Simple Little Trick For Felting Pot Bottoms

[Kilnguy]

I like to scratch-proof the bottoms of my pots with felt  when they are placed on surfaces like shiny wood.

 

This is kind of a N0-DUH kind of method, but it's easy to do.

 

Originally, I traced the bottom of the pot onto a piece of paper, cut it out, and then traced the design onto my black felt...too much trouble.

 

So, I finally just traced the bottom of the pot with a stick of white school chalk, pressed the bottom onto the felt, and voila! the pattern was easy to see to cut with a pair of scissors. I use rubber cement.

 

I know, this is dumb, but I don't scratch the end tables any more and my wife loves that!

[TJR]

I sand the bottoms of my pots with coase sandpaper. Don't like felt.

TJR.

[bciskepottery]

I use 3M diamond hand polishing pads -- and wet sand the bottoms of my pottery; makes the bottoms incredibly smooth and retains the natural look of the materials used. http://www.toolocity.com/diamond-hand-polishing-pads.aspx

[clay lover]

Is tool city the only  place to find these?  Non of the big box places around here have ever hear of them.  I'm the type who like to get my hands on things I'm considering purchasing, if possible.

[bciskepottery]

The pads are used by folks who cut and polish granite counter tops, etc. Not your typical "big box" tool. There are some other on-line places, but I've yet to see them in a local retail store. I use 100 and 200 grit for 99% of my polishing.

[Babs]

THere was a huge posting on this in relatively recent times.

[Bob Coyle]

 

Bruce, how long do they last?

 

[bciskepottery]

I use both smooth stoneware and a groggy stoneware. On the smooth stoneware, the pads seem to last a good six to eight months or more, depending on number of uses/items. On the groggy stoneware, maybe not as long -- more towards the six month range. Mostly, how long they last depends on number of items and the surface. I seem to order a box (3 or 4 200 grit, 3 or 4 100 grit) every other year.

 

I dip the pad in a bowl of water, then "wax on, wax off" the bottoms of the pots; I generally spend about 10 seconds or so, on average, to get a smooth finish. If the bottom is rough, I may start with 100 grit, then go to 200 grit. If the pads start to wear on the edges, I'll cut them into smaller pieces to make sure I get full use. The foam is pretty stiff. From time to time, I use them on bisque to remove a surface issue, but generally use them for post-glazing clean up to remove kiln wash, smooth bottoms, etc. What I like is the ability to wet sand the surface and not raise dust, etc.

 

For glaze drip removal, I use a Dremel.