Lili Krakowski on wed 27 jun 12
Our tools are an extension of our selves. That is why making one's own =3D
tools is an important part of our craft.
Just as there is a country mile difference between sending greeting =3D
cards and writing notes, so there is a big difference between buying =3D
whatever is the tool du jour and making one's own tools.
Bought tools by-pass a part of the creative process. It hardly matters =
=3D
what tool you make or invent for yourself, it will be a tool that fits =3D
into, grew out of, your perception of your work.
Of course there are tools--electric wheels, electric kilns--which are =3D
too onerous to build, and may conflict with the demands of one's =3D
insurances. But certainly the hand tools--the ribs, the slip trailers, =3D
the measuring devices, the glazing ones--all are best when made by the =3D
one who will use them. =3D20
Lili Krakowski
Be of good courage
Taylor Hendrix on wed 27 jun 12
I like David Hendley's NCECA presentation that catalogs the many things
that creating one's own tools brings to the university. This is a core
class at Clay U and should not be skipped.
http://www.farmpots.com/pub.htm
Taylor, in Rockport TX
wirerabbit1 on Skype (-0600 UTC)
http://wirerabbit.blogspot.com
http://wirerabbitpots.blogspot.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wirerabbit/
https://youtube.com/thewirerabbit
On Wed, Jun 27, 2012 at 9:49 AM, Lili Krakowski wr=
ote:
> Our tools are an extension of our selves. That is why making one's own
> tools is an important part of our craft.
>
> ..
> Bought tools by-pass a part of the creative process. It hardly matters
> what tool you make or invent for yourself, it will be a tool that fits
> into, grew out of, your perception of your work.
> ...
>
Vince Pitelka on wed 27 jun 12
Lili Krakowski wrote:
Bought tools by-pass a part of the creative process. It hardly matters
what tool you make or invent for yourself, it will be a tool that fits into=
,
grew out of, your perception of your work. Of course there are
tools--electric wheels, electric kilns--which are too onerous to build, and
may conflict with the demands of one's insurances. But certainly the hand
tools--the ribs, the slip trailers, the measuring devices, the glazing
ones--all are best when made by the one who will use them."
Hi Lili -
From my first column in Clay Times eleven years ago I have advocated making
one's own tools whenever possible, but the blanket statement that "the hand
tools . . . are all best when made by the one who will use them" is perhaps
a bit idealistic (this from an avowed idealist). Some people who are
skilled at working clay are not at all skilled at working wood or metal. It
is possible to adapt things and attach things together with minimal skill
and technology, and even an unskilled tool-maker might come up with very
useful tools designed for their personal needs in the studio. But the best
domestic tool-makers, like Michael Sherrill (Mudtools), Rick McKinney (MKM)=
,
Phil Poburka (Bison Studios), the Dolans, and many others started out as
potters and then found out that they had not only the skills to work these
other materials, but also a special knack for recognizing a need and coming
up with a creative solution.
One of the secrets to success in studio clay is to focus on what we do best
- to identify the things we enjoy doing that make the best use of our skill
set and our time. People can struggle to make a living if they dilute that
- if they spend a lot of time on peripheral tasks for which they are less
suited and less efficient. Under any circumstance it is worthwhile for any
craftsperson to make a special tool that is not available from suppliers an=
d
meets a particular need, but I would question whether it is practical or
wise for the average full-time self-supporting studio artist to spend much
time making most of their own studio hand tools when such good tools are
available on the market.
For you or me or Mel or so many others who have the skills and access to an
appropriate shop, it is great fun making our own tools, but it still usuall=
y
makes better sense to buy most of our pottery tools from those who have the
advanced skills and the shop equipment to make fine tools far more
efficiently than we could. I love it when I can make a tool that works
great in the studio, but I also love it when I buy a tool from someone else
and it is beautifully designed and fashioned and works great in the studio.
Each studio artist knows their ways of working and their needs better than
anyone else, but the whole idea of professional toolmakers is that they hav=
e
a special knack for envisioning our ways of working and our studio needs.
It is a fine thing when we buy a studio tool and we use it for the first
time, and it truly feels like an extension of our own hand, naturally
fitting both our hand and the function for which it was intended.
- Vince
Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Craft
Tennessee Tech University
vpitelka@dtccom.net
http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
James Freeman on wed 27 jun 12
On Wed, Jun 27, 2012 at 12:50 PM, Vince Pitelka wrote=
:
...I would question whether it is practical or
wise for the average full-time self-supporting studio artist to spend much
time making most of their own studio hand tools when such good tools are
available on the market.
... it is great fun making our own tools, but it still usually
makes better sense to buy most of our pottery tools from those who have the
advanced skills and the shop equipment to make fine tools far more
efficiently than we could.
From a purely economic standpoint, I completely agree with everything Vince
said. This is much the same argument as the one about making one's own
clay. Years ago, I realized that I could purchase ready-made clay for very
little more than it would cost me just for the raw materials to make my own
clay, and that is without factoring in my labor, or the amortization and
depreciation on a mixer and pugmill.
Sometimes, however, one makes decisions based on other than purely economic
factors (as has been pointed out by those advocating an MFA for reasons of
personal growth). For example, we could change the word "tool" to "pots"
in Vince's statement, and have this:
"... it is great fun making our own pots, but it still usually makes better
sense to buy most of our pottery from those who have the advanced skills
and the shop equipment to make pottery far more efficiently than we could."
