Michelle McCurdy on thu 4 dec 97
Hi! I was sitting at my wheel throwing yesterday realizing I had no
clean towels to use. I like to put a towel in my lap over my apron to try to
stay dry. My wheel has no splash pan and I hate them anyway.So I thought i'd
better wash some towels. Now, this job in summer is not too bad as I wash
them outside,but it is winter now and it is COLD. I don't like to put them in
the washing machine for obvious reasons. Anyway I thought someone out there
might have a suggestion as to how to keep the towels clean or keep oneself
dry.
Thanks!
Michelle in Colorado
Ric Swenson on fri 5 dec 97
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Hi! I was sitting at my wheel throwing yesterday realizing I had no
>clean towels to use. I like to put a towel in my lap over my apron to try to
>stay dry. My wheel has no splash pan and I hate them anyway.So I thought i'd
>better wash some towels. Now, this job in summer is not too bad as I wash
>them outside,but it is winter now and it is COLD. I don't like to put them in
>the washing machine for obvious reasons. Anyway I thought someone out there
>might have a suggestion as to how to keep the towels clean or keep oneself
>dry.
> Thanks!
> Michelle in Colorado
-------reply-------
Michelle,
I do the same thing. Using a towel to keep lap drier.
...try just letting the towel with several days of clay on it DRY
completely. Fill a 2-5 gallon bucket with clean, warm (?) water and throw
the bone dry towel in the bucket. After ten minutes stir and agitate.
Wring out a bit and throw the towel in the washer. The dry clay will
(hopefully) slake right off into the water. The trick is "BONE DRY"
clay...if there is any moisture in the clay...it will not just fall off the
towel into the bucket. The water is then "throwing water" for the day
....eh?
Same concept allies to re-cycling clay by drying it out and slaking down in
water. It will be lumpy as hell if you don't have it dry and in small
chunks.
HTH
Happy Potting !
Ric
#####################################
From: Ric Swenson, ( home ) : P.O. Box 494,
North Bennington, VT 05257 - 0494 U.S.A
home telephone ( 802 ) 447 - 4744
( work ) : Bennington College, Route 67 - A
Bennington, Vermont 05201 - 6001
( 802 ) 440 - 4621 ( fax 440 - 4582 )
email: rswenson@bennington.edu
#####################################
"Outside a dog, a book is a man's best friend.
Inside a dog, it's too dark to read."
.....Groucho Marx
Erin Hayes on fri 5 dec 97
Michelle -
We use "clay towels" in the school studio where I teach, and what I
usually do is have the students rinse the towels out thouroughly before
they go into the washer in the studio. They don't always do it very
well, but we've had pretty good luck so far. Of course, we use splash
pans, too, so they may not get as messy as yours since you don't like to
have a splash pan in your way.
Another thing I used to do in grad school is dry the towels completely,
then soak them in a bucket of hot water, wring them out and then
laundromat them. I didn't have a W/D then. A garden hose works well in
non-winter weather!
Erin.
Sharon Clayton on fri 5 dec 97
What is the obvious reason that towels shouldn't go in the washer? What
are other peoples experience with this? If it is just one towel with a
whole load, is that ok? Please advise. I'm just a novice hobby potter, so
there isn't much clay on my towel. Can that still cause problems?
-----Original Message-----
Michelle McCurdy [SMTP:Mmpottery@aol.com] wrote
Sent: Thursday, December 04, 1997 8:08 AM
Subject: LAP TOWELS
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
Hi! I was sitting at my wheel throwing yesterday realizing I had no
clean towels to use. I like to put a towel in my lap over my apron to try
to
stay dry. My wheel has no splash pan and I hate them anyway.So I thought
i'd
better wash some towels. Now, this job in summer is not too bad as I wash
them outside,but it is winter now and it is COLD. I don't like to put them
in
the washing machine for obvious reasons. Anyway I thought someone out
there
might have a suggestion as to how to keep the towels clean or keep oneself
dry.
Thanks!
Michelle in Colorado
Erin Hayes on sat 6 dec 97
Sharon,
As many of us have found out the hard way, clay and washing machines are
mortal enemies over time. The grit wears out the pumps and mucks up the
works. I don't know the nuts-n-bolts reason, but it is an inevitability
that if you wash clay towels without rinsing them properly, you will
kill your washer over time.
How long it takes depends on how often you wash and how much you wash.
Erin.
Bill Aycock on sat 6 dec 97
The real problem with clay on towels, and washing them, is with septic tank
systems. The clay will seal the leaching field, if it gets that far, and
will tend to fill the tank itself, causing it to need pumping sooner.
The obvious answer is to rinse the towels in a big bucket before you put
them in the washer. This works much better if you let them dry thoroughly
first. rinse them- wring them out to get most of the clay, then go ahead
and wash them.
I leave the disposition of the clay water in the bucket as an excercise for
the student- but---PLEASE DONT JUST POUR IT DOWN THE DRAIN- that kinda
defeats the whole thing.
Bill- on a chilly morning on Persimmon Hill ( OK-OK- but 26 F IS chilly if
yesterday reached 65)
At 08:59 AM 12/5/97 EST, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>What is the obvious reason that towels shouldn't go in the washer? What
>are other peoples experience with this? If it is just one towel with a
>whole load, is that ok? Please advise. I'm just a novice hobby potter, so
>there isn't much clay on my towel. Can that still cause problems?
Bill Aycock --- Persimmon Hill --- Woodville, Alabama, US 35776
--- (in the N.E. corner of the State) ---
W4BSG -- Grid EM64vr --
baycock@hiwaay.net
Mmpottery on sat 6 dec 97
Hi Sharon. The "obvious" reason I thought was the dirty gritty clay water
might not be good for the machine. Maybe I'm wrong. Somehow it seems like it
wouldnt be though. Especially if there are a bunch. I would think one wouldnt
matter especially if it was rinsed first.
Stephen Mills on sat 6 dec 97
Johnny Leach uses a full length milking apron. This has two advantages
1) it keeps you dry and DOESN'T harbor dust!! 2) at the end of a session
you just sponge yourself down. "Banish those wash day blues with a
plastic/rubber apron" (cue for Drum roll and trumpet fanfare).
Steve
Bath
UK
In message , Michelle McCurdy writes
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Hi! I was sitting at my wheel throwing yesterday realizing I had no
>clean towels to use. I like to put a towel in my lap over my apron to try to
>stay dry. My wheel has no splash pan and I hate them anyway.So I thought i'd
>better wash some towels. Now, this job in summer is not too bad as I wash
>them outside,but it is winter now and it is COLD. I don't like to put them in
>the washing machine for obvious reasons. Anyway I thought someone out there
>might have a suggestion as to how to keep the towels clean or keep oneself
>dry.
> Thanks!
> Michelle in Colorado
>
--
Steve Mills
Bath
UK
home tel: (44) (0)1225 311699
work tel: (44) (0)1225 337046
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