Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
know what I’m about to write is immensely trivial, but it’s a relatively big change in my practice, and that’s moving on from a hair brush for waxing, to a foam brush like this. I’m sure there are pros and cons for each but this tool holds more wax so I can wax for longer and it’s also more versatile, as I can use its side for fine details, such as the waxing the smallest feet on my tiniest bowls, to waxing larger expanses of bare clay, like on the underside of these mugs or plates.
Either way, trivial yes, but a change to a tool that’s so engrained in my muscle memory feels peculiar and it took some getting used to. The main difference is that the wax seems to be pulled out of the foam more quickly by the absorbent stoneware and if this catches you off guard then it drags the entire pot off centre, potentially tipping it over.
By the way, that last daub that I do is to flood my maker’s mark and properly seal it, otherwise this little intricate crevice can fill with glaze that is somewhat irritating to needle out. Cleaning it out every now and then is fine, but if I had to do it for every single mug, I glazed then it would add a good 10-20 seconds per piece, 20 seconds x 120 mugs is 2400 seconds, which is 40 minutes. It’s all about efficiency in this workshop.
#waxing #wax #pottery #potteryvideos #craftsmanship #maker #howto
know what I’m about to write is immensely trivial, but it’s a relatively big change in my practice, and that’s moving on from a hair brush for waxing, to a foam brush like this. I’m sure there are pros and cons for each but this tool holds more wax so I can wax for longer and it’s also more versatile, as I can use its side for fine details, such as the waxing the smallest feet on my tiniest bowls, to waxing larger expanses of bare clay, like on the underside of these mugs or plates.
Either way, trivial yes, but a change to a tool that’s so engrained in my muscle memory feels peculiar and it took some getting used to. The main difference is that the wax seems to be pulled out of the foam more quickly by the absorbent stoneware and if this catches you off guard then it drags the entire pot off centre, potentially tipping it over.
By the way, that last daub that I do is to flood my maker’s mark and properly seal it, otherwise this little intricate crevice can fill with glaze that is somewhat irritating to needle out. Cleaning it out every now and then is fine, but if I had to do it for every single mug, I glazed then it would add a good 10-20 seconds per piece, 20 seconds x 120 mugs is 2400 seconds, which is 40 minutes. It’s all about efficiency in this workshop.
#waxing #wax #pottery #potteryvideos #craftsmanship #maker #howto
