Shimpo · Throwing
Tour Shimpo RK-3E
17 years in my studioMy wheel for seventeen years.
Why this oneIt runs silent, and you can throw up to 25 kilos of clay on it.
Isabelle Paoletti · Ceramicist
What’s in
my studio
The wheel, the clay, the kiln, the tools. What I actually use, year after year, and why I have never changed them.
18tools
17 yearsof throwing
60 kgof clay / month
In my latest story
Greenhouse heater
My daughters gave it to me for my birthday. It heats the greenhouse when there’s frost, and it keeps the air moving even once the thermostat cuts out, exactly what I’d been looking for these past two winters.
My essentials
If I had to start over, these are the ones I would buy again first.
Sio-2 · Clays & materials
PRNI black grogged stoneware 0–0.2 mm
Over 60 kg a monthThis is my base material.
Why this oneWith plants it never stains, and it keeps a beautiful colour even at bisque.
Rhode · Firing & kilns
Rhode TE 75 MCC+ kiln
10 years of useThis is what fires everything.
Why this oneIn the studios where I started out, it was the most reliable kiln of all.
Stickyart · Studio tools
Self-adhesive velvet paper
Even on my wall extruderSo the clay doesn’t stick to a smooth surface.
Why this oneMostly because it’s actually available, and that’s not always easy to find.
Pukamam · Finishing & sanding
Sanding sponges
Every piece I make goes through themTo take off the irregularities on the clay.
Why this oneEvery grit is there, they wash out easily, and the sponge stays flexible.
Yunseity · Finishing & sanding
Diamond polishing pads
No more shiversTo soften the parts left raw, without glaze.
Why this oneFour different grits, genuinely good quality, and the price stays reasonable.
All the gear
Filter by use
Shimpo · Throwing
Tour Shimpo RK-3E
17 years in my studioMy wheel for seventeen years.
Why this oneIt runs silent, and you can throw up to 25 kilos of clay on it.
Sio-2 · Clays & materials
PRNI black grogged stoneware 0–0.2 mm
Over 60 kg a monthThis is my base material.
Why this oneWith plants it never stains, and it keeps a beautiful colour even at bisque.
Rhode · Firing & kilns
Rhode TE 75 MCC+ kiln
10 years of useThis is what fires everything.
Why this oneIn the studios where I started out, it was the most reliable kiln of all.
Stickyart · Studio tools
Self-adhesive velvet paper
Even on my wall extruderSo the clay doesn’t stick to a smooth surface.
Why this oneMostly because it’s actually available, and that’s not always easy to find.
Pukamam · Finishing & sanding
Sanding sponges
Every piece I make goes through themTo take off the irregularities on the clay.
Why this oneEvery grit is there, they wash out easily, and the sponge stays flexible.
Yunseity · Finishing & sanding
Diamond polishing pads
No more shiversTo soften the parts left raw, without glaze.
Why this oneFour different grits, genuinely good quality, and the price stays reasonable.
Ceram Décor · Studio tools
EXTR130 hand extruder
The best money I ever spentCoils, vines, glasses holders… a bit of everything.
Why this oneIt’s round and very easy to clean. You make your own dies to pull all sorts of shapes, and there’s an adapter for tubes.
Bremorou · Throwing
Trimming spinners
Replaces my milk bottle capLittle turntables that hold the piece while you trim.
Why this oneCheap, practical, and they come in several sizes.
Charmnail · Throwing
Double-ended trimming tool
My loop tools gather dustHandy for trimming a bowl, and especially for the foot.
Why this oneSince I got it, I barely reach for my loop tools any more.
iPlusmile · Glazing & decoration
Squeeze bottles with fine tips
No glaze wastedFor slip texture, and for laying glaze on in small touches.
Why this oneSmall capacity and precise tips, I mix colours without wasting any.
Vidillo · Modelling & texture
Hole-cutting tools
The offcuts become pushersFor making holes. Lots of holes.
Why this oneEvery size is there, and the clay comes out of the barrel easily.
Yosoo · Modelling & texture
Carving gouges
I gave my husband’s backFor texture and for cutting into the clay.
Why this oneThe storage case is handy, the price is right, and a sharpening stone comes with it.
BENECREAT · Modelling & texture
Hump moulds
Spotted too late for my daughter’s weddingFor round shapes, clay underneath, or pressed on top with a bit of foam.
Why this oneGood value for what it is.
Yayatty · Modelling & texture
Modelling tools with corrugated blades
Perfect for shortbreadFor cuts I couldn’t make any other way.
Why this oneIt was the corrugated blades I was after: they open up a whole new kind of cut.
Fanttik · Modelling & texture
F2 Master cordless rotary tool
Lighter than a real DremelFor carving, cleaning up, engraving.
Why this oneFar lighter and easier to handle than a Dremel, compact, and it stores away neatly.
JINJUMEI · Repurposed tools
Self-adhesive match strikers
Strike the match on the potTo give a piece one more use: striking a match on it.
Why this oneSeveral shapes, and they actually work.
Bio Green · Greenhouse & growing
Greenhouse heater
One unit, two jobsTo heat and ventilate my greenhouse.
Why this oneEven when the thermostat cuts the heat, the fan keeps running, the two are independent.
Hersance · Studio tools
Cartridge gun
out of stockI use it as a clay extruder.
Why this oneClay extruder dies and their accessories fit its diameter perfectly. And the cartridge is closed!
News from Isabelle
A new tool, a workshop date, a kiln load coming out: I say it here before anywhere else.
My friends’ Instagram accounts
Accounts I look at every day, and warmly recommend to you.