What’s on your workbench?

[Min]

1 hour ago, Sorcery said:

I have had a bunch of roof shingle pebbles coming out of my gutter, so I used it for grog in some reclaim.

Maybe some micrometeorites too. https://skyandtelescope.org/astronomy-news/new-study-hunts-for-rain-gutter-micrometeorites/ 

[Callie Beller Diesel]

A sugar jar from last fall, but playing with photo editing. 

[Benzine]

15 hours ago, Callie Beller Diesel said:

A sugar jar from last fall, but playing with photo editing. 

A sugar jar, that looks like it's coated in sugary glaze!

[Chilly]

Today, on my workbench, is pot #1 of 3. Formed around a flower bucket, wrapped with bubble-wrap.  

 

Edited June 4, 2020 by Chilly
Photo added

[GEP]

This is a personal project for my house. I recently switched to using bar soap and bar shampoo, in an effort to reduce my plastic bottle consumption. I was using a soap dish I had made years ago, but soon discovered that it was not well-suited for an environment as wet as a shower. I made myself a new soap dish that is designed to shed excess water onto the shower floor. This concept is not original to me, I've seen photos of other handmade pottery self-draining soap dishes. But mine is the first wheel-thrown version that I've seen.

[Mark C.]

Its a spoon rest with a pedestal set to drain well.

I have two glaze loads just about done and will laod the kilns on Wens. Fire Thur.-unload Monday-I need to get back to putting condiut and water pipe in trenches .

Edited June 10, 2020 by Mark C.

[Pres]

I have been working on a regular slab made butter dish. I made the mistake of making one as a request from a niece for Christmas last year. Others in the family saw it, and decided they needed one. So I instead of doing a one off, several times I came up with this set up.

I am using a thin piece of plastic between the form and the slab of clay, as it makes removal a breeze, and the plastic stretches into the corners of the form. I use rollers and stamps to decorate the slab pieces. The 2X4 is covered on one side with an extra layer of rubber backed felt to bring the form up to the correct width.

I recently had a custom stamp made of a design I created in Corel Draw that is uses my symbol/signature as a basis.

 I have still not fired any of these, but don't foresee any issues.

best,

Pres

[liambesaw]

Cute!  And nice jig

[Mark C.]

Pres I have had about 100 requests over the decades on these handbuilt butterdishes. You want to get into that business? if so I'll send them your way if and when art shows open again in the next decade.. I always turn down handbuilding  projects or any custom work these days. 

[Pres]

Mark, I am really not looking to get into it too deep, but if you send a few my way, I can always say no.  Otherwise, I'd leave it alone. The Savannah thing fell through, and I miss it not at all.

 

best,

Pres

[Mark C.]

I can relate to that story very well right now.

[Mark C.]

Two galze fires coming out tbis afternoon-so that on the workbench until they get boxed up.I'm not pricing pots anymore as all shows are off the table  this year so they go to wholesale outlets or building inventory-either way no prices on pots. Its a first for me not to at least price some stock.

[liambesaw]

I've just been messing around, which I find incredibly fun.  I think of something and see if it looks good in real life.  

[GEP]

Welp, it turns out my self-draining soap dish doesn’t work. The bars of soap also slide off onto the floor! Back to the drawing board. 

[Mark C.]

5 minutes ago, GEP said:

Welp, it turns out my self-draining soap dish doesn’t work. The bars of soap also slide off onto the floor! Back to the drawing board. 

My draini g ones are extruded and i have a slight banana bend to them with 3/8 inch drain holes in them-they work in a shower well soap stays put.

[GEP]

9 minutes ago, Mark C. said:

My draini g ones are extruded and i have a slight banana bend to them with 3/8 inch drain holes in them-they work in a shower well soap stays put.

Do you have a photo? I’d like to see how your drain holes are placed. 

I want to stick to a wheel-thrown solution (don’t have an extruder, don’t want to hand-build it), so I think I will try giving it a short wall around the rim. Maybe make it a little less tilted. 

[GEP]

Although the new soap dish does not work on its own, I've found that it does work as a drainboard for the old soap dish.  You can see the original saucer for the soap dish on the right, which would just overflow onto the shelf and make a sticky mess. This is a functioning solution for now. I'd still like to design a soap dish that is a one-piece item and functions the same as these two pieces together.

