Every maker has their favourite tools, those which become extensions of touch. Work-worn friends, dependable and ‘right’ somehow. Inevitably these favourites are formed through constant experimentation with, and repurposing of, kitchen supply shop items and scraps of wood or metal. Sometimes an otherwise broken thing makes just the perfect mark, sometimes it just has to be a specialist (expensive) piece of kit bought for a very precise and particular part of the work-flow.

Mostly, tools are expensive and there is a long and healthy tradition of make-it-yourself amongst Potters. It’s part of the problem-solving and thrift which seem so central to ceramic practice.

Recently I have been trying to make some tools which are very specific to throwing, partly just to see how I get on with using them. I remain convinced that making work is a constantly evolving process of pushing beyond what you currently do, and challenging existing methods/materials/ideas. - Precisely because I have not thrown is a measured and repeatable way, I can see that these ‘ways’ have something to teach me.

On the Downloads page, you will see an array of new gadgets including a Square-nesting-batt system, a Throwing Gauge, and a Measuring Batt-Insert. And the laser-cutting files are all free to download for anyone interesting in a make-it-yourself project.

I also started to think about measuring, and designed some huge callipers capable of comfortably spanning pots 60cm (2ft) wide.

In the same moment, I was very aware that 60cm of raw/plastic clay, despite feeling substantial and impressive on the wheel, is only destined to be around 52cm once fired to 1285c, and an interest in ‘shrinkage’ began.

A simple shrink test of one of the clays I use reveals some quite interesting numbers:

• Plastic to dry = 7.7%

• Plastic to 1000c = 8.5%

• Plastic to 1280c = 13.5%

And so the painful calculations began with software which only allows scaling by a decimal factor(!) Once laser-cut and etched from acrylic sheet I filled the markings with black acrylic paint producing a pretty professional result.

So now I own a gigantic white 60cm (actually more like 70cm) shrinkage ruler.. and these two smaller ones are gifts for fellow potters who have helped me along the way:

Do get in touch if you are interested in the files, or in me making you one to your own shrinkage percentages.