The Large Bowl Ribs are the big brother of the Small Bowl Ribs. They are designed to give as many radius sweeps on the clay as possible. They are smaller in the front and bigger in the back and are a workhorse of a rib, especially if you are throwing big pots. All of our Mudtools polymer pottery ribs are made of a unique flexible material that will not develop burrs or cracks under normal use. We’ve found that over time the rib becomes even more polished. Each polymer shape is available in a variety of hardness. Whether you are throwing clay on the wheel, hand building or sculpting, the pottery rib is a classic and essential tool. Because it acts as an extension of the potters own hand, we believe it should function well and be a joy to use. Whatever you want to make, Sherrill Mudtools has got you covered.

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Natural sponges have been used for years. However, the quality of natural sponges can be unpredictable and there is the issue of environmental pressure on the little guys. Sherrill sponges are made of an environmentally friendly material that is incredibly durable and compressed for economy of space and for the fun of watching them expand when introduced to water. The Mudsponge Blue Workhorse is a great all-purpose pop-up sponge made of an open cell material that is very absorbent. They've shaped it like a potters rib to fit comfortably in the palm of your hand. Dyed with a natural pigment, the color will fade with use. The Mudsponge Orange Most Absorbent pop up sponge is the perfect throwing sponge. More absorbent than the Mudsponge White Finishing and the Mudsponge Blue Workhorse, it is the sponge Michael uses for throwing. The Mudsponge White Finishing is pop up sponge made with a tight-cell material and is less absorbent than the Mudsponge Blue Workhorse. It is excellent for finishing work, final detail and clean-up of surfaces and won’t pull out grog or other materials in the clay body. Think of it like a chamois sponge.

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The Red Very Soft polymer rib is excellent for finishing rims.The Yellow Soft polymer rib is excellent for smoothing.The Chartreuse Green Medium is excellent for smoothing forms. The Blue Hard polymer rib is excellent for throwing and shaping. All of our Mudtools polymer pottery ribs are made of a unique flexible material that will not develop burrs or cracks under normal use. We’ve found that over time the rib becomes even more polished. Each polymer shape is available in a variety of hardness. Whether you are throwing clay on the wheel, hand building or sculpting, the pottery rib is a classic and essential tool. Because it acts as an extension of the potters own hand, we believe it should function well and be a joy to use. Whatever you want to make, Sherrill Mudtools has got you covered.

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Long and lean, these Platter Ribs were designed to give good compression when you are making plates and platters enabling you to properly compress the clay and avoid those cracks that sometimes develop. They are made with a stiff polymer but still offer some flexibility. The Small one is particularly good for making shallow pasta-style bowls.

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Love texture? We do! For years Michael has altered his metal ribs to create interesting surfaces. Sherrill's Drawing Ribs are made out of cutlery grade stainless steel. The Bean shape is a perfect for bowls and cups, both inside and out. Drag. Hatch. Let you imagination have free reign. Have fun discovering every side of these ribs. Choose from 5 different edges: DB0 – Smooth DB1 – Organic DB2 – Wave DB3 – Angle DB4 – Wave  

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Love texture? We do! For years Michael has altered his metal ribs to create interesting surfaces. Sherrill's Drawing Ribs are made out of cutlery grade stainless steel. The Bean shape is a perfect for bowls and cups, both inside and out. Drag. Hatch. Let you imagination have free reign. Have fun discovering every side of these ribs. Choose from 5 different edges: DB0 – Smooth DB1 – Organic DB2 – Wave DB3 – Angle DB4 – Angle  

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Love texture? We do! For years Michael has altered his metal ribs to create interesting surfaces. Sherrill's Drawing Ribs are made out of cutlery grade stainless steel. The Pebble shape is great for concave surfaces like the inside of a bowl. Drag. Hatch. Let you imagination have free reign. Have fun discovering every side of these ribs. Choose from 5 different edges: DB0 – Smooth DB1 – Organic DB2 – Wave DB3 – Angle DB4 – Angle  

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The Long Scraper Rib is available in four different edge styles: a Smooth edge, an Extra-Fine edge (24 teeth per inch), a Fine edge (18 teeth per inch), and a Regular edge (12 teeth per inch.) The smooth one works great for throwing, the toothy ones are fantastic for scoring, scraping and planing the clay. This is a good tool for sculpting and hand building. Made from high quality stainless steel, these scrapers are flexible.

