Making Clay Tools

Quick Tips: Cheap DIY Banding Wheel and Fast Scrap Dryer

• August 18, 2020 • Read Comments (68)

Clay people have some darn impressive ingenuity when it comes to improving the efficiency of their processes. We get a lot of great studio tips sent to us from readers, and every month Ceramics Monthly publishes some of them in their Tips and Tools section. – Jennifer Poellot Harnetty, editor.

An Airy Solution

In the past I would throw my trimmings into a plastic container and let them sit for a week or so to dry before reclaiming. We all know reclaiming works best when the clay is bone dry. Here is a simple technique I use to speed the drying process. I purchased a pen/pencil container from an office supply store. It is made out of expanded metal so it contains many holes. The container was sprayed with black paint, so it does not rust. When you trim or carve your pieces, throw the scraps in this container to air dry. It will take half the time to dry and you can swish the empty container in a bucket of water to easily clean it out.

Thanks to Craig Seath, Hudson, Wisconsin!

Turntable on the Cheap!

While it’s not cast iron with ball bearings, this homemade turntable is easy to make, inexpensive, and works nearly as well. PVC plumbing flanges can be purchased at any hardware store or home center and both flanges can be purchased for about $10. Just match the inner diameter of one to the outer diameter of the other. Cut two pieces of scrap wood; the bottom piece, which will become the base, should be approximately 2 inches larger than the PVC flange and the top piece, which will become the work surface, should be cut to whatever size is appropriate for you working needs. The top piece should not be unreasonably large and not more that a few inches larger than the base. Each board should about 1 inch thick and sealed to handle wet clay. Center and screw each flange onto the wood pieces. Add a little WD-40 for lubrication and you are in business.

Thank you to Dennis Allen of Lebanon, Ohio!

**First published in 2011.
Comments

  • I use a plastic clothes basket lined with an old sheet to dry slurry.

  • I use a plastic clothes basket lined with an old sheet to dry slurry.

  • Joanne R.

    My first post to this forum. I’m in my rookie year and looking for lots of tips. These here are great, especially re: recycling clay. I’m just too scotch to throw out scraps but didn’t know the best way to reclaim it. I’ll give the bowl/newspaper method a try. Anyway, I made a nice “banding wheel” by screwing a five buck lazy susan gizmo bought at the hardware store to a six inch slab of gorgeous wood given to me by my folks. Art and function in one!

  • Joanne R.

    My first post to this forum. I’m in my rookie year and looking for lots of tips. These here are great, especially re: recycling clay. I’m just too scotch to throw out scraps but didn’t know the best way to reclaim it. I’ll give the bowl/newspaper method a try. Anyway, I made a nice “banding wheel” by screwing a five buck lazy susan gizmo bought at the hardware store to a six inch slab of gorgeous wood given to me by my folks. Art and function in one!

  • Subscriber T.

    Very sorry, I may inadvertently slipped my privacy setting off of public. Since I have nothing to hide (not there anyway) I have reset it. You may leave questions or comments there if you wish.
    Sincerely,
    Morgan Lewis
    Otsu-shi, Shiga, Japan

  • Subscriber T.

    Very sorry, I may inadvertently slipped my privacy setting off of public. Since I have nothing to hide (not there anyway) I have reset it. You may leave questions or comments there if you wish.
    Sincerely,
    Morgan Lewis
    Otsu-shi, Shiga, Japan

  • Chris T.

    @ Morgan : I cannot find you on Facebook … 🙁

  • Chris T.

    @ Morgan : I cannot find you on Facebook … 🙁

  • On the homemade banding wheel – it works better if you sandwich the turntable between 2 round bats. Depending on how permanent I’ve wanted it to be, I’ve stuck them together with duck tape some times and with PC-7 others.

  • On the homemade banding wheel – it works better if you sandwich the turntable between 2 round bats. Depending on how permanent I’ve wanted it to be, I’ve stuck them together with duck tape some times and with PC-7 others.

  • Deborah H.

    Glad this post inspired so many other people to pass on all these wonderful tips. I’m a hit-and-miss potter and need all the help/ideas I can get. Thanks everyone!!

  • Deborah H.

    Glad this post inspired so many other people to pass on all these wonderful tips. I’m a hit-and-miss potter and need all the help/ideas I can get. Thanks everyone!!

