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...

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.

  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...