Jump to content

Setting up my studio


Recommended Posts

Hello again, I have a lot of glazes many sizes and shapes. I am setting up my studio and wonder how to organize the glazes so I can find them. I am looking for racks to store and organize for ease of use. Does anyone know where I can buy racks for Duncan,spectrum and other glazes. Right Now I have them in bins not very organized for the studio . Ideas? Websites?

 

Thanks again!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Err, crappy old shelves arranged alphabetically by glaze name works for us in a shared space... As long as everyone puts them back by the first word in the name instead of the color they think it is, we don't have trouble finding them! Sometimes it takes awhile to convince the noobs that 'Turkish Amber' goes under T, not B for brown or A for amber.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I am still setting up my new studio as well. I have lots of little pint size and small jars of glazes and underglazes since I am still trying out lots to see what suits me. What I did was dig around the garage and came up with some 1x4s and cut those to fit on each end of my worktable. Each of the shelves I made tall enough to fit the pint jars. I put underglazes in one shelf unit at one end and glazes in the other shelf unit at the other end of the table. Works really nice the shelves are deep enough for pints yet not so deep the 2oz underglaze jars get lost. I can easily read all the labels with no digging around looking for the right color. I organized mine by the color wheel from white to black with all the colors in between. I'm still working on something for the gallons but as i only have 2 at this point just have them set on a shelf next to the others. Don't know if this helps or not.

 

Terry

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Organizing my studio is an ongoing thing for me.

 

I have many jars of glaze, and many sizes of jars, and, I also mix glazes and have 2 gal. and 5 gallon buckets of my favorites. So you can probably imagine that I was not the least bit organized. I try to be, but I had glazes in this corner, on that wall, everywhere!

 

I emptied out a shelf unit that I had been storing things seldom used, and designated that end of my studio as the glazing area. I organized my jars of glaze according to brand and type, and I have included all my tools associated with glazing in this area too. My drill and mixers, a hand-held juicer, and large whisks hang on the wall, for example, ready to be used.

 

I have two work tables in this area. One is an old library table, stuck in a corner with buckets of glaze on wheels underneath, and a shelf atop that table, secured to the wall behind it. I keep paperwork on those shelves. Not bookkeeping paperwork, but patterns, books, transfer paper- supplies, in other words. Buckets of glaze go under that worktable.

 

The other table is used in a similar manner. Brushes, sponges, and a wax skillet are kept on this table, and a shelf on wheels in underneath. I keep things like clean towels, cotton cloths, masking tape, foam plates, and small pieces of foam in bins on the shelves.

 

Both tables have Shimpo turntables. These are my most prized possessions- do not know how I worked without them. They are different sizes, the tallest one, and the shortest one. I plan to purchase the one with the widest table, and I will be done buying Shimpo turntables.

 

I am still in the process of building shelves for my chemicals. I keep what I buy in large amounts in those tall plastic keepers for birdseed. I bought them at Lowes, about $13.00 each. They have worked out perfectly. I have 6 plastic units that have 2 drawers each, and Bobby built a shelf unit for them to keep my chemicals that are bought in smaller amounts. Stains also go in these drawers.

 

Once I get this bit of construction done, I think I will be pretty much organized. I have an area for throwing and keeping clay, an area for hand building, a damp closet, and an area to glaze. It is pretty tight, every inch of space is valuable, but I know how fortunate I am.

 

When Bobby gets his new shop built, he will empty this shop of his belongings, and I will have a much larger area for my studio- about 3 times the space. We have the kilns out there, and my pug mill and slab roller. We are going to build a station for Bobby to pour the mold he makes. There is always something more to do. My organizing is not nearly finished.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a small set of wire shelves, maybe 1x2 feet, three shelves, wheels on the bottom. The bottom shelf is for gallon jars of terra sig, middle shelf is smaller jars of colored slips, top shelf holds pint jars of commercial glazes. I write the name of the glaze and cone on the tops of the jars so it is easy to find what I want. More rarely used pint jars are on shelves which run above the windows. Larger buckets of glaze are on larger wires shelves. And stacked on the floor. And some in the garage. Oh, and the basement of my house. 'Tis a problem.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The alphabetical order would not work for me. I do it a different way. I am not an expert, but I have about 100 glazes and my studio is well organized (how it is supposed to be for anyone with an obsessive-compulsive trait.)

