Clay forming

Clay forming is a crafting method that allows the player to place tiny cubes (voxels) of clay in layers that form a shaped container, which is then fired in a firepit to finish the item. The forming mechanic is similar to knapping stone tools, where voxels must be added or removed to create the desired object.

Required Materials

To form clay items, a player needs: blue clay or fireclay, a firepit, and fuel.

Left, Blue Clay; Right, Fire Clay

Acquiring Clay

Clay deposits are commonly found in temperate climates and can be harvested with bare hands or a shovel. There are different types of clay in the world, blue clay and fire clay. For tool molds and items like bowls and pots, either kind of clay may be used, but the bloomery must be built with fire clay bricks.

Shaping Molds and Items

1. Select clay in the active hand.
2. Aim the white crosshairs on a solid surface and Sneak + Right Mouse Button to open the clay forming menu and select the item to be crafted.
3. The clay forming grid will appear on the selected surface. To craft the chosen mold or item, the 'green' colored voxels must be filled using (right mouse button to add) and clay removed from any 'orange' colored voxels using (left mouse button to remove) to create each layer of the form. As each layer of the clay item is completed, the next layer will appear above the last. It's helpful to sit on the ground (press 'G') while shaping clay.
4. When all layers of the item or mold are completed, the dialog box will disappear and the formed items will jump into the inventory of the player who placed or removed the last voxel of clay. Formed items can be placed on a surface before firing and picked up by "breaking" the item (left mouse button). Breaking will not destroy an item.

Clay Tool Modes

To change the number of clay voxels added or removed (1x1, 2x2 and 3x3), press F and select the 'brush size' as indicated by the first three menu options. The last tool menu option,'Copy' allows a player to duplicate identical layers of clay voxels. When this menu option is selected, pressing the right mouse button adds a "layer" of clay matching the pattern of voxels directly underneath the current layer "under construction".

Finishing Items and Molds - Pit Kiln

Once the form is complete, the clay item must be baked in a pit kiln.
A pit kiln is a one deep hole dug into the earth or surrounded by stone - make sure to not use any burnable materials in the vicinity, as the kiln will spread fire! Even tall grass and low hanging tree branches will go up in flames and might cause your local forest or house to be destroyed. After finding a secure spot, place your raw items into the hole. You can find a list of how many items can be fired at the same time below. Next, place dry grass, sticks and fire wood above the items in that order - the game will stop you from adding more than necessary. It should take 10 grass, 8 sticks and 4 firewood.
Finally, ignite the kiln with a torch or fire starter. Make sure to keep a safe distance from it yourself, since you can accidentally set yourself on fire as well. The firing will take approximately 30 min real time, so it's a good idea to prep the pit kiln before the night to let it fire away through the darkness. The fire on top of the kiln will stop burning when it's done, leaving only the finished pottery items in the hole. Finished items appear dark brown in color and have "burned" added to their name.

Following a list of clay items and how many of them can be fired in one pit kiln:

Pottery Item	Clay type	Amount
Bowl	blue or fireclay	4
Claypot	blue or fireclay	4
Crucible	blue or fireclay	4
Crock	blue or fireclay	4
Flowerpot	blue or fireclay	1
Planter	blue or fireclay	1
Shingle	blue or fireclay	48
Storage Vessel	blue or fireclay	1
Watering Can	blue or fireclay	1
Anvil Mold	blue or fireclay	1
Axe head Mold	blue or fireclay	1
Hammer head Mold	blue or fireclay	1
Hoe head Mold	blue or fireclay	1
Ingot Mold	blue or fireclay	2
Lamellae	blue or fireclay	?
Pickaxe head Mold	blue or fireclay	1
Prospector's Pick Mold	blue or fireclay	1
Shovel head Mold	blue or fireclay	1
Sword blade Mold	blue or fireclay	1
Firebrick	fireclay	12

Using Finished Pottery Items and Molds

Many of the items made with clay are containers used in other types of crafting. Most baked items can be placed on the ground using (Sneak + RMB), and many pottery items can be picked up again with an empty hand (RMB).

Using Items

The Claypot and Bowls are used in Food and cooking, while the watering can has a use in farming. Crocks and Storage Vessels are containers used in food preservation. Shingles can be used to construct clay shingles blocks, Flowerpots and Planters are containers used in decorating. Lamellae are used as components in crafting armor

Using Molds

For more information and instructions when using molds to cast metal ingots, tools and weapons, see separate pages on: crucible, molds and casting.

Clay Required to Create Items and Molds

Name	Item/Mold	Clay Required	Multiple?
Bowl	Item	1	1 or 4
Claypot	Item	4	1 or 4
Crucible	Item	3	1 or 4
Crock	Item	2, 14	1 or 4
Flowerpot	Item	5	1 or 4
Planter	Item	18	1
Shingles	Item	TBD	12
Storage Vessel	Item	35	1
Watering Can	Item	TBD	1
Anvil	Mold	28	1
Axe head	Mold	11	1
Hammer head	Mold	12	1
Hoe head	Mold	12	1
Ingot	Mold	2	1 or 2
Lamellae	Mold	TBD	1
Pickaxe head	Mold	12	1
Prospector's Pick	Mold	13	1
Shovel head	Mold	11	1
Sword blade	Mold	12	1

Video Tutorials

Explanation of clay firing v 1.15	Alternative Explanation of clay firing since 1.15

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