All of our customers could buy efficiently mass produced overseas pottery
for far less than we charge, and we could buy this same pottery for our own
use at lesser cost than we could make it ourselves, especially factoring in
all of our real costs of production including amortization and depreciation
on our equipment, and an allowance for lost wages (what we would have
earned at a "real" job in the hours it took us to make the pots). I keep
on my library shelf what I call my "Why do I Bother" vase. It is a tall,
squared, beautifully shaped and proportioned vase with a lovely variegated
glaze; a really nice piece. I bought it at Meijer's (a local Michigan
version of Walmart, but with fewer mutants) on sale for $2.49, marked down
from about $5. The maker of this vase has the tooling, facilities, skills,
equipment, and economies of scale (along with several other advantages) to
make and ship beautiful pots at a retail price which is well below my own
raw costs of production. Should I stop making pottery, and just buy it
from a manufacturer, just because he is more efficient at making it than I?
I recently sold my pickup truck, so now have to haul things in my wife's
pretty SUV. This is bad enough when it is relatively clean cargo, such as
boxes of clay, but becomes quite problematic when we are talking about
dirty or smelly things like cans of gasoline. To remedy this situation, I
resolved to acquire one of those rear cargo carriers that fits into the
trailer hitch receiver. Walmart and Harbor Freight had them for about
$70. Instead, I spent an entire day making my own out of scrap box channel
that I salvaged from the local metal recycling yard. The carrier cost me
almost nothing to make, other than a few pennies worth of electricity for
the chop saw, welder, and grinder, and a few feet of MIG wire. My wife
pointed out that if I consider my lost time, I could have actually saved
money by just buying the thing from Walmart. I replied that I have the
satisfaction of knowing I did it myself, of having it precisely fit our
intended purpose, and of not sending $70 to China. True, not everyone can
work metal, but anyone can shape an old CD or credit card, a free Formica
sample from Home Depot, a stick, or a bit of found scrap wood into a useful
tool. Heck, didn't we all make knives and spears as kids by grinding
popsicle sticks and tree branches against the curb?
Just some thoughts.
...James
James Freeman
"Talk sense to a fool, and he calls you foolish."
-Euripides
http://www.jamesfreemanstudio.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesfreemanstudio/
http://www.jamesfreemanstudio.com/resources
Sandy miller on wed 27 jun 12
Interesting concept on tools ....... this is the only vocation in which I
am expected to make my own tools.
As a landscaper and gardener I thank my compost pile I don't have to make
pruners, pitchforks or rakes. My Grandfather made all his carpentry tools
and he was an excellent carpenter; not a woodworker. I kept most of his
tools and they are a delight. I have Japanese saws I like much better when
I cut moulding instead of his saws.
Not only do I not want to make tools, I don't want to make tools I make.
They would be awful and I have a very hard time throwing with bandaids.
I love my Bison trimming tools; thank you Phil! I could never make a
trimming tool of that caliper and the handle fits my hand perfectly.
I love my chip carving tool from Dolan, I keep it sharp. Take care of your
tools and they will last a very long time and buy the very best even if you
have to save up for them. (thanks for that lesson Dad!)
To all the tool makers out there; THANK YOU! You make it joy to sit at my
25 year old Shimpo gold wheel :)
MKM, Bison, Dolan, L and L kilns, Bailey, Tucker, Euclid, thank you........
Peace out potters .......
Sandy Miller
www.sandymillerpottery.com
On Wed, Jun 27, 2012 at 12:50 PM, Vince Pitelka wrote=
:
> Lili Krakowski wrote:
> Bought tools by-pass a part of the creative process. It hardly matters
> what tool you make or invent for yourself, it will be a tool that fits
> into,
> grew out of, your perception of your work. Of course there are
> tools--electric wheels, electric kilns--which are too onerous to build, a=
nd
> may conflict with the demands of one's insurances. But certainly the han=
d
> tools--the ribs, the slip trailers, the measuring devices, the glazing
> ones--all are best when made by the one who will use them."
>
> Hi Lili -
> From my first column in Clay Times eleven years ago I have advocated maki=
ng
> one's own tools whenever possible, but the blanket statement that "the ha=
nd
> tools . . . are all best when made by the one who will use them" is perha=
ps
> a bit idealistic (this from an avowed idealist). Some people who are
> skilled at working clay are not at all skilled at working wood or metal. =
It
> is possible to adapt things and attach things together with minimal skill
> and technology, and even an unskilled tool-maker might come up with very
> useful tools designed for their personal needs in the studio. But the be=
st
> domestic tool-makers, like Michael Sherrill (Mudtools), Rick McKinney
> (MKM),
> Phil Poburka (Bison Studios), the Dolans, and many others started out as
> potters and then found out that they had not only the skills to work thes=
e
> other materials, but also a special knack for recognizing a need and comi=
ng
> up with a creative solution.
>
> One of the secrets to success in studio clay is to focus on what we do be=
st
> - to identify the things we enjoy doing that make the best use of our ski=
ll
> set and our time. People can struggle to make a living if they dilute th=
at
> - if they spend a lot of time on peripheral tasks for which they are less
> suited and less efficient. Under any circumstance it is worthwhile for a=
ny
> craftsperson to make a special tool that is not available from suppliers
> and
> meets a particular need, but I would question whether it is practical or
> wise for the average full-time self-supporting studio artist to spend muc=
h
> time making most of their own studio hand tools when such good tools are
> available on the market.
