Sculptures can be made using either porcelain clay or stoneware clay. Many sculptures are created by hand and shaped when the clay is still wet, allowed to dry and fired in the kiln. After the first firing the sculptures are then wet with a sponge and chiseled to the desired shapes. The horsehair is added with the glaze prior to the second firing. Adding horsehair to sculptures creates a cracked three-dimensional look under the glaze.
Porcelain is a delicate white clay that is often used to create vases, bowls, tea cups and other rounded objects. Porcelain is often used to "throw" on the pottery wheel. This is a method of creating on a moving wheel that allows the porcelain to be scraped away until the bowl or vase is extremely thin and delicate. If the vessel survives the first firing in the kiln, horsehair may be added to the second firing with a glaze to create a crackled look.
Stoneware clay is less delicate than porcelain and is often made from natural colored clays in the ground. Stoneware is often heavier and sturdier than porcelain but the effects of adding horsehair to stoneware are not as dramatic. Horsehair added to the second firing of stoneware will give some texture and dark lines that are unique to every stoneware piece. The lighter the clay, the more definitive of a look the vessel will have.
Most pottery found in stores is made using a mold. Molds are containers that are shaped in a way such that whatever clay or porcelain is poured into them will come out with that shape, such as a bowl or vase. While molds make it easy to produce several of the same vessels, they take away from the unique appearance and shape of an object made by hand. Horsehair can be used on molds once they have already been formed to give each mold a unique appearance.