: Dharsi - Viewing Profile

My husband installed two dishwasher utensil racks by my wheel. Trimming tools go in one and throwing tools go in the other. It is working pretty well and I can take them down and hose them off if I need. I like the magnet look though, looks like how Martha Stewart hangs her knives.

My lenses must be glass because I don't take very good care of them, and they are in great shape. What I did want to mention is, don't overlook progressive lenses. I love mine. It gives me perfect clarity from book reading distance, computer screen use, grocery store shelf distance, and road signs before I am right on top of them. I also wear mono vision contacts during the school year and they work super now that I have found the lens cleaner that uses hydrogen peroxide.

I would urge you to consider white walls. Of course white is never "white." You can choose the tone of the white, but white none the less. You can keep extra around for touch ups and your work is what shoppers will focus on. I would also paint the wall and ceiling the same color. In a room that small, you make it look smaller by chopping it up with one color on the walls and one on the ceiling. Same with the trim. As a matter of fact, you can use opposing color trim to frame your work and draw shopper's attention to special pieces. An example of this might be a picture frame hung on a wall behind the ladder shelf you are considering, that frames a few special pieces. You might keep a couple of these frames around in different colors/textures, to switch out depending on the glaze on your "display" pots.

If you want to use a bit of color, save it for your work side of the room. I know it is hard to look at your space and not want to pretty it up with color, but when you fill it with shelving and your work there will be plenty going on. Some of us are very visually distracted and I think the best idea to highlite your work is to choose something that just disappears.

This week I had a small blow out on the side of a bowl when I took it out of the bisque fire. I decided to experiment and see what I could do with it after reading this thread. I shredded some toilet paper into a container, put in 2 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar because that is what I had, and some runny slip made from the clay body. i whipped it all together with a hand blender and "had at it" as we say. I painted it onto the piece, pushed the small blow out slab onto it and set it on a shelf to dry. I left it to sit overnight and today took the dremel tool to the edges to smooth it out. I was throughly prepared to toss the whole works but much to my amazement the repair held tight! Who knew! So tomorrow I will glaze it up and put it in the kiln.

I have used all methods. I tap center (practice with a bisqued piece then move on to a raw piece), I use a GG, sometimes I use a bat with foam on it for odd rims, and I was originally taught to use a finger and tap small corrections. I have dampened the wheel and rim and stuck pots down, and I have used clay wads to hold pots in place. I must admit though, I often wonder what is the point of working to smooth a rim and them mash it onto the wheel to trim???? and then have to touch it up. Waste of time if you ask me.

My favorite approach is to throw pots that don't need to be trimmed at all! I hate the mess of trimming, what with pieces flying all over. How do you all catch your trimmings? I am a cheap Yankee and I still like to reclaim my clay but those pieces let fly all over the surrounding area and it's a PITB. I realize that many of you don't bother with reclaim but I just can't bring myself to toss it, and I love throwing with soft squishy reclaimed clay.