Selchie

Ought to save a decent bit of energy as well or at least add some pep back into your firing. Old shelves can end up to be near half the mass of the load. Fired shelves look just the same before and after so a significant waste of energy and not even an aesthetic result.

Also hit the pottery supply place and picked up another half ton of porcelain... Yes... Another stoneware potter caught the porcelain bug...
Could be worse I suppose, but I finally found a porcelain that I love.
CKK6 from Seattle Pottery Supply, great stuff if anyone in the Seattle area has been looking for a good throwing porcelain.  Not translucent or anything but glaze looks fantastic on it and it doesn't turn to a puddle when you're throwing.

I totally can empathize. I only started working with clay after I retired and when I started, my hands were really sore, with arthritis in my thumbs predominantly, but some of my finger joints hurting as well.  I would warm my hands up under running water before I started classes, then as I was in the studio more, I repeated doing that a number of times. I always use warm water for throwing, more for my hands than the clay. I know I am not working for a full days all week, and probably it would be different and harder on my hands if I were, but I do find that my hands hurt less when I have been doing pottery for a few days. 
One thing that happens when you work with your hands is that the small muscles in your hands strengthen. This is a good thing, if it is done gradually, and seems to help the bone on bone forces decrease a bit.  If you decrease the amount of clay you work with and be sure not to put too much force through your joints, that also might help. And the idea about adding equipment to do the work that is causing you the most pain is really good.  
I think the other thing about this ageing.....is to keep doing the things that you love doing - maybe modified - but keep doing them. This is absolutely a personal opinion, but I think  I would rather adapt my activities whenever I can, rather than giving them up completely. Especially pottery. 

Indeed!! Even at the most modest venture, those prices are nuts! Not to get too philosphical, but such under-valuation may call into question the integrity of clay art everywhere! Raise 'em up, Liam, raise 'em up! 

Hulk, Is that a self-cleaning wheel???? There would be a market for that - a Roomba for the studio, too. Sigh. I expect it is too good to be true, but maybe some day.
I use a bluetooth speaker, too - listen to audio books, CBC (Canadian Broadcasting) podcasts, and ABC (Australian Broadcasting) podcasts.

Love this dish idea.  Wow!  I was an occupational therapist; now a beginner potter - and I think making this kind of bowl is a goal for me. I am going to go down to our children's center for kids with disabilities and see what shapes they recommend and see if I can (eventually) reproduce the shape. Thanks.
 

Love this dish idea.  Wow!  I was an occupational therapist; now a beginner potter - and I think making this kind of bowl is a goal for me. I am going to go down to our children's center for kids with disabilities and see what shapes they recommend and see if I can (eventually) reproduce the shape. Thanks.
 

Prototype dinner plate for a disabled family member, she has partial use of one hand, paralyzed on the other side. Theory is she will be able to push her fork to the curved in back edge of the plate to keep the food on the fork. Front edge of plate is smooth and rounded over so she can rest her wrist either on that or the table.

A few months ago I posted some WIP photos of clock designs that I was experimenting with. Here’s how they are turning out: