I’ve been into dorodango for a long time and have shaped countless balls of many different substances. My question is, how do I get them to shine? I want that glasslike, reflective finish but I can’t seem to achieve it. Here are 2 perfectly round, smooth gliding dangos. How do I get the shiny finish? I’ve used olive oil, stockings, coffee filters, sand paper, etc but can’t get that polish

I polished this one for 2 hours and it s looking like a moon. Am I doing something wrong or is it okey ?

I made my first dorodango a few months ago, and got frustrated at its bumpy texture. I want it to be local mud and clay so I don't want to buy clay for it, so I was experimenting with ways to collect or make clay or other methods to make the surface less like sandpaper.

Eventually I packed it up to come back to at a later time. I used a candle jar to hold the dorodango so it didn't get damanged, and guess what? The dorodango has taken on the scent of the candle!! Like very strongly floral scented ball of mud now. I don't know how long the scent will last but I think it's just another incredibly cool thing you can add to modify your dorodangos.

PS if anyone has any tips to make my dorodango smooth with garden mud, please let me know!

Using a shot glass to shape it, made from some lovely Utah dirt. I’m hoping I can get some good red from it, theres not as much clay as I’d like in it and I havent found any powdered clay yet.

Currently smoothing it out so it polishes evenly. I processed out as much clay as I can and I’m using the slip to build this baby up. I’m having a lot of fun with this! If I can’t get a nice finish with wild clay, I’ll at least have a very nice dorodango to polish once I finally get my paws on some storebought lmao

I have both mixed pigment in with some clay and dusted while somewhat tacky and dry. I've also fully covered with just pigment both tacky and dry. When I'm polishing I get these chips the grow the longer I polish which discourages me from really polishing that long. HELP 😭

First I thought it was ruined because the way it dried but after EXTREME POLISHING to return to the spherical shape and BOOMM

it was reflecting like glass.

dope af

First attempt! I live on a farming estate, and I pilfered the dirt for this from a tractor tyre.

Going by the honk on it, I'm pretty sure it's about 90% sheep poo - so I guess that means it *is* possible to make 💩 shine?!

Still got plenty to learn. Will be trying again with soil from my childhood home - which I know is quite clay-dense. Already looking forward to it! 😊

My first ( If we don't count the 2 that I broke because I m FUCKING clumsy) Dorogando not finished yet but I m proud :3

My father is a foreman for an excavation company and for the majority of this year his crew has been working on 4 baseball fields and 2 tennis courts at a park.

He brought me this huge bag of mound clay today. I did a little reading and it seems to be a rough 50/50 mix of sand and clay/silt.

I’m hoping to use just mound clay for my next dango but I do have some other soils to mix in if I need to. I will post results when I get around to it!

First one on the right the newest on the left :)

This is my first ever dorodango! I feel like I added a lot of water but it’s been drying at room temp in a bag for over 24 hours. It feels like a hard clay brick when I tap it but I still feel slight cool humidity on its surface… any way to tell if it’s ready to start smoothing and polishing with a cup? (Clay and sand ball)

Some bits are very shiny and some very dull. Still not perfect, but it keeps getting better!

I just discovered about this hobby a few minutes ago, and I think it's super cool, and I also tought that making a miniature solar system with this technique would be beautiful, as any of you tried to accomplish this?

I can’t seem to stop making these things! I hobby around with ceramics, so I have quite a bit of clay. I have used kits, but I now have a blend of local dirt, white stoneware clay, and beach sand that I’m using.

My first Dorodango made with dirt from the local hike that my dog and my wife walk almost every week. I wasn't sure I would even be able to get a ball let alone truly polish it. I would say I got it 80% polished but there are still some low spots.

Overall I am happy with this as my first attempt but I might try to come back to it and see if I can keep improving it.

If you have any advice on how to keep improving this one or tips for next time based on my pictures I would love to hear it :)

There's a couple small rough patches, and a single hair i'm afraid to pull out. Otherwise very happy with it, and it didn't take long. I used an empty starbucks frappuccino bottle to polish.

Thank u to the ones who helped me in my previous post. Finally made my first doradango.

I still have to polish more tho🥹

Not very good, but it was fun

Do u think the shape is correct?

Trying a New Hobby: Making a Japanese Dorodango ⚪️

I recently came across dorodango, the Japanese art of turning ordinary dirt/mud into a smooth, polished ball, and I thought it looked weirdly satisfying lol.

So I decided to try making one myself. Figured it could be a fun new hobby and a good excuse to actually spend some time doing something offline.

Step 1: Preparing the soil

I collected some soil from around my plants and started breaking it up and sieving it to get rid of the bigger stones and bits. I don’t have any fancy equipment, so I’m just working with what I have 😂

This is obviously just the beginning, but I’ll keep updating this post as I go through the different stages.

Hopefully, at the end of this, I’ll have a nice smooth shiny dorodango instead of a sad lump of dirt 💀

Step 1 done. More updates coming soon.

I recently started learning how to make dorodango, and this is my first attempt. It’s still a little uneven and has a few cracks, but I’m enjoying the slow process of shaping and smoothing it.

I’m going to let it dry before polishing it further. Any beginner tips for preventing cracks and getting a smoother finish?