Tech Stack

In programming, we call the tools that a company or business uses as its "tech stack". For example, my site could be built on Shopify, with subscriptions going through ReCharge, and my data stored in Amazon Web Services.

As the play on words suggests, I thought it might be helpful for any aspiring potter to know what my Pottery "Tech Stack" is, and where I bought these things. The main things you need in order to do pottery at home are: The Wheel, The Kiln, The Tools, and The Clay. Here's my Pottery "Tech Stack":

The Wheel

The Wheel I have is a Shimpo VL Whisper. It's a great wheel that can stop on a dime and is incredibly quiet which is a great benefit.

The Kiln

The Kiln I use is an L&L E23T Single Phase Kiln. It runs on 240 Volts and draws 48 Amps of power. It's fully electric, and fires up to Cone 10 (2300 - 2500F). This is great for a home studio, as plugs similar to what you use for washing machines and dryers can be used safely with this Kiln.

The Tools

I use Dirty Girls Pottery bats with inserts. This makes it really easy to make a piece, then take the inserts off the wheel without having to take the entire bat off of the wheel! 

As for tools, I just use some basic kit from The Ceramics Shop which were super cheap!

For a chair I just used an old chair from my mom's house

The Clay

I use medium-temperature clay that fires up to Cone 6 (2165F). It's called bmix5 and I get it from a local pottery shop in Braintree MA called Portland Pottery. They're great and if you're in the Boston-area, I'd definitely recommend using them instead of buying online!

And that's the Tech Stack!