QotW: What tool set would you have post glazing?

[Pres]

Hi folks, and once again no new question in the QotW pool. I have been doing this thing with tool kits as far as aspects of pottery production, so I thought why not the final work on the pots, that time after glaze firing that might need a little TLC. So my QotW is:  What tool set would you have post glazing?

I just finished a couple of loads and packed them away for delivery to Savannah Bee in GA. When pieces came out of the kiln, there were places where there was a roughness on the base, there were some spots not quite right in the glaze surface, a little rough or so, and some of the lids did not fit quite as well as I wanted. My basic finishing kit requires a few things: diamond disc mounted on a masonite bat for grinding bases and edge of base, water bucket, a dremel tool with a diamond bit and a rubber polishing bit,  buffing wheel and toothpaste, dust mask, griffin grip, 3 small diamond sponge pads and another bucket of clean water with a sponge,  and a towel for drying. Most of these are self explanatory as I do my bottom grinding on the wheel dipping the pot in water, and also use the GG and the dremel tool with diamond bit to clean rims and grind lids to fit. I also use the dremel with the diamond bit to clean rough spots and polish these into the surface with the rubber polisher. Finish this with toothpaste on the buffing wheel. Rinse everything clean, and check for leaks, in the water, then dry and pack. I could include packing materials, but then they vary with mode of transport.For this trip a bunch of wine/whiskey boxes and bubble wrap worked fine. Mugs got stacked 3 deep, cardboard in between, 18 to a box. Honey jars were tougher, but often second layer above mugs with cardboard between and bubble wrap sheets 1/4 ered and spoons forced through a small slit, and lids on pots with bubble wrap between. In most cases honey jars could be stacked 2-3 deep.

So once again, when they come out of the glaze kiln:  What tool set would you have post glazing?

 

best,

Pres

[LeeU]

Well golly, Pres.  You didn't leave much room for me (can't speak for anyone else) to add much! Your list pretty much covers it all...and much more than I have in my studio (no grinding base or GG-- if  it won't Dremel off or respond to the various diamond-based assists and other manual processes, then it's just not happening). Then again, I'm not cranking out jars with lids, and  my inherently "rough" style lends itself to very minimal finishing  needing to be done. Packing I've got down to a science and am pretty good at it, but I don't do anything special that anybody else doesn't do, as far as standard practices go. If I use newspaper, I do make an effort to use sheets of interest from our local publications, like The Weirs Times, serving the Winnipesaukee lakes region of NH. Here's a sample of a pic I would use as a wrap. And I often include a small moose hanging ornament along with my biz card. My smalls bags are white, blue, or brown Kraft and I have a sticker with my logo to seal them shut.   

[liambesaw]

Assorted diamond discs, that's about it!  And of course all of the black Costco bins with yellow lids that are packed full of mugs and bowls and plates.  I have I think 6 completely full now, I can't really pick them up and move them around because they're too big and heavy, but when I end up doing a show I will repack into more manageable loads.

One other thing I like to do after firing is to take pictures of the work, so I will pile it up inside and then wait for a cloudy morning to bring it all outside for pictures on my rotting deck.  For that it's an ancient Canon DSLR with a really really nice 100mm f2.8 macro lens and adobe Lightroom for editing.

 

[CactusPots]

I use a diamond disk on my wheel also, but I tapped the catch basins and ran tubing to a bucket so I could use a hose to get a steady stream of water on the grinding disk.  I know a potter who has a regular rock grinding setup for polishing off glaze drips.  If I found one used for cheap, I'd certainly do that.

[Callie Beller Diesel]

I don't get a whole lot of glaze drips, and I hate post glaze cleanup so I put more effort into prevention. Most feet get a light polish with a little red rib in the leather hard stage, which is all my clay needs for the most part.

 My issues tend to involve the clay picking up a tiny bit of kiln wash, or lids sticking. I wet sand any galleries in the bisque stage because I find it's less elbow grease.

For the odd thing that slips by, I use 220 wet/dry sandpaper (always used wet), or a Kemper stone. I have a large throwing stick that was poorly made that makes an excellent mallet to gently tap apart any lids that stick.

Packing items for shows are just newspaper and Rubbermaid bins. For mailing things out, I opt for small bubble wrap, the cornstarch packing peanuts and I purchase boxes from a company called Shipper's Supply. Online orders are packed with a business card with some care instructions on it, and for larger or special orders, a quick thank you note.