BRILLIANT! I live in PEI Canada, and I'm converting my 12x24 greenhouse into a studio and these hacks will delfinately come in handy! I just so happen to have film canisters too.
Great video! I use a fishing bobber for my shammy, as do all the people in the local studio where I still go to occasionally. Just the little red and white round ones. They clip right onto your shammy and it never falls off. Not as big and cumbersome as the film canister. Another hack: To soften up clay that is just too stiff to throw with, I cut it up into smaller chunks, line a plastic bin with a soaking wet towel, put the clay on top, put another soaking wet towel over top (unless the towel was large enough to wrap around the clay), seal the box with the lid. In a couple of days its so soft! Just wedge it up and use! Another Hack: If you are worried about the bottom of a pot being too thin, cut it off the bat with a thin fishing wire/string. Tie the ends to wooden beads and you have a cheap wire tool. Have fun in the studio!
This may be common knowledge but the local studio uses toilet brushes that they leave in each 5 gallon bucket of glaze for stirring. It works really well for getting in the crevices of the bucket and along the sides for stirring up sediment and it's cheap at the dollar store.
Hey Jess: Absolutely brilliant ideas. I live in the desert southwest, so cold water is not a problem for me. HOWEVER, I don't have running water either, so I just fill up about 10 jugs of water (heavy duty OceanSpray juice jugs), and have them at the ready for when I need them. I usually use about 4 jugs: one for the bulk of the slurry I clean off of my hands and tools; and three into a bucket to wash my hands and tools at the end of my session. I also really like your idea to use a pill container (film container) for the chamois. Mine usually just hangs on the rim, dangling in the water of my bucket. Problem is that one part dries out, while the rest is still wet.
Hi ...first off really enjoying your videos, thanks for taking the time. I am lucky my studio is upstairs in my house. I can access water but obviously use caution and do no cleanup in that bathroom, other than fetch water if needed. I use the three bucket method for cleanup. All start out with clean water carried from the garden hose. The first is for washing up tools, hands etc. and if I need cleaner water I move to the second bucket, and when washing the floor or as last resort use the third bucket. I say bucket but they are very large plastic containers with screw on lids. This method works surprisingly well for me. I have divised a method for disposing of the clay water in my garden. And start over :)
I use the electric kettle was well and run a fan heater that looks like a wood burning stove for my feet. Dehumidifier going all winter as I live in Ireland. Takes eons to dry😊
I'm just setting up a small pottery studio in my basement and am so excited. I also have arthritis and when I saw your hack about keeping the water warm, I thought what a brilliant idea! Thanks so much!
If you purchase pre made clay, you bring it home or you have it a while and it seems to be getting stiff. You can drop it 6 times from chest high to the floor rotate between drops and it will be ready to use. Sounds crazy but it works.
If you read the technical part of why the clay gets hard ... all commercial clay producers add a liquid plasticizer to clay when it'd produced. If the packaged clay sits in stoarge too long the plasticizer stiffens and the clay feels stiff. Dropping it as you describe, from chest high on each side, reactivates the plasticizer and the clay again feels soft.
Probably not a hack for you, since you make your own glazes, but I use lots of commercial glazes. Shaking them to mix gets lots of crud on the lids and can make them hard to open. I took a milk frother and cut the stem off. Now I have a little mixer for my dremmel that works great on these containers. 2nd tip would be to use an extra large cone of shame to keep trimmings off the floor when using a giffin grip.
Hi, you mentioned you don’t have running water in your studio - I’d love to see a video on water management hacks throughout the life of a studio session. Thanks!
Good tips. My "shammy finder" consists of a red & white plastic 'fishing bobber'. Depress the little knob on the bobber & the hook is exposed - position shammy under the hook & release knob. That's it! Bobbing Shammy!
Hi Jessica - If your using Japanese tissue paper or stencils to large curved items, I cut slits in the edges of the paper which makes it easier to apply them. Regards Carole from Australia ps love your videos
If you have a bag of clay that is starting to get hard, take a long thin dowel or stick and poke holes about 3 inches deep. Pour water into the holes. Smooth over the holes so they are closed. Also, spray the inside of the bag of clay. Close tight. Let sit for a day or two. Whenever I have an open bag and I'm done for the day, I spray the bag to replace any moisture it may have lost over the day when it was open.
2 hacks: first one is my tank sink drive.google.com/file/d/0B1dhMBN1P8syRGF3VDl0ZkhTQ0U/view?usp=drivesdk because I don't have running water in my tiny studio ! The other one is the possibility to make some custom "cookie cutter" with a 3D printer for little ceramic pieces.
Thanks for sharing, all great ideas. I haven't had to resort to the barn yet but my studio is converted from my tack room and it's cold. Love the fish tank heater, going to do that for sure.
