QotW: what item that you use in your studio came to you free, almost free or as a gift?

[Pres]

@oldlady asked a question of me lately for the QotW: what item that you use in your studio came to you free, almost free or as a gift? 

I found this interesting, and after a lot of thought about my own situation, I would have to say that I don't have much given to me that I use in my shop pottery wise. However, I do have some pieces of aircraft grade plexiglass that I use to make extruder dies for my power caulk gun conversion extruder. The material works very well, reminds me of my Dad when I use it. He is still alive at 96 and retired from his second occupation as an aircraft inspector for Schweitzer Aircraft. I also worked there for a few summers as a parts fabricator. The factory built the AgCat crop duster, gliders, and parts for helicopters during the Viet Nam war and later Bell helicopters. So often gifts will remind us of the giver

QotW: what item that you use in your studio came to you free, almost free or as a gift? 

best,

Pres

[blackthorn]

I was lucky enough to acquire a very decent homemade wheel and a Skutt kiln from a  fellow potter who was moving and couldn't take it with him. Sadly I didn't have room enough for his homemade pug mill.  I use the wheel just for trimming since my other wheel was the very opposite of free.     I'm still coin hunting so I can pay for the 220 wiring for the Skutt.   Soon, though.

[LeeU]

I'm taking some liberty with the "free" part.  The gift that I use is not "in" my studio, it "is" my studio. The gift was me making it to retirement and having enough coin to install the studio & everything in it, in the larger bedroom of my trailor, & the kiln, which is on the formally open back porch, which I was able to enclose with restaurant patio-grade vinyl, essential for New Hampshire winters. Beyond that, my studio has a fair amount of useful things attained by "curb shopping". One find that I love is a green wire shelving unit, close to 5'x3' w/5 shelves,  that I scored from a convenience store (OK, that one was actual dumpster diving). It holds an amazing quantity of tools etc., many of which I also scrounged from here & there. 

 

[JohnnyK]

I got my CI wheel from a friend who was cleaning out his barn on a newly purchased property. He said he would lend it to me for free for as long as I wanted it. That was more than 10 years ago and he has never asked for it back. I also got my first very old Cress kiln from an old ceramist who had 2 and didn't need the old one. I just had to haul it off. It was a ^6 kiln that needed elements and wouldn't fire above ^2 after awhile, so I sold it as a low fire kiln after I bought a lightly used ^10 Cress. I put an Orton digital controller on it and have been firing it to ^6 for 8 years.

[Hulk]

Pop gave me an Optivisor, years ago, which I'd used for tying flies (fishing lures); now I use it for close pot examination.

The ground glass lens I'm using is 2x, handy for seein' crazing, small defects, etc.

A dear friend gave me a shoebox assortment of clay tools, some of which I use, particularly the mini loop tools - for carving brushed on slip.

The potter I'd bought a (very well) used kiln from gave me a few pounds of red iron oxide, some extra shelves, and several boxes of old cones - all being put to use.

 

[Min]

I was recently gifted a pair of printers blankets for my slabroller by a very sweet forum member.

In the past I've picked up 2 kilns for free which we cannibalized for parts, dozens of batts from a guy who made speakers, (labeled) glaze chemicals, shipping supplies, foam offcuts from an upholstery place that I cut up for throwing sponges and shelving racks. I think thats the main things but I'm sure there is more.

[Mark C.]

I use a wood  as a trim tool from driftwood at beach

I must say I wish I had a printer blanket-none around here.

[Callie Beller Diesel]

I’ve done a bunch of scrounging and repurposing over the years for assorted things, and there’s very few items I think I’ve paid full price for, other than materials. 

I think the thing that I’ve enjoyed a great deal more than I thought I would was the banding wheel that got thrown in with a $150 materials purchase from a moving sale. The guy was moving to New York State to be with his girlfriend and didn’t want to take anything with him, so he was just pushing stuff at me. I’d never used one regularly before, but they’re pretty nice.

[oldlady]

mark, what is your nearest large city that supports a newspaper?   i realize "nearest" could mean hundreds of miles.   if you call the newspaper and ask for the plant manager, you might reach someone who can send you some if you offer to pay for the shipping and packing.   they really need to get rid of them after their side is no longer working for them.   you really need two, a top and a bottom.  the usual newspaper size is the size of the new york times or washington post, not small.  always ask for measurements.    if you can't find anything, i can always get some sent to you as a last resort.

 you might send a mug so they are amenable to a later request as well.

Edited September 16, 2022 by oldlady

[Pres]

Great tip @oldlady!

 

best,

Pres

[neilestrick]

I customer once gave me a wall-mount Orton digital controller system. I hooked it up to my old manual test kiln and I've been using it for almost 10 years now.