Smoothing the inside of the pots in Thanh Hà village 2/2

The pots are smoothed on the inside after a certain drying time but before the preforming on leather-hard clay: the clay is already dry enough to retain it’s shape while being handled but the surface is still marked when pressed. Nguyễn Thị Quốc sits on a low stool in the courtyard of the workshop. She spreads sand on a wooden plate and places a pot on top. The sand prevents the pot from sticking to the base. Then, she uses the outer surface of her seashell to scrape the inside of the pot. This steps slightly opens the walls of the pot, but mostly smooths the inner surface.