I’m always looking for ways to increase my efficiency or make tricky tasks a little easier. And, if I can find a solution using things I already have lying around the studio or home, even better. My DIY painting stands were devised so that I could easily paint underglaze onto the top and edges of small greenware pieces. To make one, you will need a cork, a few sewing pins, cutting pliers, flat pliers, and eye protection.

First, cut the ball off of a couple of sewing pins with the cutting pliers (1). This is also where eye protection is important as the pins can be brittle, and the ball may pop off and shoot in an unexpected direction at a high velocity.

1 While wearing eye protection, use cutting pliers to clip the ball off the end of each sewing pin.2 Insert pins into the cork, sharp ends up and in close pairs.

Next, use the flat pliers to insert two pins into the cork, positioned close to one another (2). Make sure the cut end of the pin is embedded into the cork. You want the pointy end facing up. If you’d like to paint multiple items at once, you can insert a few of these pairs into the cork.

To use the tool, lightly press your small clay piece onto the tips of a pair of pins (3). Using the pair of pins instead of just one will keep the item from spinning as you paint. Paint the top and edges of the piece (4) then set the whole stand aside to dry before removing the piece. The tool works best with leather-hard clay as anything drier may crack or crumble.

3 Carefully press leather-hard pieces onto the pin sets.4 Brush the top and sides of small pieces, and allow to dry before removing.
Topics: Ceramic Decorating Tools

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