Oops. There’s a paint brush stuck inside my green ware.

[Meredith Kathleen]

I was using this paintbrush while hand building and it has been in there for a few days.  I cannot get it out.  I tried a bit of water, I tried poking wire alongside it.

any ideas?

what if I trim off the metal top and fire it as is????

https://pin.it/1A06pBh

[Hulk]

The wood and paint remaining - likely produce volumes of smoke.

Might be possible to cut off the ferrule, leaving enough materiel to grasp with a plier; drill a small hole down the center of the handle, beyond the pinch point; drill out a larger hole, following the first; grasp the handle with a plier, crushing the handle a bit. Ah, hence "Might be possible..." for any outward force could break your green ware. I'd try for drilling the handle out enough such that a parallel grasp with needle nose pliers crushes two narrow bits inward, hence the subsequent grasp has somewhere to go, if you follow me here, that is, overlapping.

Or, wet enough such that the brush releases, bringing some clay along with, the "however" being targeted wetting - just and only right next to the brush.

Perhaps there's another way besides giving it a sharp rap over your clay recycle bucket whilst holding onto the brush? Good luck!

[Min]

6 hours ago, Meredith London said:

what if I trim off the metal top and fire it as is????

Yes, I would do this. Looking at your picture it appears you could take a small pair of scissors and cut the brush off the bristles.  Once the bristles are no longer attached to the ferrule most of the bristles could probably be taken out with a pair of tweezers. If there are some still stuck to the clay I wouldn't worry about them, they will burn out.

[Hulk]

Looks like the handle portion is down, bristles up - handle used to maintain the opening?

[Mark C.]

I would cut the brush and leave the  at the wood part and leave it to burn out. That way the metal is gone

[Min]

8 minutes ago, Hulk said:

Looks like the handle portion is down, bristles up - handle used to maintain the opening?

You are right! I saw it as handle going upwards. In that case I'ld probably scrap the piece and start again. If the handle is wedged in there there are probably going to be cracks in the clay from being shrunk tightly onto the handle.

[neilestrick]

I would take a needle tool and carefully dig out around the handle and see if you can get it to loosen up with some twisting of the handle.

[Meredith Kathleen]

I got it out!  My pottery teacher helped me out - we dripped more water, just a teeny bit at a time into the hole from top and bottom,  let it sit for a moment and it evenutally came out - but the piece did separate at one of the joins, we mended it and shall see how it comes out -  may well have cracks...  hopefully glaze will fill it in - Thanks for all the suggestion!