I'm back in pottery mode - getting ready for the summer schedule of art shows - and I wanted to share a few of my favorite pottery tools. These are the tools that make parts of my process easier and faster rather than the basic tools you need to make pottery.
Giffin Grip
My giffin grip is hands down the thing that has made the biggest difference in my day to day workflow. This one tool saves me so much time and makes the process of trimming my pottery so much faster. They make a mini giffin grip too to help more of your trimmings stay in your wheel drip pan.
Clay Extruder
While I can pull handles for mugs if I want to; I've never enjoyed the process. It's slow and my handles were never consistent. So, I bought a hand held extruder. This clay gun from Scott Creek pottery has made my handle making process quick and easy and helps keep my handles consistent.
Diamond Core Tools
These are my favorite tools for carving my pottery. They also make wonderful trimming tools. They are sharp and comfortable to use for long carving sessions. One of my favorite things is that you can buy replacement blades and just change out the blade rather than purchasing a whole new tool.
Hartley and Noble Tile Batts
I have a pretty small studio, which means there is not a lot of space to set out work as I am throwing. When I started out I was using some old batts that were the size of my wheel head, which meant I could only fit about 6 of those on my table at a time. That's fine when I am working on larger work, but I like to throw mugs in large batches. These tile batts from Hartley and Noble have saved me so much space; I can fit 20 of them on my table at a time. They are super high quality and made my throwing process much more efficient.
Foot Trimming Tool
I like having a rounded foot on some of my work (bowls especially) and I found this great tool that makes that really easy. This stainless steel tool has made thousands of foot rings on my pieces and still looks good as new.
Those are my favorite tools that I reach for every time I'm in the studio.
Have any questions about pottery tools? Drop them in the comments!
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