Resources – Tri-City Potters

Tips

Use a metric ruler for measuring the openings of teapots, etc. It's much easier to get an accurate measurement in mm than in inches.
When pots are removed from the wheel they often become distorted at the rim. In order to avoid this place a piece of newspaper on the rim and run a finger over it. Air is trapped inside the bowl, allowing it to be moved without distortion.
Use white tissue paper to transfer a design onto clay. Draw the design with a felt-tipped pen. Lay the paper on the damp pot; the water in the clay absorbs the ink from the design. Remove the tissue carefully to be used for a second transfer.
Dry clay bowls/tiles on plaster board (dry wall). The plaster board can be easily cut to any size and cleans with a damp cloth. You can also make portable shelves from this material.
The edges of fired cones make efficient burnishing tools for polishing greenware which will be saw-dust or pit-fired.
To test a glaze, just dip the bottom of a cylinder in the glaze and fire upside down. This shows how the glaze acts on both vertical and horizontal surfaces.
An old guitar string makes an excellent wedging wire as it is very strong and will not rust.

To return a recently thrown pot to the wheel, it must be perfectly centred. To do this, place a thin layer of clay on the wheel. Then measure the base of your pot with calipers. Now mark the clay on the wheel with a circle from the calipers measurement. You now have the perfect spot to set the pot.
Add a few drops of food colouring to your tub of wax resist so you can see it better on your pots.

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