How to Stamp Clay Without Sticking

Stamping your mark into the foot or side of a piece is how potters sign their work. When it goes right, it's a crisp little seal. When it goes wrong, the stamp lifts a chunk of clay or leaves a smeared dent. Here's how to get it right.

1. Stamp at leather-hard

Timing is everything. Clay that's too soft sticks to the stamp and slumps. Clay that's too dry cracks or won't take the mark. Leather-hard is the sweet spot: firm enough to hold its shape and to handle without denting, but still cool and slightly damp. It's usually the same stage you'd trim at.

2. Stop the sticking

• Dust the stamp with a little cornstarch before each press. Tap off the extra. This is the most common fix and it burns away in the kiln.
• Or wipe the stamp with a very thin film of vegetable oil.
• Keep the stamp clean. Any clay left in the design from the last press will pull more clay out on the next one.

3. Support the wall

If you're stamping the side of a pot, put your fingers or a rounded tool inside, directly behind where the stamp goes. Without support, the wall caves in instead of taking the impression.

4. Press straight, lift straight

Press straight in with steady pressure. Don't rock it. Then lift straight back out. Pulling off at an angle drags the edges of the mark.

5. Size for shrinkage

Most clay bodies shrink roughly 10 to 15% between wet and fully fired, and your mark shrinks with it. Check your clay's shrinkage rate and size up a little, especially if your mark has small text. Our maker's mark is 1.5" round, which leaves room for initials or a simple symbol to stay readable after firing.

6. Clean up

Rinse the stamp in water and scrub the design with a soft toothbrush. Our maker's marks are solid Delrin (acetal), which doesn't absorb water, so it won't swell, warp, or grow mold the way wood can. Dry it and store it face up.

Keep your mark bold

Clay is less forgiving than paper. For a maker's mark, keep lines at least 0.5 mm thick and gaps at least 0.5 mm wide, and text at least 10 pt. We check every design and flag anything too fine on your proof before we engrave. See the Artwork Guide.