  • Emma R.

    After my recycled clay has been set out on a canvas table, and is a good consistency, I put it in a very thick plastic bag. I squash the clay by standing, doing a jig, and get it to a very nice consistency. You can use your weight to squash it really well. I refold it, stand on it again, and repeat until it looks like it is a good even consistency. This method saves you from rewedging clay by hand. I then cut the clay in pieces and rewedge each piece right before throwing.

  • Emma R.

    After my recycled clay has been set out on a canvas table, and is a good consistency, I put it in a very thick plastic bag. I squash the clay by standing, doing a jig, and get it to a very nice consistency. You can use your weight to squash it really well. I refold it, stand on it again, and repeat until it looks like it is a good even consistency. This method saves you from rewedging clay by hand. I then cut the clay in pieces and rewedge each piece right before throwing.

  • Steve P.

    Joyce please don’t turn bone dry clay you will inevitabily release microscopic silica dust into the air which you will inhale or ingest, potentally leading to silicosis or other nasty diseases.

  • Steve P.

    Joyce please don’t turn bone dry clay you will inevitabily release microscopic silica dust into the air which you will inhale or ingest, potentally leading to silicosis or other nasty diseases.

  • Cindy D.

    Using a plaster table is the easiest for me to wedge out clay. If a bag of clay dries out or is too hard I roll down the plastic bag, stab the clay with a screw driver like it’s my worst enemy and add a small amount of water (a quart maybe) to the bag and close it up. Then I put it in a bucket of water over night. By morning it only needs to be dried up a small bit and wedged. Sometimes I let it sit for another day so it “forgets itself”. The pressure of the outside water makes the inside water go into the clay faster and more evenly.

  • Cindy D.

    Using a plaster table is the easiest for me to wedge out clay. If a bag of clay dries out or is too hard I roll down the plastic bag, stab the clay with a screw driver like it’s my worst enemy and add a small amount of water (a quart maybe) to the bag and close it up. Then I put it in a bucket of water over night. By morning it only needs to be dried up a small bit and wedged. Sometimes I let it sit for another day so it “forgets itself”. The pressure of the outside water makes the inside water go into the clay faster and more evenly.

  • I spent 2 weeks in Mata Ortiz, Mexico and the potters there have no pottery equipment. They dig clay, put it in a tub of water and stir to break up lumps and sticks and the like float and are removed. They let the slurry sit overnight and the next day they put a piece of nylon netting over a plastic drum and dip the slurry over the drum to strain out any debris/stones etc. When drum is full they let sit overnight and then decant off water and then it is scooped onto a plaster lined “wooden frame with sides” that is lined with an old sheet. The clay is left to dry enough to wedge. If anyone wants to spend time with the kindest, generous and most talented potters then go to Mata Ortiz it is a couple of hours south of El Paso, Texas. I am a 66 year old Canadian woman and traveled alone to this amazing place and NOT once in the 2 weeks I was there was I nervous or afraid. Shirley Wilson

  • I spent 2 weeks in Mata Ortiz, Mexico and the potters there have no pottery equipment. They dig clay, put it in a tub of water and stir to break up lumps and sticks and the like float and are removed. They let the slurry sit overnight and the next day they put a piece of nylon netting over a plastic drum and dip the slurry over the drum to strain out any debris/stones etc. When drum is full they let sit overnight and then decant off water and then it is scooped onto a plaster lined “wooden frame with sides” that is lined with an old sheet. The clay is left to dry enough to wedge. If anyone wants to spend time with the kindest, generous and most talented potters then go to Mata Ortiz it is a couple of hours south of El Paso, Texas. I am a 66 year old Canadian woman and traveled alone to this amazing place and NOT once in the 2 weeks I was there was I nervous or afraid. Shirley Wilson

  • Subscriber T.

    Chris,(and or others)I just tacked 3 snaps of the onewiretrick onto the end of my facebook photo album:’Mixed Bag of My Pots’. That’s: Morgan Lewis, Otsu-shi, Shiga, Japan. Takes different wires for various size pots. May not be perfect for every use but; waddaya want for nothin’?

    Good luck from your man in Japan.

  • Subscriber T.

