QotW: Do you use cloth towels, paper towels or other when in the shop to dry your hands, and clean things off?

[Pres]

So the pool does not have any recent contributions so I will ask:Do you use cloth towels, paper towels or other when in the shop to dry your hands, and clean things off?

I have a tendency of using cloth towels in the shop, mostly the size of hand towels. I use an apron with clips on the front to hang the towel to. I used to use towels over my legs when throwing, but then when I got the new apron. . .  this works much better. Cleaning hands etc, I usually clean off in throwing bucket first and then in a clean bucket of water to finish and then dry off with a towel. Dirty towels go into a 5gal. bucket of water to soak, then another to rinse a few days later. Then laundry.

 

How do you handle cleaning hands, especially when pulling and making handles and applying them. I am always wiping my hands when working that way.

 

best,

Pres

[Magnolia Mud Research]

cloth towels (dish towels or bath towels) for cleaning hands while throwing or using clay slips;
paper towels after washing hands, 
sponge to clean tables and shelves,
don't pull handles (my mugs have built-in handles)
 

 

[LeeU]

I wipe 'em on my pants.  When I remember not to do that, I wash & dry w/cloth towels. Clean up w/sponges. Such low output (home studio on slo-mo speed)-I don't worry about it, truthfully. 

[Hulk]

"So the pool.." aaah, got exited there for a few seconds! Hulk was a swimmer (still hittin' the pool two or three times a week) back in th'day.

Ahem, I'm with you Pres; water, and cleaner water, then cloth rag/towel when dry hand is necessary. I do use the cute little round sponge, however, the Hulk size sponge gets a lot more use, for cleaning hands, wheel, tools, bats, etc., and pieces cut from Hulk size sponge (search "grout sponge") see more use on pots (thanks Bill VG for purpose cut shape idea). The towel comes in handy when something needs dry right now - typically hands or  bat, most else can take its time drying up.

From there, I'm pouring off the clear water and settling the clay for reclaim. The clay-y clothes, rags, apron, etc. get two soak and rinse cycles before laundry, also with you there Pres.

I use paper towels to clean my bike, blot water drops off my glasses after soap and water wash, then re-use them to wipe up bird crap.

That's Jack, admiring brand new wheel (last Fall).

Years in the trades almost cured me o'wipin'me hands on trouser legs ...almost.

[Mark C.]

I have older cotton towels for shop use-one hangs on a hook near the door. I have a stack of clean folded ones in studio. They only get used for clay.They vary from hand to bath size.I was them in a. shop cold water only(no soap) washer-its a front loader I bought new a few years ago -I get about 10 years on machines before clay kills them.The last machine wash a hand me down from friend. The water is used as grey water on berry patch in summer from washer.In winter is piped into shop underground rainwater pipes (from hitters) that take it long away from house onto more bamboo. Towels and shop clay cloths are washed in they system removed from house laundry system.No clay in house on cloths or towels.I wash once a week during weekend cheap power.

I sponge off surfaces with large sponges.

I have a dedicated clay sink with facet on a pipe about 18 inch from sink bottom.Water from sing goes into a two tub settling system outside.That water is hosed via gravity feed to timber bamboo patch year around.

since this is a full Time gig all this make sense. For most it makes little sense

[Callie Beller Diesel]

I have dedicated studio towels that just get thrown in the washer.  I have bath sheets that get draped over my knees while I'm throwing or doing certain finishing tasks, and some medium sized ones for general purpose hand wiping. Just got them all from the thrift store.  They go into the regular wash in their own seperate load, but I wash them pretty frequently in the name of keeping the dust down and not putting a lot of clay through my top loader.

I tend to clean 98% of the clay on my hands off into a bucket (also wiping with a grout sponge) that later gets decanted into my reclaim. At that point, my hands are safe enough just to wash with soap and water in the bathroom sink. 

When pulling handles, I pull separately and let them set up before attaching, so I'm really only having to clean up from that job once, and not constantly wiping my hands. Fun hint: you keep your elbow dry if you dip the clay slug in the water bucket instead of getting your whole hand wet. 

I don't buy paper towels for the rest of the house, never mind my studio. 

[GEP]

I use terry cloth towels. Mostly hand towels while throwing. I wash my hands in the throwing water bucket, dry off with a throwing towel. Then finish washing my hands in the sink, drying off on a “clean” towel next to the sink.

When glazing, I wrap a bath towel around my waist. Because like @LeeU I cannot resist wiping my hands on my pants. Glazing seems to require much more hand wiping than anything else.

When pulling handles, I wear a terry cloth wrist band to stop water dripping down to my elbow. I tried @Callie Beller Diesel‘s method but it didn’t help. For me, the water doesn’t drip down my arm during the pulling phase. It drips during the phase when I shape the handle and attach the bottom end. Because for that move I hold the mug up at eye level > arms now angled upward > water runs down arm rather than off the hands into bucket.

All of my studio towels and wristbands get taken down to a neighborhood laundromat, rather than my home laundry machines. It’s one of those big ones that is open 24/7. I figure their drains can handle a lot more than my house can. 

Edited July 18, 2018 by GEP

[Gabby]

I learned the habit of first getting most of the clay off my hands in a water bucket. I then use hand towels.

For surfaces I use big sponges.

[Roberta12]

I use mostly rags.  I have rags for glazing, rags for throwing,   Sometime paper towels, but not often.  In the summer (warmer weather) I will soak the towels, rinse them outside and once they are clean, put them in the washer.  But usually I just take those rags to the local laundry.  That's what the laundry is there for!!

[Mark C.]

13 hours ago, Mark C. said:

I have older cotton towels for shop use-one hangs on a hook near the door. I have a stack of clean folded ones in studio. They only get used for clay.They vary from hand to bath size.I was them in a. shop cold water only(no soap) washer-its a front loader I bought new a few years ago -I get about 10 years on machines before clay kills them.The last machine wash a hand me down from friend. The water is used as grey water on berry patch in summer from washer.In winter is piped into shop underground rainwater pipes (from hitters) that take it long away from house onto more bamboo. Towels and shop clay cloths are washed in they system removed from house laundry system.No clay in house on cloths or towels.I wash once a week during weekend cheap power.

I sponge off surfaces with large sponges.

when Glazing I wear latex gloves so no and then I use a towel to wipe them-the same towel that hangs near door. Its changed after glaze day.

I have a dedicated clay sink with facet on a pipe about 18 inch from sink bottom.Water from sing goes into a two tub settling system outside.That water is hosed via gravity feed to timber bamboo patch year around.

since this is a full Time gig all this make sense. For most it makes little sense

 

[yappystudent]

About 4 plastic buckets that I rotate through the kitchen sink since I don't have a dedicated sink. They sit around for a day or so until I can pour the water off. Kitchen and "bar mop" towels from the dollar store. Big sponge for the table and a fan to dry the surface in between spongings, otherwise it would remain wet for too long. I tend to change clay colors a lot.

[clay lover]

I bought a stack of hand sized towels and a few bath sized from the overstock store in a light mud color!  they don't show stains from the red clay and they look better.

[Marcia Selsor]

cloth..actually hand towels. I have one on a hook by my wheel.

Marcia