>
> For you or me or Mel or so many others who have the skills and access to =
an
> appropriate shop, it is great fun making our own tools, but it still
> usually
> makes better sense to buy most of our pottery tools from those who have t=
he
> advanced skills and the shop equipment to make fine tools far more
> efficiently than we could. I love it when I can make a tool that works
> great in the studio, but I also love it when I buy a tool from someone el=
se
> and it is beautifully designed and fashioned and works great in the studi=
o.
>
> Each studio artist knows their ways of working and their needs better tha=
n
> anyone else, but the whole idea of professional toolmakers is that they
> have
> a special knack for envisioning our ways of working and our studio needs.
> It is a fine thing when we buy a studio tool and we use it for the first
> time, and it truly feels like an extension of our own hand, naturally
> fitting both our hand and the function for which it was intended.
> - Vince
>
> Vince Pitelka
> Appalachian Center for Craft
> Tennessee Tech University
> vpitelka@dtccom.net
> http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
>
Robert Harris on wed 27 jun 12
I have to second VInce's post and highlight the phrase " and access to
an appropriate shop". For those of us who are urban or semi-urban
potters, space to have a good workshop is limited (especially when
drying or biscuited pots take up so much space). When one does not
have access even to a drill press or even a decent sander it is HARD
to make many tools. I was reading over Clayart archives recently and
resolved to make myself a simple extruder (as David Hendley expounded
on many times). While I have a fairly large number of hand tools (my
mitre saw is probably the best $25 I've ever spent) building a decent
extruder is nigh impossible. He claims you can build one fir $50.
Maybe but not without spending another $1000 in other tools (maybe I'm
exaggerating a little, but not by much).
Bailey is now selling one for $250 (yes a small one, but all I really
want it for is making tubes for testing glazes - I find thrown test
tiles too small for anything but the most preliminary testing). And
since I really don't have the space to accumulate a lot of "other
tools" (even a grinding wheel would have to be temporarily mounted
somewhere outside), I find it less expensive to buy them.
Plus one needs to take into account how long it would take me to build
something.
Robert
On Wed, Jun 27, 2012 at 12:50 PM, Vince Pitelka wrote=
=3D
:
> Lili Krakowski wrote:
> Bought =3DA0tools by-pass a part of the creative process. =3DA0It hardly =
matt=3D
ers
> what tool you make or invent for yourself, it will be a tool that fits in=
=3D
to,
> grew out of, your perception of your work. =3DA0Of course there are
> tools--electric wheels, electric kilns--which are too onerous to build, a=
=3D
nd
> may conflict with the demands of one's insurances. =3DA0But certainly the=
h=3D
and
> tools--the ribs, the slip trailers, the measuring devices, the glazing
> ones--all are best when made by the one who will use them."
>
> Hi Lili -
> From my first column in Clay Times eleven years ago I have advocated maki=
=3D
ng
> one's own tools whenever possible, but the blanket statement that "the ha=
=3D
nd
> tools . . . are all best when made by the one who will use them" is perha=
=3D
ps
> a bit idealistic (this from an avowed idealist). =3DA0Some people who are
> skilled at working clay are not at all skilled at working wood or metal. =
=3D
It
> is possible to adapt things and attach things together with minimal skill
> and technology, and even an unskilled tool-maker might come up with very
> useful tools designed for their personal needs in the studio. =3DA0But th=
e =3D
best
> domestic tool-makers, like Michael Sherrill (Mudtools), Rick McKinney (MK=
=3D
M),
> Phil Poburka (Bison Studios), the Dolans, and many others started out as
> potters and then found out that they had not only the skills to work thes=
=3D
e
> other materials, but also a special knack for recognizing a need and comi=
=3D
ng
> up with a creative solution.
>
> One of the secrets to success in studio clay is to focus on what we do be=
=3D
st
> - to identify the things we enjoy doing that make the best use of our ski=
=3D
ll
> set and our time. =3DA0People can struggle to make a living if they dilut=
e =3D
that
> - if they spend a lot of time on peripheral tasks for which they are less
> suited and less efficient. =3DA0Under any circumstance it is worthwhile f=
or=3D
any
> craftsperson to make a special tool that is not available from suppliers =
=3D
and
> meets a particular need, but I would question whether it is practical or
> wise for the average full-time self-supporting studio artist to spend muc=
=3D
h
> time making most of their own studio hand tools when such good tools are
> available on the market.
>
> For you or me or Mel or so many others who have the skills and access to =
=3D
an
> appropriate shop, it is great fun making our own tools, but it still usua=
=3D
lly
> makes better sense to buy most of our pottery tools from those who have t=
=3D
he
> advanced skills and the shop equipment to make fine tools far more
> efficiently than we could. =3DA0I love it when I can make a tool that wor=
ks
> great in the studio, but I also love it when I buy a tool from someone el=
=3D
se
> and it is beautifully designed and fashioned and works great in the studi=
=3D
o.