I am curious about firing your kiln in a barn...My kiln is in an unheated garage and I wonder if I need to warm the place up before firing it in the winter? (I am close to Montreal)
I just found your videos. Much better camera angle horizontal! Smart move. Please make more videos. They are great. I'm learning so much. ps...didn't care for the canned music you used on one video because one of your videos got pulled for copyrighted songs...no music is just fine.
Hi LB! Thanks for your concern:) Actually I do not remove the heater. They are meant to be immersed in water with fish so I figure it won't hurt my hands. That being said they are made of glass so I am very careful to make sure I don't break it otherwise it may shock me!
The whammy is used on the rims of pots to smooth them. The canister just keeps the whammy afloat in the water as well as in the workspace being able to find the shamny.
Studio hack ... kinda....I formerly took lessons from a large commercial pottery studio that also taught classes. I'd seen an article about using WD40 for a release and purchased some to use. I told one of the girls doing some hand building in the class about it and she figured one of the cooking anti-stick products would work ..why not? She chose to use PAM and while it worked find as a release, that night the mice or rats crept into the studio and ate large chunks our her creations. WD40 is fish oil and they don't bother it.
I've seen some sites that claim that fish oil is a primary ingredient, but the manufacturer states, "50% "aliphatic hydrocarbons". The manufacturer's website claims this ratio in the current formulation cannot accurately be described as Stoddard solvent, a similar mixture of hydrocarbons.
I’m not Jessica but to be honest I would never fire a kiln in a living space! Garage or basement is a living space because it is within the walls of you home. I had my kilns in my garage and had to have them moved to the shed because the fumes that come off pottery and glaze is very harmful.
You are so cute oh my God. Have you ever thought about running 1 coil of your kiln to warm up your studio? I have done that in my basement as long as there's no it's fine
BRILLIANT!
I live in PEI Canada, and I'm converting my 12x24 greenhouse into a studio and these hacks will delfinately come in handy! I just so happen to have film canisters too.
Great video! I use a fishing bobber for my shammy, as do all the people in the local studio where I still go to occasionally. Just the little red and white round ones. They clip right onto your shammy and it never falls off. Not as big and cumbersome as the film canister. Another hack: To soften up clay that is just too stiff to throw with, I cut it up into smaller chunks, line a plastic bin with a soaking wet towel, put the clay on top, put another soaking wet towel over top (unless the towel was large enough to wrap around the clay), seal the box with the lid. In a couple of days its so soft! Just wedge it up and use! Another Hack: If you are worried about the bottom of a pot being too thin, cut it off the bat with a thin fishing wire/string. Tie the ends to wooden beads and you have a cheap wire tool. Have fun in the studio!
This may be common knowledge but the local studio uses toilet brushes that they leave in each 5 gallon bucket of glaze for stirring. It works really well for getting in the crevices of the bucket and along the sides for stirring up sediment and it's cheap at the dollar store.
That is a great idea!
Hey Jess:
Absolutely brilliant ideas. I live in the desert southwest, so cold water is not a problem for me. HOWEVER, I don't have running water either, so I just fill up about 10 jugs of water (heavy duty OceanSpray juice jugs), and have them at the ready for when I need them. I usually use about 4 jugs: one for the bulk of the slurry I clean off of my hands and tools; and three into a bucket to wash my hands and tools at the end of my session.
I also really like your idea to use a pill container (film container) for the chamois. Mine usually just hangs on the rim, dangling in the water of my bucket. Problem is that one part dries out, while the rest is still wet.
Necessity is truly The Mother of Invention. Would have never thought of the Fish Tank Heater trick. TY
Hi ...first off really enjoying your videos, thanks for taking the time. I am lucky my studio is upstairs in my house. I can access water but obviously use caution and do no cleanup in that bathroom, other than fetch water if needed. I use the three bucket method for cleanup. All start out with clean water carried from the garden hose. The first is for washing up tools, hands etc. and if I need cleaner water I move to the second bucket, and when washing the floor or as last resort use the third bucket. I say bucket but they are very large plastic containers with screw on lids. This method works surprisingly well for me. I have divised a method for disposing of the clay water in my garden. And start over :)
I use the electric kettle was well and run a fan heater that looks like a wood burning stove for my feet. Dehumidifier going all winter as I live in Ireland. Takes eons to dry😊
I'm just setting up a small pottery studio in my basement and am so excited. I also have arthritis and when I saw your hack about keeping the water warm, I thought what a brilliant idea! Thanks so much!
You are so welcome and congrats on setting up your studio!
How do you fire
I have a small studio in my apartment
I am stuck at firing
Firing Glazes in the apartment room
Will that be ok🤔 i am confused 😓
If you purchase pre made clay, you bring it home or you have it a while and it seems to be getting stiff. You can drop it 6 times from chest high to the floor rotate between drops and it will be ready to use. Sounds crazy but it works.
Sounds crazy but if it works then go for it right!
If you read the technical part of why the clay gets hard ... all commercial clay producers add a liquid plasticizer to clay when it'd produced. If the packaged clay sits in stoarge too long the plasticizer stiffens and the clay feels stiff. Dropping it as you describe, from chest high on each side, reactivates the plasticizer and the clay again feels soft.
