Slabs Rolled Here

A new addition to the studio is in place. Earlier today I rolled out the first slab on my brand new North Star Porta Roller!

I bought this little bundle of metal and moxie way back in November. It arrived in two packages:

I unpacked it and made sure it was uninjured. I was surprised by it’s weight and sturdiness.

The poor thing sat on the workbench in the garage for over a month until the great studio cleaning of 2013 was finished. Now it has found it’s new home down in the basement under the whiteboard.

The first slab:

I might need a little practice to become a slab master, but I should move up at least three points on the efficiency scale. I ran the first slab through about 3 times and it came out so even and just the right thickness compared to my previous rolling pin slabs. I think I’m going to like this thing.

I chose the North Star Porta Roller for a few different reasons. First off, it is relatively small for a slab roller. I don’t have room in my clay studio for a full size roller. It is also portable (if you couldn’t tell from the name). I can load it into my little car and transport it wherever I need to go. There were some cheaper slab rollers available but I paid a little more to get a quality piece of machinery. It doesn’t require any boards or shims and it doesn’t use any cables. Just gears, grease and superiority. It should be around a long time. As long as I don’t need any slabs wider than 18″ it should meet my needs… forever?

Thanks for reading.