>
> Each studio artist knows their ways of working and their needs better tha=
=3D
n
> anyone else, but the whole idea of professional toolmakers is that they h=
=3D
ave
> a special knack for envisioning our ways of working and our studio needs.
> It is a fine thing when we buy a studio tool and we use it for the first
> time, and it truly feels like an extension of our own hand, naturally
> fitting both our hand and the function for which it was intended.
> - Vince
>
> Vince Pitelka
> Appalachian Center for Craft
> Tennessee Tech University
> vpitelka@dtccom.net
> http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
--=3D20
----------------------------------------------------------
Gayle Bair on wed 27 jun 12
A few weeks ago I was creatively jammed so I made some more brushes. It
kickstarted me and got me rolling again. My thanks to Bamboo Karen for
teaching me how to make them.
I find the better my skills the less tools I need & use. Just last week I
did another mini spring cleaning in my garagio. The purchased tools which
have sat around unused for years made a great gift for a friend who is a
new potter with limited resources. She was very excited! I figure I can do
that many more times because when I'm sifting through them a little voice
says, "I might use that some time" which in actuality is rarely the case.
Now the tools I have made are rarely given away because I've tailored them
to my needs.
The only tools I admit to coveting and use all the time are the ones made
by masters such as Phil's Bison tools and a couple of my dad's old tools
which I found in his shop after he passed away.
Gayle
Gayle Bair Pottery
gayle@claybair.com
www.claybair.com
On Wed, Jun 27, 2012 at 9:50 AM, Vince Pitelka wrote:
> Lili Krakowski wrote:
> Bought tools by-pass a part of the creative process. It hardly matters
> what tool you make or invent for yourself, it will be a tool that fits
> into,
> grew out of, your perception of your work. Of course there are
> tools--electric wheels, electric kilns--which are too onerous to build, a=
nd
> may conflict with the demands of one's insurances. But certainly the han=
d
> tools--the ribs, the slip trailers, the measuring devices, the glazing
> ones--all are best when made by the one who will use them."
>
> Hi Lili -
> From my first column in Clay Times eleven years ago I have advocated maki=
ng
> one's own tools whenever possible, but the blanket statement that "the ha=
nd
> tools . . . are all best when made by the one who will use them" is perha=
ps
> a bit idealistic (this from an avowed idealist). Some people who are
> skilled at working clay are not at all skilled at working wood or metal. =
It
> is possible to adapt things and attach things together with minimal skill
> and technology, and even an unskilled tool-maker might come up with very
> useful tools designed for their personal needs in the studio. But the be=
st
> domestic tool-makers, like Michael Sherrill (Mudtools), Rick McKinney
> (MKM),
> Phil Poburka (Bison Studios), the Dolans, and many others started out as
> potters and then found out that they had not only the skills to work thes=
e
> other materials, but also a special knack for recognizing a need and comi=
ng
> up with a creative solution.
>
> One of the secrets to success in studio clay is to focus on what we do be=
st
> - to identify the things we enjoy doing that make the best use of our ski=
ll
> set and our time. People can struggle to make a living if they dilute th=
at
> - if they spend a lot of time on peripheral tasks for which they are less
> suited and less efficient. Under any circumstance it is worthwhile for a=
ny
> craftsperson to make a special tool that is not available from suppliers
> and
> meets a particular need, but I would question whether it is practical or
> wise for the average full-time self-supporting studio artist to spend muc=
h
> time making most of their own studio hand tools when such good tools are
> available on the market.
>
> For you or me or Mel or so many others who have the skills and access to =
an
> appropriate shop, it is great fun making our own tools, but it still
> usually
> makes better sense to buy most of our pottery tools from those who have t=
he
> advanced skills and the shop equipment to make fine tools far more
> efficiently than we could. I love it when I can make a tool that works
> great in the studio, but I also love it when I buy a tool from someone el=
se
> and it is beautifully designed and fashioned and works great in the studi=
o.
>
> Each studio artist knows their ways of working and their needs better tha=
n
> anyone else, but the whole idea of professional toolmakers is that they
> have
> a special knack for envisioning our ways of working and our studio needs.
> It is a fine thing when we buy a studio tool and we use it for the first
> time, and it truly feels like an extension of our own hand, naturally
> fitting both our hand and the function for which it was intended.
> - Vince
>
> Vince Pitelka
> Appalachian Center for Craft
> Tennessee Tech University
> vpitelka@dtccom.net
> http://iweb.tntech.edu/wpitelka/
>
James Freeman on wed 27 jun 12
On Wed, Jun 27, 2012 at 6:02 PM, Sandy miller wrote=
:
Not only do I not want to make tools, I don't want to make tools I make.
They would be awful and I have a very hard time throwing with bandaids.
I love my Bison trimming tools; thank you Phil! I could never make a
trimming tool of that caliper and the handle fits my hand perfectly.
Hi, Sandy...
It is likely true that you cannot make your own Bison tool. I can't
either; the skills are much too specialized (and Phil is a sorcerer!). You
can, however, make your own very effective trimming tool out of a bent and
sharpened bit of scrap steel, as the Japanese potters do, and you can
sharpen it on a rock. It may not cut as well as a Bison tool, and
certainly won't last as long or be as beautiful, but it is still a trimming
tool.