    Chris,(and or others)I just tacked 3 snaps of the onewiretrick onto the end of my facebook photo album:’Mixed Bag of My Pots’. That’s: Morgan Lewis, Otsu-shi, Shiga, Japan. Takes different wires for various size pots. May not be perfect for every use but; waddaya want for nothin’?

    Good luck from your man in Japan.

  • Jill K.

    Tina the pictures are there beside the explaination but have been squashed up beside the text. Just click on that strange shape to the left of the text and all will be as clear as mud!!!

    Thanks for the tips in this article. I had a dipping problem with an orb shaped bottle, dipped in in and then couldn’t get a good grip to lift it out. Does the dipping do dad thing work on bottle shapes?

  • Jill K.

    Tina the pictures are there beside the explaination but have been squashed up beside the text. Just click on that strange shape to the left of the text and all will be as clear as mud!!!

    Thanks for the tips in this article. I had a dipping problem with an orb shaped bottle, dipped in in and then couldn’t get a good grip to lift it out. Does the dipping do dad thing work on bottle shapes?

  • Subscriber T.

    I teach in a large high school and have to recycle large amounts of clay and don’t have a pug mill. I’m teaching 5 classes with a total of 120 students this year. I put dry clay in 5 gal. buckets and soak for a few days, pour off extra water, and then pour the clay into wire baskets( 8” x 8” x 12”) that were used in gym class,lined with cloth. I let them sit for a few days as the cloth wicks out the extra moister. I then cut up these into manageable sizes and have the kids wedge them up. We used over a ton of clay last year.

  • Subscriber T.

    I teach in a large high school and have to recycle large amounts of clay and don’t have a pug mill. I’m teaching 5 classes with a total of 120 students this year. I put dry clay in 5 gal. buckets and soak for a few days, pour off extra water, and then pour the clay into wire baskets( 8” x 8” x 12”) that were used in gym class,lined with cloth. I let them sit for a few days as the cloth wicks out the extra moister. I then cut up these into manageable sizes and have the kids wedge them up. We used over a ton of clay last year.

  • Chris T.

    Morgan, I have some difficulties understanding and imagining your tool. Can we get more information or photos on that ?
    Thanks.

  • Chris T.

    Morgan, I have some difficulties understanding and imagining your tool. Can we get more information or photos on that ?
    Thanks.

  • Elaine B.

    In some chinese restaurants they serve bamboo trays of dim sum etc – carrying them with a three pronged gizmo that opens to loosen the three arms and release what is carried. You can buy these in some chinese grocers/suppliers for not much money and use them for dipping small to medium sized bowls and plates.

  • Elaine B.

    In some chinese restaurants they serve bamboo trays of dim sum etc – carrying them with a three pronged gizmo that opens to loosen the three arms and release what is carried. You can buy these in some chinese grocers/suppliers for not much money and use them for dipping small to medium sized bowls and plates.

  • Subscriber T.

    Greetings from Japan where I picked up a different but rather common trick.

    No offense to Doris but Doodad seems needlessly complex in design and function… Try one coat-hanger bent and cut to size. Same basic concept, use different size and shaped wires for different pots. Two middle fingers hold the wire in the middle, other fingers and thumb push against the foot of pot. One hand action. No chuck. Hold bowl (or plate, saucer etc.) with opposite hand to hook on and off. You can go in and out of glaze at an angle or use ‘burping method’ to coat inside. Flip over and use the off-hand to either support bottom or hold pot while disengaging. Takes a little practice and dexterity and yes a little touch-up. Advantage: speed, control, simplicity and flexibility. Disadvantage: no cool name.

    Happy potting all.

  • Subscriber T.

    Greetings from Japan where I picked up a different but rather common trick.

    No offense to Doris but Doodad seems needlessly complex in design and function… Try one coat-hanger bent and cut to size. Same basic concept, use different size and shaped wires for different pots. Two middle fingers hold the wire in the middle, other fingers and thumb push against the foot of pot. One hand action. No chuck. Hold bowl (or plate, saucer etc.) with opposite hand to hook on and off. You can go in and out of glaze at an angle or use ‘burping method’ to coat inside. Flip over and use the off-hand to either support bottom or hold pot while disengaging. Takes a little practice and dexterity and yes a little touch-up. Advantage: speed, control, simplicity and flexibility. Disadvantage: no cool name.

    Happy potting all.

  • Claire K.

