Do Pottery Wheels Rust

Pottery wheels cost anywhere from $200 to $2,500. When you invest that much money, you want to make the most out of it. You want to protect your pottery wheel any way that you can.

Do pottery wheels rust? Yes, pottery wheels can rust and have a proneness to rusting. You can perform regular maintenance and still have it rust, but you can do things to prevent the pottery wheel from rusting. Along with preventing rust, you can remove it too.

If you’d like to learn more about the process of preventing rust and removing it, keep reading. We will cover everything that you need to know about keeping rust away from your pottery wheel.

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Why Do Pottery Wheels Rust?

Moisture from the clay remains behind on the wheel head. Combining moisture with oxygen initiates a process known as oxidation. The iron reacts with oxygen and water to form hydrated iron oxide—the end result being rust. Steel and iron are prone to rust. Not cleaning the clay off the wheel at the end of each pottery session can accelerate rusting. Cleaning the clay off the wheel head puts you ahead, but it may not be enough to prevent the wheel from rusting.

How to Stop Pottery Wheels from Rusting

Every potter must take active measures to protect their wheel from corrosion. You can put the problem under your foot by buying the right material to begin with. For example, aluminum wheel heads can’t rust. Because rust is—by definition—iron oxide, aluminum cannot rust. It can still oxidize, which would make it lose its shininess, but it won’t rust in the same way as iron or steel. 

To prevent rusting, you could buy a galvanized steel wheel head. Galvanized steel combines a zinc layer to protect the steel. The zinc interferes with the oxygen bonding to the steel, which prevents rust, for up to 50 years. That does more than painting your pottery wheel.

Let’s say that you already bought a steel pottery wheel. To stop rust, you can paint the wheel with epoxy spray paints. You want to apply an even coat, and when the paint wears through, strip the paint off and paint it again. If you have rust beforehand, you will want to remove it before painting. If you are interested in learning more about buying a pottery wheel you should check our article HERE.

How to Eliminate Rust from Your Pottery Wheel

To get rid of rust from your pottery wheel, you can buy a chemical rust remover. Let’s say that you don’t want to pay for rust remover. You can ball up aluminum foil to use it as a type of steel wool. Before you do this, you might apply vinegar beforehand, which is a weak acid, to make the rust spots easier to remove.

Take advantage of the manufacturer. Call them up and ask how they would address rust on their pottery wheel. This gives you an expert’s opinion on your specific product. Have a spare can of WD-40 lying around that you use in the garage? WD-40 not only removes rust, but it adds a protective layer of lubricant to defend your pottery wheel from rust. Before you go Gung Ho on it, test a small area to ensure that it doesn’t cause damage.

When you apply WD-40 regularly, it prevents rust from coming back. It loosens the bonds between the rust and the metal surface using its lubricating characteristics. Leave it for between 10 to 20 minutes, and you will see it work wonders on rust. CLR is another product that works well on rust. 

What Causes Rust on Your Pottery Wheel?

Let’s look at the causes of rust on the pottery wheel. You have three main causes to understand:

• Improper cleaning techniques
• Pitting
• Acid-based cleaners

Properly Cleaning Your Wheel

Improper cleaning techniques can cause rusting at the wheel. You could clean your wheel at the end of each session and still have rust because you didn’t use the right technique. 

Affiliate Disclaimer: We are ambassadors or affiliates for many of the brands we reference on the website.  As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

To properly clean your wheel, clean up the pan and the surrounding area. Do this outside and not in the sink because it can mess up your plumbing system. Or get a Sink Trap System. Next, take the slop bucket and toss it outside somewhere where it won’t kill the grass. You will take any excess clay that you have and recycle it back into the clay bucket. 

Don’t add extra water. Grab a sponge with clean water and begin washing the wheel. Avoid harsh cleaning chemicals because it can damage the wheel. Clean the pan and the surrounding areas. You will toss any excess water that you might have back outside.

Expert Tip: Don’t use abrasive materials to clean off the pottery wheel. This can remove any protective barriers like a zinc layer on galvanized steel, which will result in rusting. The sponge does the trick best. Make it a habit to clean up after each session on the wheel. 

Pitting

You want to expose pits and scrub debris off the wheel head to protect from pitting corrosion. Pitting leaves only subtle signs, making it hard to detect early on. Detected early enough, you can stop pitting from its worst damage. Look for only a small spot of rust on the surface. It may hide a pit below it. This is the most damaging form of rust. 

The most common cause of pitting on the pottery wheel comes from when corrosive chemicals attack the surface of the wheel. We don’t recommend that you use chemicals at all to clean the pottery wheel. With severe damage to the wheel head, you may choose to replace the wheel head. 

Acid-Based Cleaners

Some potters prefer to use an acid-based cleanser on their wheel head because it makes it sparkle, but they should understand that the harsh chemicals can cause rusting on the wheel head. Acid-based cleaners can cause pitting and general corrosion of your wheel. If you wanted to use a cleanser of the wheel, use a pH-balanced cleanser. 

 Bat Pins Will Rust

Bat Pins on a pottery wheel hold the bats in place on the wheel. They are bolts with wing nuts that go through the wheel head and fit in the holes on the bat.  Bat pins do rust, but they remove easily, and they don’t cost much to replace. It’s best to remove them and clean them well from time to time.

What to Never Do

Along with harsh chemicals, never clean your wheel head with soap and water. Use plain water. You don’t want slimy soap scum left behind on the wheel head because it will interfere with the clay when you go to use it again. It’s an easy mistake for a beginner to make, which makes it worth mentioning.

Conclusion 

Pottery wheels do get rust on them. Unfortunately, if you don’t take proper care of your pottery wheel, it rusts easily. Following the steps outlined above, you can prevent rust from ever forming. Buying a wheel with a protective anti-rust coating lowers the risk of rusting. Wheel heads have a special proneness to pitting corrosion, which is the worst type of rust. Understanding how to address these things can help your pottery wheel to last longer. The average electric pottery wheel lasts over 30 years with proper care and maintenance. Check out the 7 most common issues you face when using the potter’s wheel and if you do, you will know how to address them.