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The Clay Hole University · Surface and Decoration

Wax, Latex, Tape and Paper ResistsPrintable pottery guide

Ask whether it has to come off before the kiln, pick the resist, apply it, let it dry all the way, glaze away from the edge and peel at the right moment, with the order and the waits set out so the edge comes out sharp.

$7.005 guides, 1 free
  • Skill level: Beginner
  • 24 printable pages
  • 6 video picks
  • 8-question quiz + answer key

Flip through the free sample
  • Instant download
  • Prints on any printer
  • The lesson stays free
The printable, at a glance

What is the Wax, Latex, Tape and Paper Resists printable guide?

It is the resist lesson on paper: the one question that picks between wax, paper, latex, tape, rubber bands and stickers, which one suits leather hard clay, bisque and a first glaze, how to apply each and let it dry all the way, brushing glaze away from the edge, the peel window, and the common faults with what each one is telling you. Steps with tick lists, a one page summary for the glaze table, and a log for every pot. Built to be printed and written on.

Prefer to read it online first? The “Wax, Latex, Tape and Paper Resists” lesson is free, and always will be.

  • 24printable pages, US Letter
  • 8quiz questions, with a full answer key
  • 6hand-picked videos, each with a QR code
  • 11glossary terms in plain language
  • 2workbook pages you fill in yourself
For the pot that is about to meet glaze

Let it dry, then glaze away from the edge

A resist looks simple and is mostly timing. The wax has to go matte before glaze goes near it. The latex has to go from milky to clear and rubbery. The peel has to come when the glaze has lost its shine and is not yet powder. None of those waits is long, and all of them are easy to rush when the glaze table is busy.

The other half is knowing which resist you need before you start. Wax and paper burn out. Latex, tape, rubber bands and stickers have to come off before the pot goes anywhere near a kiln. That one question picks the resist, and it is worth having on paper where you can see it with a brush in your hand.

The guide keeps the order in front of you with a tick list at each step, names what goes wrong and what it means, and leaves room for a pot log and a one page summary. The log is where the resist, the stage of the clay and the wait get written down, so the next pot starts from a note and not a guess.

Look inside

Real pages, for the glaze table beside your work

These are actual pages from the guide, shown here with the sample watermark.

  • Page 5 of the “Wax, Latex, Tape and Paper Resists” printable guide: what you need, shown with the sample watermark
    What you needThe table list on one page: wax and its own brush, latex and a soaped brush, tape, newsprint, rubber bands and stickers, and a barely damp sponge with a needle tool.
  • Page 6 of the “Wax, Latex, Tape and Paper Resists” printable guide: step one, shown with the sample watermark
    Step oneMatch the resist to the job and the stage. Which ones the kiln takes off, which ones you peel, and what suits leather hard clay, bisque and a first glaze, with a tick list to finish before you pick up a brush.
  • Page 14 of the “Wax, Latex, Tape and Paper Resists” printable guide: at the clay hole, shown with the sample watermark
    At The Clay HoleThe studio page: how wax is set up by Level, the jar rule, and what has to be off a pot before it goes to the drop-off table. It is named as ours, so it is clear which lines are the studio’s and which are the craft’s.
  • Page 17 of the “Wax, Latex, Tape and Paper Resists” printable guide: every pot, and how the resist behaved, shown with the sample watermark
    Every pot, and how the resist behavedA log to write in: the resist, the stage, how long it dried, the glaze over it and how the edge came out. The last column is the one that pays, because the next pot starts from it.
Flip through the free sampleTen pages, free, no email required.
Why this one belongs on paper

You do this with a brush in one hand and a wet pot in the other

Resist work happens at the glaze table, with your attention on the edge and not on a screen. Paper suits that.

  • The one question stays in view

    Off before the kiln, or off in the kiln. It picks the resist, and on a page beside the pot it is there every time without a clean finger to find it.

  • The waits, ticked off

    Wax matte, latex clear, peel at matte. Each step has a tick list, so you can tell at a glance whether you waited or only meant to.

  • A log that holds the timing

    The pot log has a column for the resist, the stage, how long it dried, the glaze over it and how the edge came out. By the time the kiln opens you will have forgotten, and the page has not.

  • One page for the glaze table

    The one page summary has the five resists, the order and what each fault is telling you. It pins up beside the glaze for the moments when your hands are full.

