My mind is always looking for an easier way to do things, striving to keep myself in a flow state. As a committed fan of dipping glazes, I am sometimes confronted with a pot that is too wide for my hand to grasp to dip it into the glaze. Suction cups won’t work on rough, porous bisqueware, and tongs are cumbersome and only useful for small- to medium-sized bowl/plate sorts of things. I needed a handle­—a removable handle.

1 Generously apply liquid latex to both the stopper and pot. 2 Testing your handle is recommended once the latex is dry.

Liquid latex and black rubber laboratory stoppers are a staple in my studio—both are great for keeping glaze from going where you don’t want it to go. It occurred to me that latex would make a perfect, easily removable glue that could be used to add a handle. Black rubber stoppers are a good handle shape, plus the latex easily peels off of them (though anything strong enough to act as a handle would work if you don’t have a stopper around).

To apply a removable handle for dipping a piece in glaze, generously paint the latex onto both the stopper and the pot (1). Place the stopper on the pot (2), and allow the latex to dry fully. Glaze your pot (3). Once the glaze is dry, peel the stopper from the pot and rub off any residual bits of latex (4).

2 Testing your handle is recommended once the latex is dry. 4 Once the glaze is dry, peel off the handle, then remove residual latex.

 

Topics: Ceramic Artists, Making Clay Tools

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