    For an inexpensive banding wheel or turntable: Buy a wooden lazy susan at IKEA @$5.00
    Use a plastic shower cap to encose wood turning top. This will prevent the wood from warping or getting wet. Replace cap as needed. Woks great!

  • Claire K.

    For an inexpensive banding wheel or turntable: Buy a wooden lazy susan at IKEA @$5.00
    Use a plastic shower cap to encose wood turning top. This will prevent the wood from warping or getting wet. Replace cap as needed. Woks great!

  • Subscriber L.

    For reclaim:

    Let clay dry out in container. Using bucket or bowl, fill to just beneath rim, just cover with water, let stand overnight. Decant water laying on top off. Will be left with slaked down clay. Use hand mixer to blend for no lumps. Pour onto about one inch stack of newspaper. This absorbs much of water. Wait couple of hours, then peel away blob of clay and wedge. Minimal air bubbles and nice soft clay. Lets you reclaim in manageable amounts quickly without a pugmill.

  • Subscriber L.

    For reclaim:

    Let clay dry out in container. Using bucket or bowl, fill to just beneath rim, just cover with water, let stand overnight. Decant water laying on top off. Will be left with slaked down clay. Use hand mixer to blend for no lumps. Pour onto about one inch stack of newspaper. This absorbs much of water. Wait couple of hours, then peel away blob of clay and wedge. Minimal air bubbles and nice soft clay. Lets you reclaim in manageable amounts quickly without a pugmill.

  • Joyce B.

    My husband made me a turn table. He bought a frying pan, took off he handle and bolted it upside down to bearings. He screwed the bearings to a round wooden base of about 1″ thick. I didn’t know that bone dry clay turned better. I usually use my recycled clay for hand building. Thanks for the tips.

  • Joyce B.

    My husband made me a turn table. He bought a frying pan, took off he handle and bolted it upside down to bearings. He screwed the bearings to a round wooden base of about 1″ thick. I didn’t know that bone dry clay turned better. I usually use my recycled clay for hand building. Thanks for the tips.

  • Carol P.

    As a hobby potter I always have ideas waiting for handbuilding with reconstituted clay. I cannot wedge it enough to keep from having bubbles when I try to put it on the wheel. Love the collander idea. I have made collanders and may just make one without glaze for this purpose.

  • Carol P.

    As a hobby potter I always have ideas waiting for handbuilding with reconstituted clay. I cannot wedge it enough to keep from having bubbles when I try to put it on the wheel. Love the collander idea. I have made collanders and may just make one without glaze for this purpose.

  • Patti C.

    I use old colanders for reconstituting clay. I just line one with cloth from an old t-shirt and dump the slurry in. I never bother to dry my clay scraps first, just toss them into a covered bucket with some water until I have enough to bother wedging up. The lumps go away when I wedge it, but I do mostly handbuilding so maybe it would be more critical if I were going to throw the clay.
    I also use old colanders to store my sponges…the holes allow them to drain and dry out quickly. The pencil holder would work great for small sponges too.
    Another option for drying out wet clay is Hardi Backer Board. It doesn’t perhaps have the mass to dry out large amounts of clay, but it is very absorbent and easier to store in limited space than a plaster table. I spread my clay out an inch or two thick and turn it onto a second sheet once the bottom is dry enough to hold together. The boards come in 3X5 ft sheets and can be cut to size by scoring with a utility knife and then breaking along the line like you do with drywall.
    If you are going to use a lazy susan for a turntable…hint: plastic ones last longer than wooden ones!

  • Patti C.

    I use old colanders for reconstituting clay. I just line one with cloth from an old t-shirt and dump the slurry in. I never bother to dry my clay scraps first, just toss them into a covered bucket with some water until I have enough to bother wedging up. The lumps go away when I wedge it, but I do mostly handbuilding so maybe it would be more critical if I were going to throw the clay.
    I also use old colanders to store my sponges…the holes allow them to drain and dry out quickly. The pencil holder would work great for small sponges too.
    Another option for drying out wet clay is Hardi Backer Board. It doesn’t perhaps have the mass to dry out large amounts of clay, but it is very absorbent and easier to store in limited space than a plaster table. I spread my clay out an inch or two thick and turn it onto a second sheet once the bottom is dry enough to hold together. The boards come in 3X5 ft sheets and can be cut to size by scoring with a utility knife and then breaking along the line like you do with drywall.
    If you are going to use a lazy susan for a turntable…hint: plastic ones last longer than wooden ones!

