This is how I did it.
finished whiteboard and pinboard
1. Obtain a Whiteboard
I got mine at a garage sale! [Read more…]
How to Install a Whiteboard in the Clay Studio
Garage Sale-ing for the Clay Studio
Have I ever mentioned that I love garage sales?
Yeah, I do. I love the thought of finding useful or just plain cool stuff for very little money. While my wife is spending our kid’s college fund on cute clothing and toys that “she will love when she gets older” I’m scrounging for old kitchen utensils, textures, tools or oddball items that I can use in the clay studio.
Exhibit A
garage sale cookie cutters
Cookie cutters
Cost: $0.75
Use: I can use these little guys to make simple (cheesy?) slab ornaments… which make great presents. Or I might use them to add some interest to mugs. Coincidently, these cookie cutters are sitting on a lazy susan that I got at a garage sale last year for $1 and which works well as a banding wheel/turntable.
Exhibit B
light and whiteboard
Whiteboard
Cost: $4
Use: I’ll  use it to write myself notes about glaze recipes, things I want to make, how much clay to use for certain items, etc. Whenever I write things on a paper I immediately misplace the paper.
Exhibit C
Fluorescent Light (in the photo above)
Cost: $1
Use: I only have one tiny window to let a little sunlight into my lair. The ceiling lights are fine but I’ve always thought I could use some more light in a few dark corners. Maybe it will come in handy if I start shooting video of my process like a lot of other pottery bloggers like Doug and Keith.
New Stamps, New Shelf
Just a quick update to show some new items in the clay studio.
New Shelf
New Shelf for the Clay Studio
I came home one day last week and my neighbor across the street had a pile of stuff with a sign that said “FREE” in big letters. The thing that caught my eye was this beautiful used white shelf. I went over and talked to him for a little while and then carried the shelf across the street and down to my lair before my wife got home. For some reason my wife gets really excited when she gets groceries for free or almost free with her stacks of coupons but then rolls her eyes when I find something for free…
Glaze Shelf
I wiped the shelf down with some water and a sponge and tucked it back by the sink. I loaded it up with a bunch of glazes and other supplies that I don’t use very often. It’s amazing how much room it freed up on my other shelves next to the glaze table. This extra space will be nice when I mix glazes and glaze pots.
New Stamps
New Clay Stamps
I also ordered some new stamps recently. Â Actually one big 4×4″ stamp that I cut into smaller stamps after it arrived. One of the stamps is for a custom order and I got some other stamps that are just for fun or have potential for other projects. I’ve got a nice collection of company and school logos but most of these stamps aren’t limited to one specific project.
As I’m writing this, the kiln is bisque firing at almost 1500F. Soon there will be some glazing to do!
Pottery Trimming Shield
Here’s a side project that I recently finished. Let me introduce you to the Trimming Shield!
Pottery Trimming Shield
Mixing Glaze
Hooray for Spring Break! Last night we made a trip to our top tourist destination: Goshen, IN. So now I’ve got the rest of break to get some work done. I’m mixing glaze today. I hope to mix up some test batches from some of my glaze books in the next few days and fire the kiln before Saturday.
Mixing Glaze
I bought 10lbs. of Coyote’s Sapphire Blue in powder form and I just mixed that. I’ll let it sit until tomorrow and then glaze some mugs. The Sapphire Blue is pretty smooth. I used exactly 2 gallons of water with the 10lbs. of powder which put it at about 1360 on my homemade hydrometer which is where I like my two previous dipping glazes. I’ll probably add a little more water tomorrow because I don’t want it too thick. It went through an 80 mesh sieve with almost no pushing it through the screen. The particles must be nice and small. I’m glad I wrote that article about mixing glazes because it is not only a nice resource but I remember the process much better after doing it and writing about it.
I’ve got a post almost finished with some photos of recent logo mugs that will be up soon. Be on the lookout for that and remember I also post some shorter updates on my facebook page.