ThisIsMelissa Posted March 26, 2012 Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 So, until this week, I didn't really understand the hubbub about having tools for different clay body colors. But now I'm starting to understand why. I can see how you could have a whole complete studio set up for different clay colors: canvases, bats, wheel, trimming tools, etc. But really, what is necessary? Sponges, buckets and wires come to mind. As do bats--at least the non-plastic ones. Anything else? I've also come to the conclusion that if I'm going to work with different clays, I should probably clean out my splash pan more often. Or, should I just keep slop buckets for the different colors? It seems like this could get to be kinda space prohibitive. Help? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scoobydoozie Posted March 26, 2012 Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 Hi, Melissa, I have a cheap dishdrainer from Walmart I use to clean my tools and dry them in and a separate area of my wedging board reserved for brown clay. Since I only use two different colored clay bodies, its not too bad, but yes, it becomes a bit more complicated with more colors. I don't feel the need to have separate tools, just a good cleaning between switches and separate buckets for scraps and separate areas on the wedging board. I use cloth covered dry wall attached with quick clamps, so it wouldn't be a big deal for me to swap out mutiple boards with each use for a different colored clay. They don't take a lot of room to store. I use plastic bats, so no issue with multiple bats. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OffCenter Posted March 26, 2012 Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 So, until this week, I didn't really understand the hubbub about having tools for different clay body colors. But now I'm starting to understand why. I can see how you could have a whole complete studio set up for different clay colors: canvases, bats, wheel, trimming tools, etc. But really, what is necessary? Sponges, buckets and wires come to mind. As do bats--at least the non-plastic ones. Anything else? I've also come to the conclusion that if I'm going to work with different clays, I should probably clean out my splash pan more often. Or, should I just keep slop buckets for the different colors? It seems like this could get to be kinda space prohibitive. Help? I don't understand why anyone would go to all that trouble and waste of space. I use 5 different clays and experiment with others. Some pieces are made of more than one kind of clay (see gallery section of my profile). Often, I work with porcelain and Lizella Red (a coarse, iron-rich clay -- the very opposite of the smooth, bright white porcelain) switching back and forth. I simply take 10 or so minutes to thoroughly clean tools and work space when switching clays. I do keep one side of my wedging table for dark clay and one for light. The hardest thing to clean was my splash pan. I recently stopped using a splash pan by replacing it with a large thick sponge between the wheel head and bowl of water, which not only makes clean up a snap but gets a big, bulky splash pan (My main wheel is a Brent EX) out of my way. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denice Posted March 26, 2012 Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 I try to stay with one color for a while before I change, I just clean up my tools before I do, the one thing I do have is a canvas for my slab roller for colored clay and one for white clay body. Then I only have to wash them when them get really loaded up with clay. Denice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riorose Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 to my dismay, at present, I am using porcelain and other studio users are using black stoneware. We work hard to keep everything immaculate that touches the clays. I remember a black piece I made that had a fog of white over it after firing. Ever since then I have tried my best and everyone does their part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeri Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 I too have duplicates of many of my tools, but I don't keep them separate for different types of clays. I just do my best to make sure that they are clean after each use. If I find something I missed when I was cleaning up, I clean it before starting anything. Space is quite an issue for me, so I have no choice really but to 'share' my tools between clay types/colors. Jeri Lynne Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 So, until this week, I didn't really understand the hubbub about having tools for different clay body colors. But now I'm starting to understand why. I can see how you could have a whole complete studio set up for different clay colors: canvases, bats, wheel, trimming tools, etc. But really, what is necessary? Sponges, buckets and wires come to mind. As do bats--at least the non-plastic ones. Anything else? I've also come to the conclusion that if I'm going to work with different clays, I should probably clean out my splash pan more often. Or, should I just keep slop buckets for the different colors? It seems like this could get to be kinda space prohibitive. Help? I do mostly handbuilding and slab work so I too have two canvases for my slab roller. I also have dedicated plaster bats (cut from domestic plasterboard ... do you say drywall?) for white and terracotta, and separate bins for recycling ... but as for the rest - I just clean everything after each session Christine Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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