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| Given enough time, every potter either picks-up or invents an array of tools that they use in their studio. Here are some of my favorites ... if I got the tool/trick from someone else (and I remember who) I've tried to give credit where credit is due. | ||
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One of my prize possessions is my Suds-O-Gun sprayer. In the way-back (when I was a kid) your vacuum cleaner had two attachment openings (a suck and a blow) much like modern shop vacs. The vacuum came with a carpet shampoo accessory which was used to spray a soap solution onto the carpet. This is the most awesome glaze sprayer I have found !
Unlike the expensive, compressed air models (which put out glaze like an artist may air-brush but not like a potter puts on glaze) these can still be found in thrift stores for a couple of bucks! I purchased an older model vacuum cleaner with the "blow" attachment opening and I now have a collection of spray guns that are the envy of my fellow potters. |
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One downside to throwing standing up is that you tend to rest your wrist on the wheel's splash pan more often ... resulting in sore wrists.
The solution was simply a piece of standard foam pipe insulation help on my two small pieces of cut plastic pipe. The clip is simply a piece of pvc or abs plastic pipe about 1-2" long with a cut in it so that you can open it slightly (like a clam shell) ... this snaps over the foam insulation and keeps it in place. This creates a nice, cushy rest for your wrists ... |
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Yes ... believe it or not ... this is my bisque kiln !
Its ancient but works great ... I rescued it from the University of Oregon Chemistry department years ago as it was about to be trashed. One new element, some rewiring of the controls and it has been a reliable partner for over five years now. Sometimes though my pieces are too tall to fit into the 20" tall space. The solution has been to simply leave the lid open and increase the inside depth of the kiln be extending the side walls. A couple of layers of soft brick stacked on the side wall, a layer of 12x24 mullite shelves across the top, and a layer or two of soft bricks on top of the entire thing. Now you couldn't get to cone-5 with this because the elements just couldn't do it ... but a cone-05/06 bisque is a snap ! |
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I love to listen to music while I work in the studio, but found that my CDs and the player were getting destroyed from the dust (yes ... there is dust in my studio). So I purchased two plastic storage containers and solved the problem. One has the CD player and the other the CDs ... now everything is clean (except of course the speakers) and continues to give me hours of listening pleasure while I work. | |