Probably not a hack for you, since you make your own glazes, but I use lots of commercial glazes. Shaking them to mix gets lots of crud on the lids and can make them hard to open. I took a milk frother and cut the stem off. Now I have a little mixer for my dremmel that works great on these containers. 2nd tip would be to use an extra large cone of shame to keep trimmings off the floor when using a giffin grip.
Hi, you mentioned you don’t have running water in your studio - I’d love to see a video on water management hacks throughout the life of a studio session. Thanks!
Yes please!!!
LOVE your fish tank heater idea!!!
Good tips. My "shammy finder" consists of a red & white plastic 'fishing bobber'. Depress the little knob on the bobber & the hook is exposed - position shammy under the hook & release knob. That's it! Bobbing Shammy!
Love it! I use a fishing bobber.
Hi Jessica - If your using Japanese tissue paper or stencils to large curved items, I cut slits in the edges of the paper which makes it easier to apply them. Regards Carole from Australia ps love your videos
Fish tank heater is genius
If you have a bag of clay that is starting to get hard, take a long thin dowel or stick and poke holes about 3 inches deep. Pour water into the holes. Smooth over the holes so they are closed. Also, spray the inside of the bag of clay. Close tight. Let sit for a day or two. Whenever I have an open bag and I'm done for the day, I spray the bag to replace any moisture it may have lost over the day when it was open.
2 hacks: first one is my tank sink drive.google.com/file/d/0B1dhMBN1P8syRGF3VDl0ZkhTQ0U/view?usp=drivesdk because I don't have running water in my tiny studio ! The other one is the possibility to make some custom "cookie cutter" with a 3D printer for little ceramic pieces.
Great tips!
Thanks for sharing, all great ideas. I haven't had to resort to the barn yet but my studio is converted from my tack room and it's cold. Love the fish tank heater, going to do that for sure.
Thank you so much Jessica!
Cool! Thanks just getting started in clay
Chamois is for rounding and smoothing the lip
My chamois is screwed to a wine cork. And yes I did drink the wine too lol
Great ideas!! Thanks!
I am curious about firing your kiln in a barn...My kiln is in an unheated garage and I wonder if I need to warm the place up before firing it in the winter? (I am close to Montreal)
I just found your videos. Much better camera angle horizontal! Smart move. Please make more videos. They are great. I'm learning so much. ps...didn't care for the canned music you used on one video because one of your videos got pulled for copyrighted songs...no music is just fine.
Insulate your bucket or use little cooler, who says water has to be round?
Hi Jessica, I hope you remove the heater before you put your hands in the bucket, they are probably safe but you never know.
Hi LB! Thanks for your concern:) Actually I do not remove the heater. They are meant to be immersed in water with fish so I figure it won't hurt my hands. That being said they are made of glass so I am very careful to make sure I don't break it otherwise it may shock me!
Jessica Putnam-Phillips make sure the electric outlet is gfci protected
What is the shammy/ film canister for?
The whammy is used on the rims of pots to smooth them. The canister just keeps the whammy afloat in the water as well as in the workspace being able to find the shamny.
Studio hack ... kinda....I formerly took lessons from a large commercial pottery studio that also taught classes. I'd seen an article about using WD40 for a release and purchased some to use. I told one of the girls doing some hand building in the class about it and she figured one of the cooking anti-stick products would work ..why not? She chose to use PAM and while it worked find as a release, that night the mice or rats crept into the studio and ate large chunks our her creations. WD40 is fish oil and they don't bother it.
I've seen some sites that claim that fish oil is a primary ingredient, but the manufacturer states, "50% "aliphatic hydrocarbons". The manufacturer's website claims this ratio in the current formulation cannot accurately be described as Stoddard solvent, a similar mixture of hydrocarbons.
Hello i am new to all this and i only what a 10ft by 12 foot room for a small studio is this to small or ?
Could you indicate where I can buy luster? site. Thank you
Mayco makes lustres and Amaco make a rub n'buff which does not go through the firing process, it is applied after glazing
Before reafing your name I legit thought you were Tina Fey. When did LIZ lemon start making pottery video's 🤔
Hi , can i use glazes n fire in a portable kiln in my apartment room?
Is that safe ?
Can you please help with this information
I’m not Jessica but to be honest I would never fire a kiln in a living space! Garage or basement is a living space because it is within the walls of you home. I had my kilns in my garage and had to have them moved to the shed because the fumes that come off pottery and glaze is very harmful.
What do use a shami for?
Hold reach end gently and wrap/press lip of cylinder. It compresses and softens the edge.
You are so cute oh my God.
Have you ever thought about running 1 coil of your kiln to warm up your studio? I have done that in my basement as long as there's no it's fine
I have not done that.. yet but now that you suggest it I may give it a try! ;)