How this one is built

Rebuilt for paper, not printed from a web page

Every guide in the series is set from scratch for print. Here is what that meant for this one.

  • Checked against our other lessons

    We read this lesson against our dipping lesson and the glaze certification. Wax goes on dry bisque first, a dipped pot is left alone while wet and its waxed foot is checked last, and no brush ever goes into a glaze jar. The guide and the free lesson now say the same.

  • Dust and fumes, said plainly

    Latex is ammonia, so the guide says use it near a door and stop if it bothers you. Fired bisque is never scraped dry, and a wet diamond pad with safety glasses and an N95 or better is the way to take off a bead.

  • Video picks, described by what they show

    Six videos from other potters, and each note says only what its description and chapter list show, not more.

  • Written for any studio

    The Clay Hole’s own rules, such as wax by Level, the jar rule and what has to be off a pot before the drop-off table, are named as ours, so a reader working somewhere else knows which line is the studio’s and which is a rule of the craft.

  • A quiz that explains itself

    A short quiz, and an answer key that gives the reason behind every answer rather than only the letter, worded to match the corrected lesson.

  • Codes that keep working

    Every link, video picks included, is a short Clay Hole address. If a video moves, we repoint the address and your printed copy still goes to the right place.

Why the University is free

The lesson is free. It always will be.

All of the teaching in this guide comes from the free “Wax, Latex, Tape and Paper Resists” lesson, and that lesson is not going anywhere.

I love a resist because it makes a plain pot look like you planned it.

The part nobody tells you is that the skill is patience.

So work out what has to come off before the kiln, and what the kiln will take care of.

Dan Pearce, founder of The Clay Hole
The series

Build a little pottery library

Every printable guide in The Clay Hole University series takes one free lesson and rebuilds it for paper, with workbook pages, a glossary and a quiz with a worked answer key. Each one keeps its number for good, so a guide you buy today is the same guide in the same place next year.

Put any five printable guides in your cart and the cheapest one is on us. Put in nine and the two cheapest are on us. It happens automatically at checkout, no code to remember.

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Sits next to

Three lessons that pick up where this one leaves off

Each one is free to read online, and the codes in the guide take you straight there.

Questions

Good to know

How is this different from the free lesson?
The teaching is the same, and the free lesson is not going anywhere. The guide is that teaching rebuilt for paper: a learning dashboard at the front, a pot log to write in, a one page summary, a glossary and a quiz with an answer key that explains every answer.
What do I need to try it?
Cold wax and a brush that only does wax, latex resist and a soaped brush if you want peelable edges, painter’s tape and a craft knife, newsprint, a barely damp sponge and a needle tool. You will not use all five resists on one pot. The guide lists them on its first pages.
Is this too early for me?
It is marked Beginner in the University. Nothing in it is hard. The skill is waiting: for the wax to go matte, for the latex to go clear, and for the moment the peel comes clean. If you have never used a resist, read the free lesson first and keep the guide beside you for your first pot.
Do I need a fancy printer?
No. It is set for an ordinary home or office printer on regular US Letter paper, with nothing important near the edges, so normal printer margins cut nothing off.
Does it print in black and white?
Yes. Nothing in it depends on color to make sense: the text, the tick boxes and the tables are black on white, and color is used for headings and small labels.
Can I print just part of it?
Yes, and most people do. The one page summary and the pot log are the two worth having beside the glaze table. They are numbered pages like any other, so you can print those and leave the rest on a screen.
Can I read it on a screen instead?
Yes. It is an ordinary PDF and it reads fine on a tablet or a phone. The workbook pages are the ones that want paper, because you write on them.
How does delivery work?
It is a digital download. The link arrives by email and on the order confirmation page right after checkout, so you can have it printed and beside your bench the same evening.
What happens if the guide is updated?
Every edition carries its version number on the last page. When we correct or improve one, the new edition replaces the old one in the shop, and we can send the updated link to anybody who already bought it.
Can I share it?
It is licensed for your own use. Print as many copies for yourself as you like, on as many of your own devices as you like. Please do not pass the file on, upload it or use it with a class or a group without asking us first.

Dry first, glaze away from the edge, peel at matte

Ask what has to come off before the kiln, let the resist dry all the way, brush away from the edge, and peel when the shine is gone and the powder has not started. Those habits take minutes and decide whether the edge is sharp. The guide keeps them in front of you at the glaze table.

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