  • Patti C.

    I use old colanders for reconstituting clay. I just line one with cloth from an old t-shirt and dump the slurry in. I never bother to dry my clay scraps first, just toss them into a covered bucket with some water until I have enough to bother wedging up. The lumps go away when I wedge it, but I do mostly handbuilding so maybe it would be more critical if I were going to throw the clay. I also use old colanders to store my sponges…the holes allow them to drain and dry out quickly. The pencil holder would work great for small sponges too.

    Another option for drying out wet clay is Hardi Backer Board. It doesn’t perhaps have the mass to dry out large amounts of clay, but it is very absorbent and easier to store in limited space than a plaster table. I spread my clay out an inch or two thick and turn it onto a second sheet once the bottom is dry enough to hold together. The boards come in 3X5 ft sheets and can be cut to size by scoring with a utility knife and then breaking along the line like you do with drywall.
    If you are going to use a lazy susan for a turntable…hint: plastic ones last longer than wooden ones!

  • Patti C.

    I use old colanders for reconstituting clay. I just line one with cloth from an old t-shirt and dump the slurry in. I never bother to dry my clay scraps first, just toss them into a covered bucket with some water until I have enough to bother wedging up. The lumps go away when I wedge it, but I do mostly handbuilding so maybe it would be more critical if I were going to throw the clay. I also use old colanders to store my sponges…the holes allow them to drain and dry out quickly. The pencil holder would work great for small sponges too.

    Another option for drying out wet clay is Hardi Backer Board. It doesn’t perhaps have the mass to dry out large amounts of clay, but it is very absorbent and easier to store in limited space than a plaster table. I spread my clay out an inch or two thick and turn it onto a second sheet once the bottom is dry enough to hold together. The boards come in 3X5 ft sheets and can be cut to size by scoring with a utility knife and then breaking along the line like you do with drywall.
    If you are going to use a lazy susan for a turntable…hint: plastic ones last longer than wooden ones!

  • chris c.

    I bought an inexpensive ( cheap) lazy susan and have used it as a banding wheel, I am no pro, but for a shoestring budget it worked fine. I Love dollar stores !!

  • chris c.

    I bought an inexpensive ( cheap) lazy susan and have used it as a banding wheel, I am no pro, but for a shoestring budget it worked fine. I Love dollar stores !!

  • Thanks two great ideas, I need a turntable so I am going to take your tip and run with it.
    cheers

  • Thanks two great ideas, I need a turntable so I am going to take your tip and run with it.
    cheers

  • John L.

    @Jana – It is easier to get a uniform clay slurry from bone dry clay bits than from partially dried. Google “reclaiming clay” and you will get a plethora of hits. Most are make a plaster block, pile up clay slurry on the block, let dry until wedgable consistency, or something similar. Some also tell how to make the plaster block also. Another option is the “pants leg” method. Basically you close off a pair of pants legs so the clay can’t get out, pour in the clay slurry and wait until it has firmed up due to water evaporation through the cloth, then you wedge it up. A variation is building up a 4 sided wall of bricks, place a cloth inside the wall which is filled with clay slurry, and then dried to wedgable consistency.

  • John L.

    @Jana – It is easier to get a uniform clay slurry from bone dry clay bits than from partially dried. Google “reclaiming clay” and you will get a plethora of hits. Most are make a plaster block, pile up clay slurry on the block, let dry until wedgable consistency, or something similar. Some also tell how to make the plaster block also. Another option is the “pants leg” method. Basically you close off a pair of pants legs so the clay can’t get out, pour in the clay slurry and wait until it has firmed up due to water evaporation through the cloth, then you wedge it up. A variation is building up a 4 sided wall of bricks, place a cloth inside the wall which is filled with clay slurry, and then dried to wedgable consistency.

  • I use this turn table with 3 additional PVC pipes that fit into the top and bottom. This way I can adjust the height according to what I’m working on and where I’m working.

  • I use this turn table with 3 additional PVC pipes that fit into the top and bottom. This way I can adjust the height according to what I’m working on and where I’m working.

  • Jana L.

