Denice

I enjoy pulling handles but I also want handles that are more ornate or contemporary. I have extruded contemporary handles and made press molds for ornate handles. For a more rustic feel I will cut them out of a slab of clay. I tried making mugs without handles but they looked incomplete, I wound up carving intricate patterns on them. I enjoy assembling the cup and handle, I guess this is why I like the challenge of throwing a teapot. Denice

The best throwing lesson I had was in my second year of college. Our teacher told us that he was going to teach us how to throw dry. It was wonderful, you didn't pour water over the clay, you dipped your hands in the water. You could have a very small elephant ear sponge that was wet, it took a little practice but it worked great and you didn't have a big mess to clean. My professor was known for his large platters, he would center a 25lb block of clay and throw it just dipping his hands in water. He had special bates that made to throw the platters on. Denice

When I start on a mural I will already have the image in my head, I start putting my idea down on paper, I redraw it several times improving and and increasing the size of the drawing then I have Kinko's blow it up to the final size. My husband and I check out any problems it may have with the perspective and flow. When I throw I tend to make the same thing over and over again and then give them some personality with glaze. Hand building is where I tend to start with a large slab that just takes off, sometimes I am just challenging myself to see what I can make the clay do. They usually don't make it to the kiln. Denice

Definitely get a one hp. I bought a used Brent a few years ago and it had a new half hp. motor. I don't consider myself a strong thrower but I find myself wanting a little more horse power now and then. I am mostly a handbuilder so this wheel will work for me. Denice

Difficult to answer, when I was making coiled pots I could make two at the same time. I tried to make three but I had top coils getting too firm for my coil/pinch up method of coiling . When I throw I quit when my wrists and hands start to ache, I can usually throw four pots. I have been working on a three dimensional mural for awhile. Just as I think I am ready to roll out the last back ground tiles I find a area that needs more work. When I change one tile pattern, I usually have to change all of them. All of the three dimensional tiles are done. Thinking about working with layered colored clay's when the mural is finished.

I don't do a lot of throwing but I have learned that keeping the thickness of the clay the same is the key. I even try to keep the turns in sculptures the same, If I can't I will make the area angled to ease into a area with varied thickness. My throwing teacher in college would walk behind our wheels hollering (compression, compression, compression) especially on a flat platter. Denice

I have always kept a dog bed in my studio, I have only had three dogs in the past that would hang around. My new dog is still at that chewing stage so I haven't introduced him to the studio yet. He is a chiwienne and somewhere around a year old, it could be another year before I try. He is laying on the top edge of the couch right now looking through the blinds, he must be part cat. Denice

Cool mixer, I haven't seen one like that before, it would be much easier to clean. When I started working with clay at home, I had a small table that folded down on the wall, folding chair, bucket, wooden thumb, old steak knife and sponge and a small paragon kiln. I shared a single car garage with my husband who worked on cars in the garage. Everything had to fold away so he could have room to work. My current abundant supply of tools has happened over the last 50 years, I haven't thrown any of them away. I think I'll give them to my son as his inheritance. Denice

I can lose a day working in my studio, even recycling clay and cleaning time fly's by. My husbands loves to work on cars but hates lawn work. We hire a man to help us with outdoor work, last summer the front end on his car broke. My husband agrees to fix his car instead of paying him for his work that day. The hired man comments later that he has never seen someone so happy to be working on a car. My husband spent his life writing technical books on amusement rides, plane, trains and construction equipment. But is happiest when he is working with his hands. Denice

I don't have any unusual tools but I do use tool tray inserts that I store my tools in. They are to be used in large tool chest, the plastic is heavy you don't need any support. They stack inside of each other and are easy to wash out. I am kind of a tool hoarder so I have three of them filled. Denice

Our local art museum would have a exhibit for children with impaired sight, they could pick up and touch the art work. I thought it would be great if they had a permanent exhibit for all children to enjoy touching the art work. I would be happy to donate pots to it. I love to observe and touch pottery, it gives me a feeling of being grounded to the earth. Denice

I am also 70 years old, I purchased a new Paragon Caldera test kiln a few months ago and I installed a new LL kiln with the same Genesis 2.0 controller on it this week in my kiln room. I purchase the test kiln because the one I was using needed work and it was old and didn't have a controller or thick walls. My old Skutt started giving me trouble at the same time. I thought long and hard on whether it was a sensible thing to do at my age it invest in new equipment at my age. Maybe I should give it up, I just couldn't imagine myself doing anything else, sure I could find something to piddle with but I would lose interest quickly. My interest lately is testing the same glaze on eight or so different clay's. I can see myself delving even deeper into glaze to put on small pots. Someday I will have to quit working in my studio, I will at least know that old age didn't stop me from doing what I love. Denice

