Catawba Indian Pottery

Tuesday, September 20, 2005

Rubbing the Catawba Pottery

Next would be the rubbing of the pottery. Catawba potters spend hours rubbing their pieces so the rubbing rocks are their most cherished tools. The more a piece is rubbed the smoother the finish. Marcus Sanders rubs his Catawba pottery until it is smooth as a marble this requires many hours of rubbing. Each potter has his own way of rubbing. Some only rub a piece once but make sure it is rubbed correctly spending hours just on one rub. On lesser pieces called "trade ware" the rub marks can easily be seen. On quality pieces it is very hard to see the marks of the rubbing stone.