect impression after trimming, although this process is all about trial and error and perfecting when this time is for you.
Clay Support
To ensure the pottery item does not collapse it is important to stamp on a supportive surface. Supported surfaces include the bottom of a plate or bowl or the bottom of a mug but instead of stamping in the middle, stamp towards the edge as this has more support in the walls (just like the image below).
If you would prefer your impression to be in the centre of the design we recommend adequate support is provided, e.g., sitting a mug over smaller cup to provide structural support.
It is also important to be mindful of the clay thickness as thin clay will naturally deform under pressure, therefore you will gain a better impression on thicker clay.
Stamp Process
If you do not support your clay, it can be tricky to get a clear impression. To avoid this, slightly angle and rotate your stamp when stamping to gain a clear impression. If this is not done, pressing straight down can cause the pottery to collapse due to the sensitive nature of the material.
Stamp Design
The size and design of your stamp is essential to your stamp success. Please remember that your design is shrunk down to your required stamp size, so intricate lines and artwork will not show up clearly. We recommend keeping your design simple to ensure a clean impression, like the one below.
If you have any queries regarding clay stamps please contact us via emailing us at hello@stampit.co.uk or messaging us on our socials.
We offer a large range of clay stamps, in a variety of sizes (from 20mm to 75mm) which are available to shop here.
