mel jacobson on tue 26 jun 12
i use steel fishing line. (www.4fishin.com ) and there are
several companies that make it. google it.
i make my cut off wires to fit the job. for mugs i use a short
cut off, for platters, a long cutoff.
a spool of 300 feet costs like 15 bucks. it will last you and
your friends a lifetime. hundreds of cut off wires.
make the end knobs of clay/bisque. (that way if it gets
in a pug mill, the knobs crush to clay grog, not metal that
will kill your pug mill.
here is the technique:
take twice as much wire as you need, fold it back, or double it.
push one end into the hole in the knob. fold it back and twist.
add the other end. then take hold of both knobs and twist the
wire to the desired tightness. (or, you can add the knob to a blob of
clay on your wheel, turn it on and spin the wheel. bingo.
amazing. a cut off wire the right size for the job.
you don't have to twist the cut off wire around your hand.
why anyone on earth would use the long kemper cable with two wooden dowels
is beyond me. it is a piece of crap. far too long and no pattern appears =
on
the bottom of your pot.
i get the thumb print pattern every time. and, depending on how tightly yo=
u
twist your wire, the pattern changes.
in a school setting, every kid has his or her own cut off wires. they make=
them
and keep them. the knob can be designed with the kids name or logo.
or, they can sculpt the knob with their favorite image...like a dog etc.
`hey, margaret, you have one of my cut off wires...see the snakes head.`
a stainless needle can be inserted in a piece of wood for the best tool in =
the world.
an old foam mattress makes six hundred and ninety one throwing sponges. (u=
se
a bath of ammonia and dish soap to clean them before use.)
all chamois find their way to the pug mill and slop pail...i never use them=
.
i could make tools for 190 kids at hopkins high...for them to keep, for aro=
und
40 bucks. think of 190 kemper kits each year. what? a thousand dollars.
and, that stainless steel rib is the most dangerous tool in the world.
it cuts tendons like a razor. i had a pug mill at hopkins high, but never
a stainless rib.
again, kemper tools are fine, they have their place...but for a pro/ick.
you make them...period. then, every tool fits your hands perfectly.
mel
just pick up a hundred year old hammer that someone used every
day. it is magic.
from: minnetonka, mn
website: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
clayart link: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html
| |
|