You can't make your own Sherrill Mud-Tools gummy rib, but you can make your
own semi-flexible rib by cutting an old CD with scissors, and your own
flexible rib by cutting an old credit card with scissors. You can make
your own steel rib by picking up a scrap of banding steel from the ground
at a lumberyard and doing nothing at all to it, other than perhaps
smoothing the cut edge (on a rock, if need be). Need an MKM circle
dividing template? Print your own from your computer using any spreadsheet
software. Heck, there is a free downloadable tool on the "resources" page
of my website which will enable you to make such templates in any number of
divisions you wish.
When one of our ClayArt members instructed me in the art of dry throwing,
the tools he suggested I employ were a smooth rock and the lid from a
Campbell's soup can. VInce's excellent book contains an entire section
with instructions on making a number of useful tools, most requiring only
the simplest of skills and materials.
I don't think Lili's point was that people should not buy tools they can't
or don't feel like making for themselves, but rather that no one should
feel as though they must, or as though the tools they make are in any way
inadequate. It pains me to see anyone at the college spending money on a
wooden rib or a shaping tool that is essentially a sharpened stick, when
there are boxes of scrap sticks, dowels, and wood in the tool room, right
next to the stationary belt/disc sander.
In the late James Krenov's woodworking program at College of the Redwoods,
the first thing every student makes in their first woodworking course is
their own plane, which they then use to make all of their other projects.
Most of his graduates continue to use and cherish their plane throughout
their career, even though there are manufactured versions which are much
"better".
All the best.
...James
James Freeman
"Talk sense to a fool, and he calls you foolish."
-Euripides
http://www.jamesfreemanstudio.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamesfreemanstudio/
http://www.jamesfreemanstudio.com/resources
Ellen and Tom on wed 27 jun 12
TOOLS! I love them all. Some of us are tool people and some
of us prefer to do it all with a few minimal tools and just our hands. I
am a tool person. I like the ones I've made, the ones my son forged
for me, the ones my husband has cut out or drilled or glued together,
the ones I can't help but buy when I see anything new and super
at the Ceramic store, the ones I've brought home from Goodwill
(old spoons or kitchen ware) and even the ones I picked up squashed
in parking lots. My kids used to tease me that I walked through
parking lots with my head down looking for little things with an
interesting texture. I have boxes and jars full of tools, more than
anyone can seriously think they need. Some I use all the time.
Some I used to use a lot and don't now, having moved on to more slab
and texture work. Some are only good for one thing. But, when I
work on something new, it is wonderful to rummage through the
boxes and shelves, and hanging racks (old metal snack hangers=3D20
that used to set on counters in stores) and find just the piece I need
to make the mark or shape I want.=3D20
Thankfully I have enough space to store them, and to store all
the stuff that might be useful someday (nice pieces of wood,
metal stripping, the plastic inserts in the new front door package.)
Enjoying and using my tools is part of the pleasure of my working=3D20
with clay. I am not a minimalist in my clay work or in my home.=3D20
I do want them organized and in their place. If I can buy or find
the right tool for my use I don't need to make it, but I am thankful
for a husband with the skills and tools to adapt or make what I think
I need. My 50 plus years in the studio has been a lot about finding
a better solution to making the pots I want to make, easier, better
and more efficiently.
My solution to affording the more expensive tools has been to simply
set aside a period of time to make enough pots to cover the cost -
time that I normally would be reading or sleeping or something else.
I simply say to myself (and my husband) I want a so and so and it
will cost $250. After my normal work today, I am going to stay up=3D20
a few extra hours and make X number of items with a retail value of
$250. Then I am going to buy it. I have earned it. And it will make
my work easier or more interesting.
Some of you women are going to say "Why did she have to tell
her husband? It is her money right?" No, we have made our living
from pottery for the past 37 years working together. I actually make
the pots and have most of the fun. He has been the kiln builder,
tool fixer, clay maker, studio building, box toter, etc. and I couldn't
have done it without him. In fact, I wonder if it will ever be as good
or as easy to have a good life as a potter as we have had from the
70's on. It is different now, and it must be much harder to get
started.=3D20
Sorry for the long post. I've been busy this year with back surgery
and long delayed finish work on our house. Lots of decisions to
make and not a lot of energy. I've been reading Clayart and guess
I just needed to put in my two cents.
Ready to get back to the clay.
Ellen Currans
Dundee, Oregon - finally beginning to have a bit of Summer. No Spring
=3D09to speak of.=3D20
=3D20
=3D20
Bonnie Staffel on thu 28 jun 12
Back in my Neanderthal days of learning to pot, I was fortunate enough =3D
to
marry a very clever artist who also designed some neat pots for our line =
=3D
of
work when we had our studio up north. If one of us had an idea for a new
pot, he could also design and build the tool/tools to create it simply =3D
and
expeditiously to fit in to the multiples we had to make. However, they
usually only were special to our own designs and not a tool for the =3D
diverse
potters. I always wished to be able to design a universal tool, but =3D
failing
that, I would purchase other potters' tools which sometimes would fit my =
=3D
way
of working.=3D20
I also made a habit of visiting the hardware stores for ideas or items =3D
that
could be used for tools. Those old fashioned stores are now history. One =
=3D
of
my favorite tools was a Scythe Sharpening tool that would grind any drip =
=3D
or
sharp spot off quickly and easily. They were also used to sharpen the =3D
ole
rotary lawnmower blades. They were just the right grit and lasted a very
long time, getting shorter and reshaped after much use. Can't find those =
=3D
any
more.=3D20
I also found a bowl shaped sieve made of screen material which had legs.
