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Athletes are not the only ones to score. The same is true for ceramic artists, especially when using the "scribing" method to join the clay blocks together. This involves scribing a line on the clay, then wetting the surface and joining the cross-hatched parts together. This technology provides extra grip and prevents the fragments from separating after drying or firing in the kiln. All you need to make a cross-hatch pattern in clay is a scoring tool. Some of them have only one tip, but many ceramic artists prefer tools with multiple tips in order to make multiple lines at once. While serving practical purposes, they can also be used to create decorative textures. For help choosing a tool that suits your needs, please browse our selection of the best multi-pointing tools below.

Kemper’s tools are well-balanced, comfortable to hold, and sturdy from tip to tip. They are our favorite scoring tool. It is characterized by its aluminum handle and textured barrel to provide a firm grip. We like its green color, which makes it stand out from other tools. It has eight stainless steel bristles, which are firmly fixed, uniform in length, and quite hard, with a little elasticity. The size of this tool is 5 inches, which is great for creating hash marks and short strokes for textures.

Use this double-headed appliance to do more, with a serrated scoring knife at one end and a curved joint smoothing tool at the other end. Although the price is too high to be our first choice, we strongly recommend it to serious, high-yielding ceramic artists. It is made of high-grade stainless steel and is enclosed in a rubber sleeve. It has a comfortable grip and can withstand daily use. At the same time, it helps reduce hand cramps. The scoring ends are jagged instead of bristly (like our first choice), and more obvious furrows are formed on the clay; the teeth are also short, which gives you better control.

This five-pointing tool looks a bit primitive, but it is a good choice for artists who want to make thicker, deeper lines. It has five thick needles at one end, each about 1 inch long, lined up in a row and 0.75 inches wide-wider than the brush or serrated head of a typical scoring tool. The sharp metal tines are evenly spaced to make deep cuts easily and with little pressure, and the hardwood handle provides a comfortable grip. To prevent accidental stabbing, the tool is equipped with a thick plastic cover, which can be easily fitted to the business end.

Like our first choice, this wire tool resembles a brush, with eight needle-like tines fanned out from the aluminum handle. But sold in two packs, the cost is less than half of the price of Kemper products. As usual, when you save some money, you will sacrifice slightly in quality. Stainless steel bristles are strong enough to be suitable for soft, ultra-fine scratches, rather than well-defined lines. Nonetheless, the surface texture they created was sufficient to successfully connect.

This tool has a lot of wire bristles, it is difficult to calculate the exact number. Use a brush-like head to create complex, dense cuts-it will instantly roughen your surface. The wires are slightly corrugated rather than straight, but their structure is well maintained, although we will notice that some are slightly shorter than others. All of these are firmly fixed in the ferrule, which itself is connected to a smooth balsa wood handle.

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