May 4, 2001, Newsletter Issue #36: Get the right tools!

Tip of the Week

Get the right tools!

Beginner pottery tool sets are available at art, craft, even
hardware stores usually for around $12-$15. One of the
basic tools a beginner’s set comes equipped with is a
trimming tool. It´s great to get you familiar with trimming,
and but you may want to add a couple more to make your
set complete. Especially with trimming tools, be sure you
have the right ones for the job.

I recommend you use three tools for trimming. One with
a small tip (step one) which is great to run over the bottom
of a pot to get an even base, one with a squared off tip (step
two) to smooth out the base and to finish it and a larger one
(step three) which is for trimming the sides and making the
bottom completely even. These will naturally get dulled by
the hard elements in your clay body so be sure to sharpen
or replace them when they are too dull to effectively trim.
You can achieve a nice clean cut with a sharp tool and it
takes less time.

Another tool in your beginner set is an aluminum rib. Ribs
come in many shapes and sizes and can also be made of
wood, plastic, other metals or rubber. They are wonderful
tools for shaping pots or for smoothing out the inside or
outside of a pot. Once you are acquainted, you should try a
small and large rubber rib, they really do feel nice.
Recently, someone wrote us who began using a large
wooden rib (a 6" diameter semi-circle) for creating a low flat
bowl out of a cylinder. They said it was a breakthrough!
The rib enabled them to achieve the shape they had been
looking for and it was easy to use! I hope you have as
much fun discovering the right tools for the job.

After you have started with a standard set of tools here’s
some you may like to consider for your next upgrade.

Either soft or hard rubber ribs are nice to handle for shaping
or smoothing surfaces. At some point treat yourself to an
elephant ear sponge which also feels great to work with. A
chamois strip is nice for smoothing over edges on rims (the
inexpensive way is to use a piece of paper towel). There is
no reason to spend a lot of money on tools (some of the
best are found or made) but we encourage you to try some
because many exist to make your pottery life more
productive. I found a great application for an old
manicure set, there is one tool with a slightly curved end
which is perfect for taking off a bit of extra glaze around the
foot of a bowl.

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