Plaster Mold Making & Some Ceramics - Other Crafts

B Babalu Tiki Socialite Lemon Grove Joined: Nov 19, 2006 Posts: 2518	B Babalu Posted posted on Fri, Apr 25, 2008 7:47 AM Thanks guys. Sorry it has taken me sooo long to get back to this thread...I'm just settling back in from that darn trip. Anyway, "what tools to use" is a good question and one that many wonder about. There are many Sites to buy tools, just Google "Clay Modeling tools" or the like. I pull some pictures from Dick Blick http://www.dickblick.com/categories/modelingtools/#rubbertippedshapingtools in order to talk about the subject here. It's funny, but at one time or another, I have probably brought all these tools on this Site and I find that there are maybe 1 or two from each grouping that I really use. I think each person is different...they like different tools in their hands. Thank goodness clay tools are fairly cheap. Even though I might have brought a pack of tools and only used a few from that grouping, the few that I might have discovered that I liked are worth the cost of the grouping to me. This is a basic ceramic tool set...clay 101 if you will. Some good tools here. The wire is a must for cutting into blocks of clay(you can make that too). These wood tools are standard ceramic tools as well, but I also think they work nicely with the oil based clays too. These metal tools are designed more for oil based clays. I don't have many of these, but I like them...I want to try some more of these here that I don't have yet. Loop types tools are good all around for removing. I also like to take these and alter (bend) the shape of these to suit my needs. These rubber tipped tools are great for all around smoothing...love them. When your working in oil based clays, try using just a little "Mineral Spirits" too. This really helps to smooth as well. Bottom line, there are a shit load of tools out there...you do not need them all! Some of my favorite tools are tools that I made and not ones that I brought. A question was asked about using a turn table, or lazy susan...yeah, I like these...I tend to use it all the time for all kinds of applications...not just clay. Well, that was kind of long winded there...hope it helps. I'm going to let Sir Bowana have some fun too...he is pictorially going take this thread home...Sir Bowana...enter stage right :)

Thanks guys. Sorry it has taken me sooo long to get back to this thread...I'm just settling back in from that darn trip.

Anyway, "what tools to use" is a good question and one that many wonder about. There are many Sites to buy tools, just Google "Clay Modeling tools" or the like. I pull some pictures from Dick Blick
http://www.dickblick.com/categories/modelingtools/#rubbertippedshapingtools
in order to talk about the subject here.

It's funny, but at one time or another, I have probably brought all these tools on this Site and I find that there are maybe 1 or two from each grouping that I really use. I think each person is different...they like different tools in their hands. Thank goodness clay tools are fairly cheap. Even though I might have brought a pack of tools and only used a few from that grouping, the few that I might have discovered that I liked are worth the cost of the grouping to me.

This is a basic ceramic tool set...clay 101 if you will. Some good tools here. The wire is a must for cutting into blocks of clay(you can make that too).

These wood tools are standard ceramic tools as well, but I also think they work nicely with the oil based clays too.

These metal tools are designed more for oil based clays. I don't have many of these, but I like them...I want to try some more of these here that I don't have yet.

Loop types tools are good all around for removing. I also like to take these and alter (bend) the shape of these to suit my needs.

These rubber tipped tools are great for all around smoothing...love them. When your working in oil based clays, try using just a little "Mineral Spirits" too. This really helps to smooth as well.

Bottom line, there are a shit load of tools out there...you do not need them all! Some of my favorite tools are tools that I made and not ones that I brought.

A question was asked about using a turn table, or lazy susan...yeah, I like these...I tend to use it all the time for all kinds of applications...not just clay.

Well, that was kind of long winded there...hope it helps. I'm going to let Sir Bowana have some fun too...he is pictorially going take this thread home...Sir Bowana...enter stage right :)

Post #376130 by Babalu on Fri, Apr 25, 2008 7:47 AM