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XL Spiral Pro Mixing Paddle

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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...
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Speedball Plastic Bats

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  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...
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Old Forge Creations Foot Trimming Tool

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  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...
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