The Self Sufficient Potter: Make Your Own Glaze Mixer and Bench Wheel

by Otto Pearsall

This article first appeared in Studio Potter Network Newsletter, Volume 2, Number 2 (Fall 1989).
Copyright © 1998 by Studio Potter. All rights reserved.

When I began my second career as a limited production potter upon my retirement in 1975, I brought to it skills from my previous job. Coming from a 30-year background as display director for a Pennsylvania electric utility company, I had learned by necessity to come up with quick and innovative solutions to many problems with the materials at hand. It was only natural that this thinking would carry over.

The bench wheel and glaze mixer described and illustrated below I use in my workshop constantly, and they are inexpensive to make. Any craftsperson can build them, and will most likely have the materials on hand. Good luck, and let me hear from you.

Glaze Mixer

Larger version of diagram.

Most potters detest mixing glazes by hand as it is time-consuming, tiring, and "down time." The glaze mixer illustrated turns the job over to your electric wheel and frees your time for other tasks. Incidentally, the mixing paddle is similar to the one our great grandmothers used to make apple butter in days gone by.

I start by filling the plastic bucket (four gallon) with about one gallon of hot water, and, with the wheel turning, I dump the weighed ingredients into the bucket. Occasionally I agitate the mix with a medium size wire whisk to be sure all lumps are broken up. It is advisable to check the paddle after a short time to be sure none of the holes are clogged. Once past this first stage I let the "mixer" run for about an hour (sometimes I have lunch) and add water as needed. Once the mixing is done there follows the usual procedure of screening the mix and making whatever adjustments you wish to make. Incidentally, I have found if you position the plastic bucket an inch or so off center, you will have a better mixing action due to the eccentric action caused. It will be helpful also if you use a thin plastic foam-covered bat under the bucket to prevent slippage.

Please note that all measurements given on the illustration are relative to the type of wheel you have. Also, the means of fastening framework to wheel may have to be altered. I have found most potters to be enterprising and this will not be a problem.

Heavy Duty Bench Wheel

Larger version of diagram.

Seeking a heavy duty bench wheel that had lots of momentum rather than the usual aluminum ones available that have no weight, I came up with one as shown in the illustration. Altogether it weighs 19 pounds and, once set spinning, it can be used as a turntable for lining mugs, bowls, or whatever, and I constantly use it to trim the burrs off mug bases and other similar items.

The plastic bench wheel base with ball bearings is easily purchased from your own ceramic supply house for about $7.25. Be sure it has ball bearings. The 3/4" x 12 1/2" plywood top and bottom can be cut out with your sabre saw or done for you at the local lumber mill. You will also need (3) 1" x 1" x 5" pieces of wood to hold the bricks in place, and most bricks can be found for the asking. You will also need (3) 6" x 1/4" carriage bolts and (4) 3/4" x 1/8" sheet metal screws, plus (9) 2" nails and some white glue for the small wood strips.

On the top of mine I also put a 1/4" x 10" hardboard disc covered with a thin foam plastic sheeting. With the wheel turning I use a waterproof black marking pen to make concentric circles from the center out and 1/2" apart, plus two more lines to divide the disc into quarter sections. These lines greatly aid in centering the pots, and also aid in attaching handles for casseroles or dividing the area for decorating. I hope you will find this wheel one of the handiest tools in your studio. I know it is in mine.