When I first started my birds, they had to be trimmed. But this sieve =3D
gave
me the rounded front showing the breast shape of my birds quickly and
easily. They also stopped making these. Now I have made bisque shapes =3D
that
would hold the bird in the right position for trimming.=3D20
Early on, I also found a pair of dipping tongs that were very strong =3D
made
with steel extensions on the end of the jaws of a pair of pliers, narrow
enough to pick up the narrow pieces as well as the wide ones. The new
dippers with the wide curved steel with the prongs are just too flimsy =3D
for
my work, IMO.=3D20
I love the toilet brush stirrer for my glazes. There are also ideas are
presented in the forums, many of which I have put to use in my own work.
Potters are very clever people. Must be in the genes.
Warm regards,
Bonnie
http://webpages.charter.net/bstaffel/
http://vasefinder.com/bstaffelgallery1.html
DVD Throwing with Coils and Slabs
DVD Introduction to Wheel Work
Charter Member Potters Council
Bonnie Staffel on thu 28 jun 12
To add to the discussion of tools and my last post, I just thought about
another favorite early tool before the Pear Corer trimming tool was =3D
made.
Probably a potter devised the form made of a metal (copper) hollow =3D
curtain
rod about four or five inches long, a short strip of 1/4" binding steel
strap was formed in a U shaped loop and held in place inside the hollow =3D
end
of the tube. They wore out quickly so I purchased them often. Then the =3D
pear
corers arrived and I used them next. The first tool was available during =
=3D
the
late 40s at the beginning of my career. Been through many tools over the
years of potting. Some were fantastic and irreplaceable, and others were
discarded into the old tool box. Now I love the Stanley short curved =3D
grater
style trimming tool. Use it every day.=3D20
Regards,
Bonnie
http://webpages.charter.net/bstaffel/
http://vasefinder.com/bstaffelgallery1.html
DVD Throwing with Coils and Slabs
DVD Introduction to Wheel Work
Charter Member Potters Council
pdp1@EARTHLINK.NET on fri 29 jun 12
Hi Sandy, all...
Below...amid...
----- Original Message -----
From: "Sandy miller"
> Interesting concept on tools ....... this is the only vocation in which I
> am expected to make my own tools.
Long ago, I imagine many Occupations included that one made, or commissione=
d
in detail to me made, from complimentary Artisans, Tools as per the evolvin=
g
or evolved Artisan's/Practioner's experience and needs.
It is not always practical for one to make their own Tools, or to make much
of their Range of kinds, or it all depends, anyway.
Specialists in certain areas would have always evolved, to supply particula=
r
Tools for particular Trades...and, often enough in times passed, these had
to come from a long way away, and, one had to know of them to write off and
send the Dough, to obtain them.
Cabinetmakers or Ship's Carpenters used to routinely make their own Planes
of various kinds, and, also many other sorts of small Tools for general or
special uses, or, according to some design they had come up with to suit
details of the kinds of Work they did.
Forging out Plane Irons was something which would be deligated to a
Blacksmith, even as the Cabinetmaker or adept Carpenter might make his own
Plane Body for a/the particular Iron or Cutter to go in to.
Blacksmiths or Tinsmiths or Coppersmiths or others involved in working
Metals, sometimes needed particular Wooden items, and wanted them nice, and=
,
thus, would appeal to a Cabinetmaker, Turner or adept Carpenter.
On and on...with everything, of course.
Nobody is usually set up to do too wide a range of kinds...or would lack th=
e
experience anyway to branch out in earnest, into radically different media,
especially while having their own Work to do...so...thus is Nature of
Commerce and Trade.
> As a landscaper and gardener I thank my compost pile I don't have to make
> pruners, pitchforks or rakes.
I used to have some 19th Century Rose Pruners, which had the High Carbon
Steel inlay welded to the Wrought Iron Body...they were very elegnt and
lovely Pruners, and for all I know, they are still kicking around here
somewhere. But, even in Gardening disciplines, the 'Pocket Pruning Saws',
Pocket Grafting Knives, and other sundry and not so sundry Impliments and
Tools of it, had once been of a gamut which included the finest Work
possible, and, as well, a pride of ownership and use which is probably abou=
t
totally unknown to-day in these things.
I remember a little sort of Documentary from the early 1980s or so, called
'Ben's Mill'.
It was about a still running, 'unvarnished' Under-Water Turbine Powered Woo=
d
and Metal Working Mill, which had been going since the 1870s or 1880s, up i=
n
Maine, or maybe it was Vermont...I forget now.
Anyway, one scene, the local Grave Digger, a guy who was likely in his
eightys and still strong as a Bull, wanted a special design for a Sod
Lifter, and, Ben went ahead and forged him one to his specs...and, later,
the Grave Digger reported back that it was working out very well.
This was very common in the era when Towns and Citys had diverse Artisans,
who would make for one-another special or even routine Tools or other
things, according to the details someone needed.
Not everything was possible to obtain Off-the-Shelf, then or now.