    I’m still kindof new at this. Why do you want the clay dry before reclaiming? What do you do with this leftover clay? I’ve made so much slip out of leftover clay and don’t want any more. I don’t have a pug mill, so when I have it “left over” I just throw it away. Any help would help!

  • Jana L.

    I’m still kindof new at this. Why do you want the clay dry before reclaiming? What do you do with this leftover clay? I’ve made so much slip out of leftover clay and don’t want any more. I don’t have a pug mill, so when I have it “left over” I just throw it away. Any help would help!

  • Linda C.

    Thank you so much for explaining how the photos work, John. I was completely lost.I’m assuming that some glaze touch-up work would be needed where the wire touches the rim, unless I’m not understanding fully.

    BIG kudos to Ceramic Arts Daily. I’m out of the country for a time, but still can get my “clay fix” several times a week!

  • Linda C.

    Thank you so much for explaining how the photos work, John. I was completely lost.I’m assuming that some glaze touch-up work would be needed where the wire touches the rim, unless I’m not understanding fully.

    BIG kudos to Ceramic Arts Daily. I’m out of the country for a time, but still can get my “clay fix” several times a week!

  • Susan B.

    Thanks Dennis for the great tip! You just saved me $40 on a new banding wheel!

  • Susan B.

    Thanks Dennis for the great tip! You just saved me $40 on a new banding wheel!

  • Vicki G.

    Tina
    copy and paste the name of the tool, Turntable on the cheap” for example into the search box on the upper right of this page and search and you will find the original in depth articles on how to make the tool. Hope that helps.

  • Vicki G.

    Tina
    copy and paste the name of the tool, Turntable on the cheap” for example into the search box on the upper right of this page and search and you will find the original in depth articles on how to make the tool. Hope that helps.

  • John L.

    If you click on the image next to Jennifer’s intro to the tips, that is the Turn Table on the Cheap. If you hover your mouse near the upper right corner of this image a “NEXT” should be revealed. CLick on the “NEXT” and the next image is the “Lip DIP Doodad”; click “NEXT” again and you will see the “An Airy Soultion” waste basket clay dryer idea, and click “NEXT” one more time and you will see the Turn Table top and bottom pieces. That should help you visualize the ideas much better Tina.

  • John L.

    If you click on the image next to Jennifer’s intro to the tips, that is the Turn Table on the Cheap. If you hover your mouse near the upper right corner of this image a “NEXT” should be revealed. CLick on the “NEXT” and the next image is the “Lip DIP Doodad”; click “NEXT” again and you will see the “An Airy Soultion” waste basket clay dryer idea, and click “NEXT” one more time and you will see the Turn Table top and bottom pieces. That should help you visualize the ideas much better Tina.

  • Muriel W.

    For the turntable, see the picture at the top of the article. That is what it will look like with one is fitted into the other.

    As for the dip lip doodad, just how much of the bowl is being glazed? Just the lip? Wouldn’t the air inside the inverted bowl keep it from going all the way into the glaze? Hope that is not a stupid question.

  • Muriel W.

    For the turntable, see the picture at the top of the article. That is what it will look like with one is fitted into the other.

    As for the dip lip doodad, just how much of the bowl is being glazed? Just the lip? Wouldn’t the air inside the inverted bowl keep it from going all the way into the glaze? Hope that is not a stupid question.

  • Eugenia T.

    An easier tool for holding/dipping, with the same principle, is a metal or plastic flower pot hanger, often provided when one buys a hanging pot. They’re also available in nursery supply places. They have three “legs” without the worry of getting the “legs” even, and bent ends to hold the rim of your vessel. The larger ones will support quite a lot of weight (think flower pot with dirt and water).

  • Eugenia T.

    An easier tool for holding/dipping, with the same principle, is a metal or plastic flower pot hanger, often provided when one buys a hanging pot. They’re also available in nursery supply places. They have three “legs” without the worry of getting the “legs” even, and bent ends to hold the rim of your vessel. The larger ones will support quite a lot of weight (think flower pot with dirt and water).

  • Tina H.

    I’m a little dense, don’t understand either of these tips. More inf or pics please.Thanks

  • Tina H.

    I’m a little dense, don’t understand either of these tips. More inf or pics please.Thanks

Enter Your Log In Credentials
This setting should only be used on your home or work computer.

Larger version of the image
Send this to a friend