[Min]

Mea, have you tried increasing the height of the sides next to the spout? The hand-built ones I've seen have a much higher rim at the front that stops the soap from sliding out.

 

 

 

 

[Callie Beller Diesel]

Or even throwing it with a rim similar to the dish on the right, but maybe a bit higher? Closer to your own aesthetic.

[GEP]

9 minutes ago, Min said:

Mea, have you tried increasing the height of the sides next to the spout? The hand-built ones I've seen have a much higher rim at the front that stops the soap from sliding out.

Like the front rim on this one.

 

 

 

Yes, this is my thinking too, I need to build a short wall on the front of the dish. 

[Mark C.]

I'll take a photo today-I'm dropping pots off at one of my markets today-they have been selling soap dishes like crazy now along with hand sanitizer bottles .

The soap dishes I make are about 50% with drain holes 50% without-thery are smaller than any wheel made one and work as stuffers in kiln loads well.

 

[Pres]

Mea, throw your old form with and inner wall up. Cut out the center of the inner wall to drain to the bottom lip, but still holding the soap.

 

 

best,

Pres

[Mark C.]

I make a few hundred of these every year.They can be cut to any length . I made the die from aluminum-I shoot out a foot and a half  at a  time-about-6-8 of them let dry a tad cut them with my favorite two mud cutter tools -the large bow and then the smaller bow(mud tools). I fix some (banana shape a little) that way they drain and soap sludge either drain out hols or on hole less ones it stays in center. I designed the ridges to sit the soap high and dry just like your thrown rings.

I think an extruder is a great production tool if not overused-which many times it is. That being forms that are not very functional enough.

We hot dip the feet in a hot wax pan so these wax right up easy.

The black holes are hard to see in the bottom black soap shot.

A side view would show a slightly curved form in the narrow view.

We use the hole less ones ourselves as they keep the sink counter cleaner. 

I make them up to 5 inch and down to 3 inch in length I cit the feet at a angle -then they all need a super sponging job while in teen state. I use a 3/8 brass and wood handle hole cutter. These forms are super strong if dropped.The extruder compresses the clay .They fit under bowls or in small spots all over the kiln as stuffers.I can whip them out . I sell them for 10-12$ right now

I stack them in piles and customers paw through them (in normal times) now they are piled in the natural foods markets and are selling well now.

If you box them up in a box of say 50 they weigh a ton.-not as heavy as a banana box full of French butterdishes.I just moved a bunch of heavy pottery boxes so thats my crabby.

 

 

Edited June 16, 2020 by Mark C.

[Pres]

Yeah I miss having access to the big Bailey's  that we had at school, but have a small electric rig to make handles. I think the idea is neat, but then I like the thrown idea also.

Years ago, I attended a John Glick workshop at ART, and he demonstrated a wood for for a vanity soap dish. The cheese hard slab was placed in the hinged wooden form, and two slabs were fitted to the top while in the form. The first slab was joined on, and using a sponge stretched to make water catch. The second slab was also done the same way not stretching as much. then drain holes were added to the bottom of the second slab carefully not to go through the bottom slab. Also added a drain hole at the inside edge of the second slab to be able to drain the water while cleaning. After all done a screen door hook was loosened on the wooden form and hinges on opposite side let you open it up tor trim everything to the side walls of the cheese hard slab placed in the beginning. very elegant and functional.

 

best,

Pres

[Benzine]

17 hours ago, Pres said:

Yeah I miss having access to the big Bailey's  that we had at school, but have a small electric rig to make handles. I think the idea is neat, but then I like the thrown idea also.

Years ago, I attended a John Glick workshop at ART, and he demonstrated a wood for for a vanity soap dish. The cheese hard slab was placed in the hinged wooden form, and two slabs were fitted to the top while in the form. The first slab was joined on, and using a sponge stretched to make water catch. The second slab was also done the same way not stretching as much. then drain holes were added to the bottom of the second slab carefully not to go through the bottom slab. Also added a drain hole at the inside edge of the second slab to be able to drain the water while cleaning. After all done a screen door hook was loosened on the wooden form and hinges on opposite side let you open it up tor trim everything to the side walls of the cheese hard slab placed in the beginning. very elegant and functional.

 

best,

Pres

You could make your own...  What's another project right?