It is so sad to me that this is all but entirely gone and lost now. And tha=
t
the once vital and creative gamut of Artisans and Occupations have dwindled
down to a little abbreviate 'nub'.
My own small Wood and Metal Working Shop was based on the premis of being
'Light Cavalry', to my own limits of ability and Tooling anyway, but, there
was almost no one around anymore, to 'get it'. So...so it goes.
> My Grandfather made all his carpentry tools
> and he was an excellent carpenter; not a woodworker.
Can you expand on that? Made all his own Carpentry Tools?
> I kept most of his
> tools and they are a delight. I have Japanese saws I like much better
> when
> I cut moulding instead of his saws.
Yes, the thin Pull-Saws have their advantages.
> Not only do I not want to make tools, I don't want to make tools I make.
> They would be awful and I have a very hard time throwing with bandaids.
I'd say for me, that making Tools of various kinds, interested and interest=
s
me about the same as making other things does.
And for me, to some degree anyway, making Tools TO make ( other ) things
with, has always been necessary TO make the ( other ) things.
Lots of things would be way beyond my capacities or mentality to make of
course, but, too, an enormous number of things are within my reach, so...it
all worked out okay I think.
> I love my Bison trimming tools; thank you Phil! I could never make a
> trimming tool of that caliper and the handle fits my hand perfectly.
Might nice of you to say...thank you Sandy!
> I love my chip carving tool from Dolan, I keep it sharp. Take care of
> your
> tools and they will last a very long time and buy the very best even if
> you
> have to save up for them. (thanks for that lesson Dad!)
That is how it always seemed to me also.
> To all the tool makers out there; THANK YOU! You make it joy to sit at
> my
> 25 year old Shimpo gold wheel :)
> MKM, Bison, Dolan, L and L kilns, Bailey, Tucker, Euclid, thank
> you........
>
> Peace out potters .......
>
> Sandy Miller
> www.sandymillerpottery.com
A good subject...
Best wishes,
Phil
L v
Taylor Hendrix on fri 29 jun 12
Mama Lili,
I do think that many are not understanding your assertion that making one's
tools is part of the craft of making pottery.
Like Lili, I feel that the act of making a simple clay tool is just as
important to my progression as a potter as are the marks of that tool on my
work. I can never be convinced that time spent making one's own tools is a
waste of time, better spent on developing 'the work'. We all need to make
choices in what we consider important to our needs. I'm just saying, as
Lili says, that making one's own tools may be very important for some of
us. That said, I freely admit that building tools, fitting out one's
garagio with all the accoutrement of clay work does hold the danger of
becoming an excuse for not actually doing the work. I am certainly guilty
of that; however, I believe such is a character flaw of mine rather than an
argument against making tools.
Certainly, making tools isn't for everyone the same as throwing on the
wheel isn't for everyone or repairing a faucet isn't for everyone, but
fabricating a simple trimming tool or profile rib does not take a fully
equipped wood or machine shop, nor does it have to require all one's
precious time. My first tool was made in 30 seconds with an old CD and a
mat knife. A trimming tool I have used for almost a decade was made with a
torch like the ones folks love to use for drying their big pots on the
wheel, a scrap of kaowool, two bisqued bowls, a bit of plywood, and a hand
drill. No rocket science, no real danger to the content of my work (I hope)=
.
That particular tool taught me a lot about how I now prefer to trim bowls.
I dare say it rounded out [ugh] my understanding of trimming, and because I
made the tool, I reckon *I* rounded out [double ugh] my trimming knowledge.
Could I have developed my own trimming preferences with a commercial
trimming tool? You bet. I have a half dozen that I love. That is not really
the point. Do folks remember when they first Understood centering? Remember
how you knew that from then on any ball of clay you might happen to meet on
the street would be no match for you? Allow me to try to illustrate my
point with a bit of theatrical bravado: I can use any trimming tool to trim
any pot to any shape I need. Why? Because not only can I confidently use
any trimming tool found on the planet Earth but I can also MAKE my own
trimming tool! Yeah, I'm king of the word!
You just can not buy that kind of confidence. You can't. Yes, you can
develop it in other ways. I am not saying that we must all make our own
tools.
Let's make a list,
Truths of Homemade Tools
one can make tools successfully if one can make pots successfully.
one does NOT need exotic equipment to be successful at making clay tools
(anyone have an old sharpie pen and a paperclip?)
one does NOT need to spend all day making one tool
one often (not always) gains much more than a simple tool when all is said
and done
making one's own tool does not ensure it's efficacious application to one's
work. Sorry.
Let me leave you all with this little notion -- pttth!
Taylor, in Rockport TX
wirerabbit1 on Skype (-0600 UTC)
http://wirerabbit.blogspot.com
http://wirerabbitpots.blogspot.com
http://www.flickr.com/photos/wirerabbit/
https://youtube.com/thewirerabbit
On Wed, Jun 27, 2012 at 9:49 AM, Lili Krakowski wr=
ote:
> Our tools are an extension of our selves.
> ... there is a big difference between buying whatever is the tool du jour
> and making one's own tools.
>
> Bought tools by-pass a part of the creative process. ...
>
> Of course there are tools--electric wheels, electric kilns--which are too
> onerous to build, and may conflict with the demands of one's insurances.
> But certainly the hand tools--the ribs, the slip trailers, the measuring
> devices, the glazing ones--all are best when made by the one who will use
> them.
