Ambivalent Ideas

Of all of the tools I have contemplated adding to my studio, the XL mixer should have been sooner on the list. I take all my greenware scraps (pieces not yet fired in the kiln) in various states of dryness from trimming, failed throwing and other miscellaneous pieces I'm not happy with, for whatever reason, and throw them into a bucket with water (usually the remnants from throwing).  Once the clay has had a chance to reabsorb the water,  I use this tool to mix my reclaim into a buttery consistency before dolloping it out on plaster bats to dry out. Using a mixer means I have to add quite a bit of water and the reclaim has to sit out for longer to dry but I chose a mixer this size on a corded drill so that I would have more power. The paddle itself has too large of a circumference for most corded drills which meant I actually saved when I bought my corded drill instead of a battery operated one.  Using a mixer means significantly less wedging. It's also really helpful for...

  As a fairly new potter, I spend a lot of time taking in resources, looking for tools to improve my pieces. The number of hours I've spent watching other potters create beautiful things out of clay might shame some gamers, but I ain't sorry. There are potters who have perfected the technique of throwing on a wheel, and then gently picking the piece up and setting it on a ware board without jostling or misshaping the rim or whatever. I, am not one of those potters. There are also potters who use the smallest amount of water to create beautifully even pots with like 2 pulls. I am not one of those potters. I've also spent a great deal of time watching potters trim out lumps of clay into elaborate bottoms (aka feet). I am definitely not one of those potters! Instead, I sleuthed on the internets to find these plastic bats from Speedball . These beauties are an asset. Resistant to warping from too much water and sturdy enough for me to pull my pieces off and onto my wheel withou...

  Let me preface this post by saying my knowledge of kilns is, well, lacking. Acquiring a kiln, in my mind, is one of those rights of passage as a potter that takes you from a hobbyist to something a bit more serious. Don't get me wrong, I am sure there are plenty of potters who have a successful business who do not fire their own pieces and I am certain there are plenty of kilns collecting dust in garages or basements somewhere, but for me it means just a little bit more to have one of my very own.  Having the ability to fire my own pieces, on my own terms, has been a dream of mine since I first started to play with clay and I am just so grateful.  These things reach temperatures of well over 2500F. It's intimidating, space occupying, and frankly a luxury.  I was fortunate enough to find my Skutt KM1027 used, and she's been good to me.  I really couldn't tell you if its the best or most versatile or whatever, but I can tell you I am extremely proud.  ...

  A big part of how I've learned to make anything at all was through practice and YouTube videos. One of the first artists I found was  Jon the Potter . I binged watched all of his videos for hours and still do. He used this foot trimming tool from Old Forge Creations . Both of these artists are tremendous resources and I am so grateful there is content like this on the internet.   This tool is great for a number of reasons. It's made of stainless steel and is very durable, which is great for artists like me who end up with water everywhere all the time. When you're just getting started on the wheel centering is difficult and often many vessels have uneven rims or some kind of wobble which makes trimming more difficult. Using this tool allows you to finish the base and simply wire the pot off your wheel without any other finishing if you choose.  The second reason I like this finish is because of the grip I can get on my pots during the glazing process. The...

One of my favourite things to make are mugs. One of my less favourite parts about mugs is making and attaching handles. Fortunately for me, someone already thought of that and invented the extruder. Also, fortunately for me Old Forge Creations also sells handle extruder dies . I used to spend a lot of time attempting to pull or roll handles. I'll admit, the more I made them, the better I got, but I was still dissatisfied with the results. After some internet research, I learned all about extruders and decided it would be a good investment. Using an extruder and dies to make handles has saved me so much time, and has paid for itself in fewer broken handles 100 times over. I really enjoy adding more then one colour of clay to the extruder to create marbled handles which further accent my marbled pieces. They are easier to attach as well, which allows me to combine colours without creating grog and muddling up the piece where the handle meets the vessel.

  Compression is a key factor to successful pottery. The polymer ribs made by Mudtools are a great way to create compression without marking up a piece. I use this beauty when I am attaching handles to ensure a nice seamless fit and to really wedge my slip into tight places. It does a great job smoothing out the grainy texture sponges often create when the water wipes away the actual clay particles and leaves the sand (aka grog). It also works well to almost buff the bottoms of pots while trimming on the wheel.  I still prefer my metal rib for scraping the slip off pieces before removing them from the wheel, but this little gadget does that job just as nicely. One thing this softer edge does better than my metal rib is smoothing out flat bottom pieces such as larger vessels or plates. There is also significantly less danger of cutting yourself reaching into a bucket of water or reclaim and finding it somewhere on your journey to the bottom. 

  There are a few tools which seem to be more versatile in the ceramics business than a scale. I originally purchased this scale from Ikea  so I could weigh my clay in an attempt to make pieces more similar in shape. Starting with the same size ball of clay has done wonders for my craft; possibly even a borderline superstitious obsession but, has no doubt assisted me in improving my technique over time. By taking the same amount of clay and seeing how far you can stretch the walls up without making them too thin, or working on making sure the clay makes its way from the bottom to the top in nice even lines. It's all part of the craft and can be both magical and defeating.  I did however, end up using my scale for many more things including weighting out glazing materials, weighing my finished pots for online sales/shipping costs. I also used my scale to take measures for pricing out my pottery by documenting the amount of glaze and clay each piece takes. This particular m...