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I'am so happy to get so many responses. Thank you guys!!

 

Paul: thank you for the picture. Did you make the tool by yourself or did you buy it? Nice chattering on the plate!! I have a set of self-made tools from Hsin-Chuen Lin and I guess he is using hacksaw too. Great tools for trimming. Very sharp!

 

 

Evelyne

 

The hacksaw blade trimming tools are something I will do a couple times a year.  A scrap of oak, a little Gorilla glue, a propane torch, and a grinder get me on my way quickly.  And yes, I prefer my trimming tools quite sharp (in spite of my occasional clumsiness)...I keep Band-aids close by :)

 

-Paul

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I make my own ribs, turning tools, sculpting sticks and other bits and pieces as I need them, (I enjoy tinkering in the shed), I've also now finished the motorised turntable for glaze spraying that I started on about last September: if only I could find the time to get out there and make some pots! 

 

I've recently finished one very large roof and had hoped that that might be my last job before retirement (in June) but now I have two more to do. I'm just going to have to start saying no soon, it's all getting too hard - just look at these beasties - 16" X 7" ridge beams, man they were heavy.

 

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I am building a storage shed-8' by 10'. Come over the pond and give me a hand. That will give you a rest.

Tom.

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My current "homemade" tool obsession is a pen disassembled to use as a variety of circle stamp in different diameters - I fasten (duct tape) them to "handles" either a cork from a wine bottle (for the smallest of them) or a dried out marker -- since they seem to be everywhere. You can punch holes with these (although the tube gets clogged till the clay dries) I also use the ballpoint to sign my work and draw on the pots.

 

I also really love a broken dinner knife that originally had a plastic handle - now it has this odd stub that makes great marks - and the knife part is a great felting knife - sturdy easy to clean - but holding it is a bit awkward.

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Evelyne: Here is the video on how to make your own tools from hacksaw blades:

 

And here is a video on using them to chatter, the specific part on chattering starts at 8:00: 

 

My dad (like you, Ayjay!) has been doing heavy construction for many years and is in the process of retiring and setting up a pottery studio. He is so tired now, in his late sixties, and he has wanted to do pottery for such a long time. I'm so excited for him, plus it's amazing to be able to learn alongside my dad as we each set up our studios, work together, and share ideas and tools. He watched the video on the blade tools and made a set for the wheel we share. One note for anyone who makes their own: You don't want to use very thin blades or they don't really have enough stability for trimming. They will still work for chattering and wheel throwing, though. 

 

I use a mixture of found objects, pottery and fondant tools, and things I've made.

 

> My dad and I have been making plaster slump and hump molds and plan to make some wooden ribs as well as the hacksaw blade tools. 

 

> I have so many handmade stamps. Probably hundreds though I've never counted.

 

> I make wire texture tools and add Sculpey handles then bake them. Sculpey is also nice to make stamps if you want a specific design because they take 20 minutes to bake, stick them in the freezer to cool, and you can test the design right away. 

 

> Some of my favorite found tools include a cuticle trimmer, a cuticle pusher, a crochet hook, and yes, a ballpoint pen. 

 

> My favorite manufactured tools are some from a Wilton fondant set, and a set of graduated ball sculpting tools. 

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Giselle: thank you for the videos! I have bought his hack saw blades (5 different shapes) and I am very content with them. Super sharp!! That is such a nice story Giselle, you setting up a pottery studio together with your retired father. I wish you two all the best and a happy time together. Is your Dad a Potters Council member too? You two could profit from all the benefits!

 

I like to read how many tools you are making yourself. Kudos to you! We don't have Sculpey here in Switzerland. What would that be here? What is the material?

 

Evelyne

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evelyne, since the question about the parabola cutters has not been answered, i will try it.  hacksaw blades have holes in the ends to hold the blade in the handle which stretches from end to end.  if you do not put the blade into the holder you can bend it into a semicircle, (parabola).  tying the holes with a strong fishing line or string, makes the blade arch.  the tautly stretched string is now used to cut clay.  different lengths of string cause differing arch shapes.

 

Bill vanGilder sells one online whose wire is attatched to the very end of the metal arch by some kind of soldering.

 

Sculpy is a brand name of a plastic kind of moldable  goop. ever play with Silly Putty?  you can bake sculpy to make it permanent.

 

 (notice i used only scientifically correct terms)

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LOL Yes, Sculpey is a polymer clay. It bakes at very low temperature, around 200 degrees Fahrenheit, and hardens to a nearly plastic consistency in around 20 minutes. No real absorbency which is nice, but I still like the way bisque stamps better. 

 

Evelyne, you may have trouble finding it in Europe. One of my stamp customers was in France and she couldn't find it anywhere over there, I think she ended up paying to ship it from overseas. Other brands are Fimo, Premo, Kato. If you're buying to make tool handles or stamps in any quantity, it's much cheaper to buy at least 1 lb. at a time. To give you an idea, 8 lbs plain white Sculpey is $50, 1.75 lbs is around $10 - $15, while a little 2 oz brick will be $2-$5. 2 ounces would make 2-6 stamps of about 1" diameter with a decent handle to grip. Fine if you just want to try it out, but if you want to go on using it, bulk is really the way to go. 

 

I have the feeling I'm a minority in using polymer clay on this site ... so if anybody has any questions about using that for stamps, tools, anything, I would be more than happy to help. I've thought of doing a "maker's mark" stamp tutorial to share. :D

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The most useful tool I’ve made is a tile tree thrown on the wheel and is used for firing my slab Raku wall hangings.  I poked holes in the tree for high temp. rods on which I hang the tile.  Hanging several tiles on the tree for Raku firing allows me to pull a group of items from the kiln at once and quickly place them in the reduction can.   Since developing this tool I’ve had much better results.

