Sponges: Seawool, elephant ear, silk, and PVA sponges are all potters’ favorites. Active potters usually need to replace a sponge every year or so. Chamois: These pieces of ultra-fine leather are easiest to find in automotive stores. Scrappers: Everything from heavy putty knives to square metal pastry or dough cutters make great pottery tools. Kitchen gadgets: Practically every kitchen tool a cook or baker can use is also great for pottery. Items such as garlic presses, pastry rollers, cookie cutters, cookie presses, textured placemats, and cake decorating tips are all fun to use in the studio.
Brushes: Brushes used for ceramics take a beating, due to the abrasive nature of pottery. Books: There are plenty of great books for potters of all skill levels. Check reader reviews to find the right one. Subscriptions: Pottery magazines are great gifts that keep on giving. Shelves: Potters use shelves for drying, moving, and displaying their work; which type does your potter need? Furniture movers (Skaters): Not the burly guy from down the street, but those low platforms on wheels that make moving heavy objects so much easier. These are great gifts for potters who create larger works. Turntables: Banding wheels, cake decorating stands, and lazy Susans are all are turntables that can make life much easier when hand-building or decorating pottery.
For a truly memorable trip, send your potter to the workshop of a professional potter. Potters often love to see other potters work, and the chance to sit and talk with a potter they admire can be wonderful.
