10 (Essential) Tools for Throwing

10 (Essential) Tools for Throwing

Learning to throw is a real slice of humble pie- maybe the whole pie if we’re being honest? I first learned by watching videos on Instagram, but over the years I’ve narrowed down my top 10 must haves for throwing. 

stack of pottery tools on a wooden surface

  1. A wheel: pretty hard to throw without one! I’ve got a Brent.
  2. A mirror: the mirror helps me keep my posture while seeing literally every aspect of my piece. I use a large mirror (used to be for my kiddo) from Amazon (affiliate link), but truly anything will work! 
  3. Water Bucket: I’m partial to the 2.5 quart buckets, but really anything that holds water works! Ideally, having a rim that you can use to scrape slip off your hands is really helpful! 
  4. Sponges: So. Many. Sponges. My personal favorite are also the cheap ones. I’ve spent a lot of money trying better sponges hoping I’d like them, and I always end up back with the round yellow ones. I am who I am. 
  5. Needle Tool: Okay, this is where I’m partial to not the cheapest one on the market! The Mudtools Mud Shark is worth every penny. In fact, I accidentally left mine at a community studio and instead of waiting a week to go back and get it, I literally just ordered a second so that I would never be without it! My second favorite are actually the tiny Kemper ones, though they’re going out of business :(
  6. Ribs: So again, really personal! But I LOVE my Mudtools yellow and red rib for throwing. I also live by my 6inch steel rib
  7. Wood Knife Tool: I use this for all of my finishing- cutting off the skirt, beveling the edge, and doing a final straight check! (& Yes, I know Kemper Tools is closing, if I find another knife I love as much as this one, I'll update!)
  8. Wire Tool: I’ve used Dirty Girls Wire Tools for years, and I’m never going back. We are in real trouble if they stop making these. I really love the ultra thin for wiring pieces off the bat- it really does keep more clay on your piece! 
  9. Bats: I find it MUCH easier to throw using bats. It allows me to let pieces firm up before moving them! I use both the Studio Pro Space Saver system and Speedball bats. I started with the Speedball bats (until I started throwing more at a time and needed more bats- I made the choice to move to the StudioPro system, but still use Speedball bats for larger items!) I also love using my Xiem Bat Mate to help keep things from moving! 
  10. CLAY! Yeah…. You kinda need that!

BONUS:

If you’re trying to throw a lot, and throw consistently, a small scale (affiliate link) and a laser level (affiliate link) (and tripod) are incredibly helpful! & If you're looking to level up your wooden ribs, Garrity Tools are the absolute BEST! 

xo Amanda

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