 

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oldlady: thank you very much for the explanation (and for the correct terms...). You know, I once bought Bill van Gilders tool you mention. Great tool! And regarding the putty: in the meantime I know that something similar here is named Fimo. But I don't think that you can put Fimo in the baking oven?! I guess it just hardens when you leave it in the open air....

 

Giselle: I just told oldlady that we can buy Fimo here in Switzerland, but I don't think you can bake it.... I had a look at your stamps. Impressive! here is already a maker's mark thread somewhere... Let me see.... 

 

http://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/8149-markers-marks-get-your-signature-recorded-for-all-time/?hl=+maker&do=findComment&comment=77568

 

http://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/7901-signature-stamps/page-2?hl=+maker&do=findComment&comment=76744

 

karenk: since we are many here who are doing raku, would you mind posting a picture of your tile-tree? I'am very intrigued! Are you first taking the whole tree out of the hot kiln and then the tiles?

 

Evelyne

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Evelyne,

Several years ago, friends of ours were in your neck of the woods an participated in a polymer jewelry workshop.  I think the polymer clay, brand name they mentioned (and this has been a while) is Cato or Kato...pretty sure that it can be oven hardened.  And what a great idea for handles!  I will have to try that.

 

BTW, the Hsin-Chuen Lin videos were my starting point for hacksaw blade tools...and yes, they are terrific for chattering surfaces.

 

-Paul

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oldlady: thank you very much for the explanation (and for the correct terms...). You know, I once bought Bill van Gilders tool you mention. Great tool! And regarding the putty: in the meantime I know that something similar here is named Fimo. But I don't think that you can put Fimo in the baking oven?! I guess it just hardens when you leave it in the open air....

 

Giselle: I just told oldlady that we can buy Fimo here in Switzerland, but I don't think you can bake it.... I had a look at your stamps. Impressive! here is already a maker's mark thread somewhere... Let me see.... 

 

http://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/8149-markers-marks-get-your-signature-recorded-for-all-time/?hl=+maker&do=findComment&comment=77568

 

http://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/7901-signature-stamps/page-2?hl=+maker&do=findComment&comment=76744

 

karenk: since we are many here who are doing raku, would you mind posting a picture of your tile-tree? I'am very intrigued! Are you first taking the whole tree out of the hot kiln and then the tiles?

 

Evelyne

 

Evelyne, Fimo needs firing at 110C - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fimo 

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Paul: thank you for the Kato (or Cato) tip. I never heard of this material and I surely will have a look around if I can find it.

 

Chilly: thank you! Either I'll buy Kato or Fimo. Want to try them for stamps!

 

Karen: I just had a look at the youtube video. And in the meantime I saw your pic of the trees you made. Ingenious! I'am sure one or the other member here will do something similar. Great idea of yours.

 

Evelyne

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My polymer clay said to fire at 250 F but when I did it blackened, smoked, and burned and I had to drop the temp to 200 F. So if that's happening with yours, Evelyne, that's not normal. It should not smoke or smell bad. 

 

Haha, just realized I said "fire" instead of "bake". Wonder where my heart is? ;)

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I have three full shoe boxes and some more in jars of clay stamps i have made. I never throw anything away before saying what can this do in the studio, pen caps, mesh bags, broken computer parts spirals from paper pads etc. And a trip to the thrift store brings me more pottery tools that were intended to be somethings else all the time. The hardware store is another place to find things that can be made into a new clay tools. Some of my fav tools are a set of paddles i made from wooden spoons, i took a dremel and carved into the backsides. The handles got a little carving too so you can roll them across clay.

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I've made a few things:  enameling racks, bead firing racks, a hand extruder from a caulk gun/pvc pipe/pvc test cap dies, sleds for architectual tiles/bowl/sculpture, stamps, bats, slump/hump molds, cottles. wall extruder dies, sandbag weights for slabwork, worklights, drying (with heat lamps) PVC supports, slab cloth/accessory drying racks, tile molds, magnetic newspaper  holders to shield steel spray booths from glaze spraying, wiggle wires from salvaged keychain split rings/salvaged springs from wall hung plate holders

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Since I've started pottery one of my important tools has been a slice of cane.  I usually use a altered bamboo

skewer,(found in grocery stores).  I alter it by dulling the sharp end so the pottery appears more like a 1750

vessel other than a 1800 vessel.(its not good to have an mid-18th century exterior finish with 19th incising.)

Sticks are used for incising, trailing, and punctates.  But anyway, I find it interesting that after using a bamboo

skewer for a couple of months and mis-place it, I have to find THAT stick!!!  It seems petty everytime, but its always

the same.  God forbid I mis-place my favorite rib,burnishing stone, or scraper.  Does anyone else freak out

when that "special" common pottery tool can't be found?

 

I've been buying bamboo skewers since being involved in a cookie bouquet business in a past life.  (I made the

cookies-on-a-stick, then someone wrapped and arranged them like you would flowers. :>)  All were baked

from scratch.

 

See ya,

Alabama

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Yeah I kind of freak out to, I just recently replace a favorite black rubber rib it is no longer soft.  I need to replace my 5 gal glaze screen, I keep putting the screen back in with silicone.  The new bucket screens are made with a thin plastic, I have been looking for a better quality one and haven't had any luck.  My ceramic supplier thinks I'm cheap because  I won't buy the crummy replacement screen.   Denice

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you are right, denise, the new sieves are carp, i misspelled it.  i still have one of the 1960s sieves but its plastic finally died.  wouldn't you after all those years of use?  it had a bottom screen that was FLAT.  nobody else seems to have a FLAT one since there is apparently only one maker.  i hate the new one but have to use it.  just another of the "new and better" things that replaced really excellent things.  

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