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Paisley Scraper Ribs prove themselves to be excellent in sculpting, shaping, and refining leather hard clay. The tight inside radius is good for working around joints (for example, at the inside of a teapot spout.) Made with cutlery grade stainless steel, it is available in three different edges: Smooth, 24 Teeth Extra Fine, and 18 Teeth Fine – you choose one to suit the job you want to tackle. We like to use the teeth to remove and shape clay and then follow up with a Polymer Rib to smooth and polish it.

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The Small Bowl Ribs are the little brother of the Large Bowl Ribs. They are designed to give as many radius sweeps on the clay as possible. They are smaller in the front and bigger in the back and are a workhorse of a rib, especially if you are throwing big pots. All of our Mudtools polymer pottery ribs are made of a unique flexible material that will not develop burrs or cracks under normal use. We’ve found that over time the rib becomes even more polished. Each polymer shape is available in a variety of hardness. Whether you are throwing clay on the wheel, hand building or sculpting, the pottery rib is a classic and essential tool. Because it acts as an extension of the potters own hand, we believe it should function well and be a joy to use. Whatever you want to make, Sherrill Mudtools has got you covered.

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For when you really want to sink your teeth into your clay, grab all three small FANGS! Everyone’s clay is different. Some clays are fine, some are gritty. The FANG series of scoring tools allow you to find the right tooth size for the material you’re working on. All of our FANGS are made from cutlery grade stainless steel.

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For when you really want to sink your teeth into your clay, grab all three small FANGS! Everyone’s clay is different. Some clays are fine, some are gritty. The FANG series of scoring tools allow you to find the right tooth size for the material you’re working on. All of our FANGS are made from cutlery grade stainless steel.

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The Standard Green Mudwire is ergonomically designed to be a pleasure to use. The handle is made with a durable polymer and is shaped to give you a comfortable grip without having to wrap the wire around your fingers. The high grade stainless steel braided cable is more resistant to kinking than common cable or solid wire and stronger than nylon fishing line. This cut-off wire is suited for a standard 13 inch wheel-head and makes a clean cut. You’ll use it every day. (total length is approximate 15″ but may vary slightly) The Heavy Duty Black Mudwire is the big brother of the Standard Green general-use wire. The handle is made with a durable polymer and is shaped to give you a good grip without having to wrap the wire around your fingers. The high grade surgical stainless steel braided cable is more resistant to kinking than traditional cut-off wires. The black Mudwire is made with a heavier cable appropriate to use under heavier/larger pots and platters. Good for cutting big slabs off a block of clay. (total length is approximate 17″ but may vary slightly) Save your fingers! The Short Orange Mudwire is perfect for potters who work small. The handles are made with a durable polymer & ergonomically designed to give you a comfortable grip. The shortened wire eliminates the need to wrap inches of wire around your fingers. The wire is a high grade braided stainless steal cable which is stronger and more resistant to kinking than common cable, solid wire or fishing line. (wire is approximately 9″ but may vary slightly) When Michael Sherrill was just a wee pup of a potter he watched in awe as someone used the spring from a ball point pen as a pottery tool. Fast forward to Michael designing tools for potters and you have the Curly Pink Mudwire. This is more than just a cut-off tool. As you pull it through the clay it leaves a beautiful pattern. Use it for faceting and you get a surface that looks beautiful on wood-fired or salt-fired pots and under glazes that break (like celadon or temeku). The handles are made of a durable polymer and are shaped to give you a comfortable ergonomic grip without having to wrap the wire around your fingers. The stainless steel coiled wire comes to you compressed and you pull it out to get the curl that suits you. (extends up to a max total length of approximately 15″)

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Have you ever made a hollow form and then tried to bump out the clay, only to find that you just can’t get your arm or your knuckle to the sweet spot? You need The Bump! The Bump is designed to extend the potter’s reach up to 18 inches when working in a hollow form: giving you the leverage you need to bump out the clay. The aluminum rod is stiff but can be altered to suit your individual need for throwing or sculpting clay. We can ship it to you straight and you customize it, or with a preset S curve. (See photos.) The sponge end is a dense absorbable material with a hard center.

