Bat Mate and frogs

First of all "hi" :)  to my newest follower, so nice to have you drop in..  I do visit my followers blogs from time to time though must admit I spend Way too much Time on Facebook these days, but I do enjoy a bit of a story too so blogging is still up there for me..

Oh, before I forget, if you found me via Mud Colony, the delightful administrator, Adriana, is cutting us loose in December so do click on Follow in the side bar so we can keep in touch here.

This was my special tool this week..

Yes, an eye makeup brush with a small spongey bit on the other end...  just what I needed to get into the tricky bits around my Christmas tree hangers..  I will show these if I can get them through a firing successfully. I had to redesign them after I realised bits got in the way of where the string would go.. guess that is why we do prototypes.

My all round very best favourite piece of equipment has got to be this 'Bat Mate'.  Have you seen them?  Just a circle of material like thin chamois.  It sits on your wheel head, you place your bat on top and away you go!!

even if your bat is smaller it still sits there..  this one has holes for the knoggins which my wheel does not have.

the bat stays there while you centre and throw...

when finished just lift up the bat as you normally would - I use a wooden tool with a bendy bit on the end

whack your next bat on and away you go again...
and wait.. the best bit...

The clean up... super easy, take it off and rinse it out...  no clay pad to get off, no recycling of clay pad!!  I love it.  Now I rarely throw very large vessels but given the way it clings to my bats I'm sure it would cope. It comes in two sizes too.  I bought mine from Blackwattle Pottery here in Sydney.

Two more good things in my day, my son is home for a weeks' break with his oldies

and then I discovered the tadpoles I transferred to my lily tub have survived, yay!

 you can also join me on Facebook, Anna's Ceramics or my Fb Group, Anna's Aussie Ceramics.  And have a look at Mud Colony while there are still current posts..