>
>
> Lili Krakowski
> Be of good courage
>
Cwiddershins on fri 29 jun 12
I make more of my tools than most people. My first assignment as an appr=
e=3D
ntice was to make my throwing stick and trimming tool. But I must say, I =
d=3D
on't think everybody has to to be a good potter. We have many entries int=
o=3D
our craft and that is a blessing. Actually, there are many Tool Heads tha=
t=3D
make crappy pot, & their focus on tools is a way to compensate. On the iP=
o=3D
d at theY. Will write more latter. =3D20
--
Lee Love in Minneapolis
http://mingeisota.blogspot.com/
"Ta tIr na n-=3DC3=3DB3g ar chul an tI=3DE2=3D80=3D94tIr dlainn trina ch=
=3DC3=3DA9ile"=3DE2=3D
=3D80=3D94that is, "The
land of eternal youth is behind the house, a beautiful land fluent
within itself." -- John O'Donohue --sent from my iPod
On Jun 29, 2012, at 10:39 AM, Taylor Hendrix wrote:
> Mama Lili,
>=3D20
> I do think that many are not understanding your assertion that making one=
'=3D
s
> tools is part of the craft of making pottery.
>=3D20
> Like Lili, I feel that the act of making a simple clay tool is just as
> important to my progression as a potter as are the marks of that tool on =
m=3D
y
> work. I can never be convinced that time spent making one's own tools is =
a=3D
> waste of time, better spent on developing 'the work'. We all need to make
> choices in what we consider important to our needs. I'm just saying, as
> Lili says, that making one's own tools may be very important for some of
> us. That said, I freely admit that building tools, fitting out one's
> garagio with all the accoutrement of clay work does hold the danger of
> becoming an excuse for not actually doing the work. I am certainly guilty
> of that; however, I believe such is a character flaw of mine rather than =
a=3D
n
> argument against making tools.
>=3D20
> Certainly, making tools isn't for everyone the same as throwing on the
> wheel isn't for everyone or repairing a faucet isn't for everyone, but
> fabricating a simple trimming tool or profile rib does not take a fully
> equipped wood or machine shop, nor does it have to require all one's
> precious time. My first tool was made in 30 seconds with an old CD and a
> mat knife. A trimming tool I have used for almost a decade was made with =
a=3D
> torch like the ones folks love to use for drying their big pots on the
> wheel, a scrap of kaowool, two bisqued bowls, a bit of plywood, and a han=
d=3D
> drill. No rocket science, no real danger to the content of my work (I hop=
e=3D
).
>=3D20
> That particular tool taught me a lot about how I now prefer to trim bowls=
.=3D
> I dare say it rounded out [ugh] my understanding of trimming, and because=
I=3D
> made the tool, I reckon *I* rounded out [double ugh] my trimming knowledg=
e=3D
.
> Could I have developed my own trimming preferences with a commercial
> trimming tool? You bet. I have a half dozen that I love. That is not real=
l=3D
y
> the point. Do folks remember when they first Understood centering? Rememb=
e=3D
r
> how you knew that from then on any ball of clay you might happen to meet =
o=3D
n
> the street would be no match for you? Allow me to try to illustrate my
> point with a bit of theatrical bravado: I can use any trimming tool to tr=
i=3D
m
> any pot to any shape I need. Why? Because not only can I confidently use
> any trimming tool found on the planet Earth but I can also MAKE my own
> trimming tool! Yeah, I'm king of the word!
>=3D20
> You just can not buy that kind of confidence. You can't. Yes, you can
> develop it in other ways. I am not saying that we must all make our own
> tools.
>=3D20
> Let's make a list,
>=3D20
> Truths of Homemade Tools
>=3D20
> one can make tools successfully if one can make pots successfully.
> one does NOT need exotic equipment to be successful at making clay tools
> (anyone have an old sharpie pen and a paperclip?)
> one does NOT need to spend all day making one tool
> one often (not always) gains much more than a simple tool when all is sai=
d=3D
> and done
> making one's own tool does not ensure it's efficacious application to one=
'=3D
s
> work. Sorry.
>=3D20
> Let me leave you all with this little notion -- pttth!
>=3D20
> Taylor, in Rockport TX
> wirerabbit1 on Skype (-0600 UTC)
> http://wirerabbit.blogspot.com
> http://wirerabbitpots.blogspot.com
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/wirerabbit/
> https://youtube.com/thewirerabbit
>=3D20
>=3D20
> On Wed, Jun 27, 2012 at 9:49 AM, Lili Krakowski =
w=3D
rote:
>=3D20
>> Our tools are an extension of our selves.
>=3D20
>=3D20
>=3D20
>> ... there is a big difference between buying whatever is the tool du jou=
r=3D
>> and making one's own tools.
>>=3D20
>> Bought tools by-pass a part of the creative process. ...
>>=3D20
>> Of course there are tools--electric wheels, electric kilns--which are to=
o=3D
>> onerous to build, and may conflict with the demands of one's insurances.
>> But certainly the hand tools--the ribs, the slip trailers, the measuring
>> devices, the glazing ones--all are best when made by the one who will us=
e=3D
>> them.
>>=3D20
>>=3D20
>> Lili Krakowski
>> Be of good courage
>>=3D20
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