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Do You Have Trouble Losing Your Pottery Or Ceramic Tools?

I don’t know about you, but I spend about half my time looking for tools.
There is nothing more maddening than not being able to find a tool when you are working on your pottery or ceramic piece.
Here are a few tricks that I have learned either by trial and error or tips given to me by others.
They have sure saved me a lot of frustration!

Stick a corner of your chamois into an empty film canister, close the lid and it will float. You can also hook the chamois to a 1 inch fishing bobber.

Glue a block of foam to the side of your wheel or table and poke the pin tools into the foam for storage.

Lose your throwing tools?

Get a silverware plastic organizer, which can be found at Target or Wal-Mart.
These are often used for organizing drawers.
Keep this on your table surface and make sure you return all tools there after using them.
Your can also use the silverware holders that hook to dish drainers.
Just attach a drawer pull to the end of your table and slip the lip of the holder over it.

Something that works great in place of a table are a couple stacking storage bins.
These plastic bins have pull out drawers that you can label and store your tools and supplies in.
You can also find these at Target or Wal-Mart.

Clip some spring type clothespins to the rim of your water bucket and you can rest long tools across them.

Make a table that is level with your wheel head by sawing a piece of countertop.
Curve it around your splash pan and make holes big enough for your throwing buckets.
You can use 2x4’s to raise it to the proper height.

If you have a wheel that doesn’t have its own platform, take an old end table or coffee table and cut a U into it so it slides around your wheel.
Saw the legs to the appropriate length.
This will give you a nice big surface for your tools.
Spray it with a sealant to make it waterproof.

Are You Losing tools In general?

The best way to store large tools is to find the right size pot or can for whatever tools need storing and that way you will have your tools around all the time!
Platters or old cake pans are useful for laying out a bunch of tools in a row.

Three inch deep clear plastic storage bins can also be used for storing tools horizontally.
The shallow ones are best because you don’t want to be sifting through a deep pile of tools.
They are stackable, have dividers and you can label each drawer so that you can tell at a glance what is in each drawer.

A silverware holder from an old dishwasher is excellent for holding tools and it has a handle for portability.

There are commercial tool caddy’s available.
These are really good for tools you need to travel with or for expensive ones you don’t want to get banged around.

If you are a apron or tool belt person, there are all kinds of styles to choose from.
They work well when you are moving around a lot, especially if you are working on large projects or making tiles.

Some pottery and ceramic artist store their tools in sharp builders sand with some oil mixed in.
It supposedly keeps the tools clean, free of rust and you don’t have to sharpen them as often.
I’m not sure how you tell them apart when they are hidden in the sand, but I suppose you could color code them, or just learn the handle shapes.

For large items like rolling pins or seldom used items, you can use one of those plastic rolling carts with several drawers which are available at Target or Wal-Mart. The ones with shallow drawers are better than the ones with deep drawers.

Try to have two or three of everything, at least of the inexpensive tools.
And you know as well as I do, when you lose one you can grab another and the lost one will turn up unexpectedly when you least expected it.

Last, but not least!

I use one of those three-tiered wire hanging baskets which will hold quite a lot and is especially good for larger items that won't fall through the holes for sponges, sanding blocks and plastic bags which are used to put over my pottery or ceramic to keep it wet when I'm not working on it.
Everything dries well because of the air circulation and it's all at eye level.

It is better to sleep on things before hand, than to lie awake thinking about them afterward.

Tips Definitions Clay Projects Pottery Gallery Pottery Tools Glazes All About Clay

Have you ever come up with a good idea while working with your handmade pottery or ceramics and thought that you would like to share it with others? You have? Well, why not send it to us and we will add it to the tips page for all to see.

Handmade pottery can be a very gratifying hobby that produces fun and satisfying results. For many people it's an enjoyable release that is created by working an inanimate mound of clay into a beautiful work of art that you made through your artistic abilities.

The best way of starting out is to take a few lessons. You will probably waste quite a bit in materials when you first get started. Figuring out how to truly make handmade pottery correctly and shape into what you want it to be can be quite an ordeal. The different tools that a normal shop will have can be fun to try. You will soon see which ones you like to use the most and then when you are ready you will know which ones to buy.

When you get all set up, just enjoy the hobby and have fun at it. Some people get pretty serious and start selling their creations at craft fairs and small stores, but others just like to create items for themselves, relatives, and friends. Whichever kind of handmade pottery you desire to endeavor, enjoy the hobby and have fun doing it.

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