All of my glazes have numbers. When I buy the next, it will be 101, then 102, etc.

I do not keep 35 next to 36, e.g. Instead, I group them according to what cone they belong, who manufactured them, and so on.

Mayco Low glaze on one shelf, Laguna cone 5 matte on another, Laguna cone 5 engobe on the next, then Amaco potter's choice, then Coyote cone 6 shino, and so on and so force.

 

The numbers are better than the names, because it takes less room when you do the test tile.

It is also easier to document if you want to keep track of your work E.g.: " 13, 65 and 24 on buisque, ^5"

It is easier to put it back to the shelf where it belongs. .... and you do not have to know the alphabet! tongue.gif

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Claypple;

You are organized! Yes, people organize in different ways. I am visual. If I put stuff in a filing cabinet, it is gone forever-maybe a good thing. My wife has all of our CD'S alphabetized. I go by the pictures on the cover.

I have been in my new studio for a year and a half now. My dry glaze materials actually are alphabetized on a 4ft. wide by 6ft high shelf. Large containers of E.P.K., and ball clay are in plastic garbage cans under my ware shelves.All my liquid glazes are in 5 gallon buckets under tables. Each has a test tile wired to the bucket handle, so I can see then by colour. All are labelled with permanent marker on the lids.All my ware shelves are 8ft. long by 2 ft deep. My pots all go on ware boards on those shelves. Just bought a used ware cart on wheels from my clay supplier for $350.00. Works great, but is full of fired ware.

I don't use pints of glaze except at school. I have a crappy plywood shelf, that I scrounged in the hallway. It's powder blue. If I had time, I would paint it.

I also bought 3 wheelie dollies that you put under your snowmobile to work on it. They were at Costco for $25.00 for the three. I have my large dry material containers on them. I wish I had bought more of them.

TJR.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Every canister has a "dog tag" like test tile hanging from its handle. Same dog-tag is on the shelf too. That is it.

No number, no guessing, no reading - even a 5 year old can fetch the correct canister and later return it to its proper place.

Simple and looks fun too.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello again, I have a lot of glazes many sizes and shapes. I am setting up my studio and wonder how to organize the glazes so I can find them. I am looking for racks to store and organize for ease of use. Does anyone know where I can buy racks for Duncan,spectrum and other glazes. Right Now I have them in bins not very organized for the studio . Ideas? Websites?

 

Thanks again!

 

 

Depending on the size/shape of the glaze bottle, maybe a CD/DVD/VHS tape rack from Kmart or Target or Ikea or wherever might work. The wooden kind that's kind of like a bookshelf - not the plastic ones with the slots! :)

 

Mine are in bins and boxes right now....so yeah, I need to get organized too!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hello again, I have a lot of glazes many sizes and shapes. I am setting up my studio and wonder how to organize the glazes so I can find them. I am looking for racks to store and organize for ease of use. Does anyone know where I can buy racks for Duncan,spectrum and other glazes. Right Now I have them in bins not very organized for the studio . Ideas? Websites?

 

Thanks again!

 

 

Depending on the size/shape of the glaze bottle, maybe a CD/DVD/VHS tape rack from Kmart or Target or Ikea or wherever might work. The wooden kind that's kind of like a bookshelf - not the plastic ones with the slots! :)/>

 

Mine are in bins and boxes right now....so yeah, I need to get organized too!

 

 

Thank you all for the great feedback, I started seperating by mfg, and by number for now, till I get more experienced , I have never mixed my own yet. One step at a time.. Thanks again!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.