mel jacobson on sun 29 jul 07
the pix of the tong tool on my website is just a starting
point.
i have an idea that twenty different tong ideas will be born
today. remember, the sharper the ends of the tongs are, the
better they grip.
a bent coat hanger wire is still the best calipers in the world.
bar none.
make one for each standard size you have.
teapots
casseroles
storage jars. just bend to a U shape...any size you want.
i have one bent coat hanger wire that i have used for
almost twenty years.
teapots.
sharpen the ends on a grinder/file for more precise measuring.
add a piece of duct tape folded over.
write-
T-Pot / then hang it on the wall and draw the outline with a sharpie.
if you drop it, or change it...you can bend it right back the way it was.
but, they do not change if you just use them. hard metal in coat hangers.
notes written on your studio walls stay there...you can't lose the notebook.
same for favorite clay and glaze recipes. the harding black theory.
potters make great homemade tools. it is a part of our thinking process.
i always smile at all the silly things people buy at nceca.
almost like watching info mercials on tv.
gotttta have it, gotttta have it. drag it home, stick it on a shelf or
in a box. never used.
i do get ideas however walking around nceca.
`hmmm, i could make that for three cents, only mine will work better.`
i call it...`DAVID HENDLEY THINKING`.
it is like stirring glazes with a kitchen strainer taped to a stick.
great stir/great way to get chunks of crap out of the bucket.
don't have to empty it through a strainer. quick and easy way to
stir and strain at the same time. two minutes.
tom wirt has dozen's of cardboard templates that he uses
for standard ware. he may have changed the material, but i
know he uses templates to measure...smart as can be.
why make every set of dishes a different size. hell...`open stock`
on replacements.
simple measuring tools, bent wire, cardboard, masonite, plastic...
old cd's...stuff/tools that you can use for a lifetime.
craft and `standard`are interchangeable words.
speaking of good will for your customers...just hand them a new
cover for a teapot that is 15 years old, and it fits.
customer for life. same with that one plate that got broken.
`oh, my, here is a new one.` and give it to them free...a gift.
and of course, one never worries about a stuck cover on a teapot.
break it out with a small hammer, take a new cover off the shelf.
pop it in place. slick. remember, throwing away a teapot with a stuck
cover is like burning one hundred dollar bills.
mel
from: mel/minnetonka.mn.usa
website: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
Clayart page link: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html
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