You will need to start this journey a small and large thumb, a medium wire tool to cut out excess clay and a rubber rib to smooth clay. You might want to make your first piece before you buy anything to get a feel for the tools you will need, your hands are your best tool. Look around your house and garage and there is many objects you can use. A old credit card makes a great stiff smoother, you can make a them out of plastic bottles also. A couple of homemade wire tools I bought are the best wire tools I have ever had. I have seen a small cheese slicer used to cut off excess clay. The thumbs will have to be whittled out of wood, using a dremel grinding stone on a piece of soft wood like pine it makes pretty quick work of it. I made a small thumb once by gluing a stack of popsickle sticks together and shaping on end like a thumb. Have fun! Denice

I hope you get some throwing done this summer. Work and family can keep you busy, I have been busy buying new equipment, I bought a new Paragon Caldera test kiln a few months ago. I just got a call and the shipping company is delivering my new LL kiln tomorrow. I sold my big Skutt last night to a new potter, I told her I would help her with her first firing or answer any questions she had. Denice

Wow that cargo van can really hold a lot! I had PT cruisers for 20 years, I traded my last one in 2022, If you took the back seats out it had a flat floor and you could fit 8ft boards by sliding into the front. I packed it to the ceiling many times and even moved my large kiln in it and friends houses. You could register it as a truck if you wanted to pay more taxes. I will have a 65 El Camino to use when my husband gets it painted, it is easy to load much lower than new trucks and has a metal bed cover. It won't have a heated steering wheel but it will have a custom leather interior and air conditioning. Denice

I used to have a stack of pots that I really didn't like and I would let visitors to my studio take one home. I would watch them ooh and ahh over them and it slowly started to sink in that people can have very different taste in art. Some people would look for the piece that had the most imperfections, now I know not to throw those away. Denice

My first throwing class we were only allowed to keep three pieces for grading purposes. It was that way until I was in advance throwing, mostly the class threw and cut. We also had to mix clay, help load kilns and clean. All of the pottery classes were full and the department was overwhelmed with clay needing to be made and glazed pots sitting everywhere waiting to be fired. Denice

Sharp sand sounds like a great idea, is it a special sand?

I get some heat from the house it is enough to keep things from freezing. I have one of those radiator looking electric heaters, first thing I do is turn it on in the morning. I also turn on a couple of small fans to move the air around. I am unable to warm it enough to work out there when it is 0 and below outside. I catch up with chores in the house on those days, fortunately the southern part of Kansas only has 2 or 3 weeks of intense cold each year. I know that doesn't sound that cold to some but we get strong winds with it. Even people from colder states complain about the cold weather here. Denice

There is a little bit of my life in everyone's answer, life just gets in the way. I am just thankful that I am 70 and can still work with clay. I am unloading my big kiln today and start glazing so I can fire tomorrow. Who could ask for more! Denice

I don't get very attached to my work, I am a process oriented person. I like the process of making it but once it is finished I can let go of it. I think I am this way because of my childhood. I had four sisters and we lived in a 600 sq. ft. house. We each had a drawer for our clothes and toys, we would have to clean it out every month and give the toys we hadn't played with recently to the salvation army. Denice

The utility cabinet I use is vented, I purchase 2 of them 13 years ago for 80 dollars. I bought two because I wanted to make sure I had enough drying space. I have never used the second one, my husband uses it in the garage. I was recently in a lumber yard and noticed they had the same cabinets for 40 dollars. they haven't change prices in 13 years. Denice.

You could try it but be prepared for warping or cracking, the lowest temperature on my oven is 180 that is awfully hot for clay. I took a summer throwing class we would take our pots out and set them in the shade out of the wind. It was 105 out that temperature was pushing the edge of the thrown pots tolerance. Denice

The utility cabinet I bought doesn't cost much here but you may not find one where you live. The college I went to made up a wooden shelf unit with slat shelves, they would wrap it in heavy painters plastic put a fan and light bulb in in. I wouldn't leave the light bulb on unattended, I just had a lampshade frame break and it fell against small low wattage bulb and melted. Denice