Make your own ceramic magnets

Creative decorative magnets made of clay

Submitted by: J. Saxen, Zürich, Switzerland

Online since: 13/05/2026

Clay lends itself to crafting beautiful decorative magnets. It does take a bit more effort, as the clay pieces need to be left to dry, fired and glazed, but the result is a set of unique ceramic magnets that are guaranteed to be one-of-a-kind.

You will need the following for the ceramic magnets:

Various disc magnets, for example types S-08-03-N, S-06-02-N, S-04-05-Z or S-05-08-N
Magnet adhesive, for example UHU MAX REPAIR
Wooden board
Clay (pottery clay) and glaze
Liquid wax for covering areas that are not to be glazed
Tools such as: roller, cookie cutters, knife, pinking scissors, ruler and sponge

Creating shapes from clay

For my ceramic magnets, I first rolled out the clay on a wooden board. I then shaped small designs such as pasta, croissants, blueberries and fried eggs. For the pasta shapes in particular, you can achieve great effects with a knife, ruler and pinking scissors. I smoothed the edges with a sponge so that the pieces would look nicer later on.

Roll out the clay on a wooden board

Round off the shapes with a sponge

Press in a recess for the magnet

Before leaving the finished pieces to dry for several days, I press a recess into the still-damp clay where the magnet will go. A round piece of wood works well for this purpose. This allows me to glue the magnet in neatly later on.

Firing and glazing the pieces

I let the pieces dry for a few days and then placed them in the kiln for the first firing. During the first firing, the pieces may still touch one another inside the kiln. Once the pieces have cooled down, I brush wax onto the underside to prevent the glaze from settling there.

Leave the clay pieces to dry

Fire the clay pieces for the first time (bisque firing)

Coat the undersides of the clay pieces with wax

After applying wax, I use the dipping method to glaze the pieces. This means I dip the shapes completely into the glaze. I then place the pieces in the kiln for the second, final firing. To protect my shapes, I sprinkle quartz sand onto the firing batts. I also make sure that the pieces are spaced apart in the kiln, as the glazed pieces must no longer touch one another. Once the firing is complete, it is always a surprise to see what the pieces ultimately look like!

Finishing the ceramic magnets

My tip: Select the appropriate magnets only after the firing. The size of the clay objects changes during the firing process. Afterwards, you can attach the magnets using UHU glue. After 24 hours, your handcrafted ceramic magnets are ready for use.