Nailing It: Tricks for Throwing Pottery Without Giving Up Your Manicure
I’m just a girl and I want long, pretty nails and pottery! Oh the woe of trying to have both… What shall I ever do?
“If you want to do pottery, you can’t have long nails!”
“Once you start pottery, say goodbye to nice nails!”
“Long nails will prevent you from making quality work!”
Or maybe, you just forgot to cut your nails! Who cares?! You can have both, and it’s good to know how to throw and hand build with long nails (just in case you forgot to cut them, or didn’t get a chance to get them removed). Here’s how to have your cake and eat it too:
Try out these silicone finger protectors (these are also great for hangnails and small cuts). Pros: they’re washable, come in multipacks, and allow you to position your hands and fingers like normal. Cons: you will lose some sensation, and they take some adjustment.
Try making some chamois finger gloves like this potter, David Michael Turner, from Turner Clay Studio. He DIYed them to make pulling walls easier, as I’m sure we’ve all hit an annoying snag before while bringing our walls up. They’re perfect for potters with long nails, too! Pros: they help navigate dry spots, act like your real fingers (meaning you won’t have to use weird hand positions), protect your nails from nicking your piece, are affordable and reusable, and you can customize the size and fit. Cons: not everyone will like the texture.
Remember that wooden knife from your starter kit? It works as a great mini-throwing stick (kind of like a mini-gyubera), as shown by Annie Lister. Pros: it’s accessible and easy to use. Cons: you’ll have to keep your finger in the same spot the whole time, so it limits hand positioning.
Try using a sponge! I find that the cheap round sponges (like one from a beginner kit) or natural sea sponges are great for pulling your walls. To clean your work up and minimize all the grog that gets pulled out, a finishing sponge works great! The cheap round sponges and natural sea sponges maintain most of the feeling, and are super malleable without slipping around. I’ve found that thicker sponges, like finishing sponges or even heavier duty sponges (in comparison to the cheap round sponges) can be too thick and slippery when you’re trying to keep them wrapped around your fingers. This is also a great option for people who struggle with dry spots. Pro tip: I like to cut them down to be a bit smaller, and pinch them around my pointer fingers.
Use your knuckles! This is a great trick for the outside of your piece, and on the inside, as long as your piece is wide enough. I’ll even use my knuckles when I have short nails, when I need the extra strength and support.
All in all, these tricks will allow you to keep your long pretty nails (though they’ll probably have to be gel or acrylic, to withstand the wear and tear), and make some awesome pieces! They’re also great tricks for protecting your natural nails, if you struggle with brittleness and scraping down to the nail bed :) You’re gonna nail it!