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wha kemper tool is this?

updated fri 28 feb 97

 

Layna Portugal on tue 4 feb 97

I was recently given a lot of very old tools, left over in what is now a
greenware supply store, from what was once some kind of clay business.Among
the loop tools, needles, etc, were 2 Kemper tools...#KD9, #KD17. They are
small, with wooden handles and flimsy, squiggly wires coming out at one end.
No one in my studio has a clue. What ARE these things?????

http://www.enteract.com/~lunar
Layna Portugal,

Anne Yagoda on wed 5 feb 97

I have one of these oddities. I don't know what the original intent is,
but I use it for attaching things. You know scoring the surfaces.
Anne Yagoda

----------
>
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> I was recently given a lot of very old tools, left over in what is now a
> greenware supply store, from what was once some kind of clay
business.Among
> the loop tools, needles, etc, were 2 Kemper tools...#KD9, #KD17. They are
> small, with wooden handles and flimsy, squiggly wires coming out at one
end.
> No one in my studio has a clue. What ARE these things?????
>
> http://www.enteract.com/~lunar
> Layna Portugal,
>

John L Worner on wed 5 feb 97

Hi Layna!

I think the tools you have are meant to be used for scoring the clay
when attaching handles, buttons etc. You can of course use them
to create neat textures. When in doubt, I experiment! :-)

Anne Worner

< They are
small, with wooden handles and flimsy, squiggly wires coming out at one end.
No one in my studio has a clue. What ARE these things?????>

David E. McCall on thu 6 feb 97

Layna Portugal wrote:
>
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> I was recently given a lot of very old tools, left over in what is now a
> greenware supply store, from what was once some kind of clay business.Among
> the loop tools, needles, etc, were 2 Kemper tools...#KD9, #KD17. They are
> small, with wooden handles and flimsy, squiggly wires coming out at one end.
> No one in my studio has a clue. What ARE these things?????
>
> http://www.enteract.com/~lunar
> Layna Portugal,

According to the Kemper tools sales person at North Star the tools are
probabley the Kemper salt and pepper drills originally designed to (what
else) make the holes in the tops of salt and pepper shakers. But, as
usual, the real use is whatever they will work well for.

Having Fun in Washington
Dave

JULIE ATWOOD on fri 7 feb 97


Actually, from what was described, the "floppy" nature of the wires would
say otherwise. I actually have Kemper's salt and pepper drills, which
are very nice for any type of clean holes...but I don't think that's what
they are. I actually think I may have the tools in question, they look
kind of odd, but I misplaced the packaging they came in. I still think
they're for scgraffito (sp).


> According to the Kemper tools sales person at North Star the tools are
> probabley the Kemper salt and pepper drills originally designed to (what
> else) make the holes in the tops of salt and pepper shakers. But, as
> usual, the real use is whatever they will work well for.
>
> Having Fun in Washington
> Dave
>

Vivian Mills on sun 9 feb 97

My first try at answering a question:

I think I know what these tools are, with the floppy wire ends.

They were sold to people who decorate ware with commercial products--, You
dip them into a jar of "special" glaze that stays raised off the surface of
the pot after a low glaze fire, and you plop the glaze covered wire onto
your piece, to make a raised decoration in the shape of the wire.

They were popular maybe 20 or more years ago. I don't know if they are
still available, or the glaze, either. I never did try them.

That's what comes of having dabbled in pottery for so many years!

Vivian vmills@pno.com, only till the 15th .