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When Michael visited potters in Japan he observed that it was common for them to pull, rather than push, their carving tools through the clay. The dragging motion allowed for less friction and a fluid cut. For years Michael has made a variety of Japanese-style carving tools for his own use and he’s spent A LOT of time carving on clay. Made of high carbon steel and tempered to be very hard, the Dragtool is designed to grace the hand and make a fluted mark in the clay. One end cuts a wider flute than the other. Whether you draw a long fluted line or chip away at the clay, the texture looks beautiful under a celadon or any glaze that breaks on the surface.

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The Flat Shredder – indispensable for longer strokes, good for texturing and working on rounded surfaces. The Mudtools Shredder is an indispensable tool for shaping and carving leather hard clay. For years you could find a tool like this at the hardware store. This rasp was designed to be used on wood. Clay people, sculptors and auto-body repairmen discovered how well the blade worked on other materials (like clay and auto body filler). The problem was the handle design. The handle would trap clay and get clogged up. Michael designed a new open blade shape as well as a comfortable ergonomic grip. It functions well, doesn’t trap the waste clay in the tool and doesn’t frustrate the user. An added benefit is the tool mark, it leaves a handsome textured surface in the clay. Dimensions: 12.25 x 2.38 x 1.0 in; select your first color choice - we will try to accommodate your selection, but might have to substitute based on available stock.

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A larger version of the Long Scraper Ribs, this Extra Long Scraper Rib is a Big Rib which you can use aggressively on larger clay. The smooth one works great for throwing. A good tool for sculpting and hand-building.

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SHREDDER SIZE: 2.75" wide x 2" tall The Small Shredder is an indispensable tool for shaping and carving leather hard clay. For years you could find a tool like this at the hardware store. This rasp was designed to be used on wood. Clay people, sculptors and auto-body repairmen discovered how well the blade worked on other materials (like clay and auto body filler). The problem was the handle design. The handle would trap clay and get clogged up. Michael designed a new open blade shape as well as a comfortable ergonomic grip. It functions well, doesn’t trap the waste clay in the tool and doesn’t frustrate the user. An added benefit is the tool mark, it leaves a handsome textured surface in the clay. We do our best to ship the color requested but occasionally substitutions must be made. Pick the Surprise Me! option if you don't care which color you receive. I have used sure form tools on clay since the first time I saw them at the hardware store, but it did not take me long to realize that the handle did not function well with clay. It would easily clog and then frustrate the user. So, my answer was to design my own handle. The shredder handle is the production version of one that I have used for over ten years. It is one of the most useful and handy tools in my box. I hope you love it as much as I love mine.-Michael Sherrill

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Replacement blades are currently only available for the small shredder. Comes in packs of 2.

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The Hax Tool is an exceptionally good tool for the hand builder. At almost 6″ long it can cover some territory while still getting into tight spots with it’s points. The micro-fine teeth allow you to do detailed manicuring and finishing. It removes leather hard clay with ease and scores and blends wet surfaces as well. An added benefit is that the Hax Tool is bendable and you can customize the shape to suit your sculpting needs. See “Product Description Tab” below for video link. Michael Sherrill uses this combination to achieve a fine finish on porcelain: Hax Tool removes and shapes the clay, a wipe down with a Mudtools Sponge, and then a Red Very Soft or Yellow Soft Polymer Rib for a final burnish. Comes in packages of two (2)

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The Mudcutter may be the most useful tool that you didn’t know you needed. It’s a wire tool with a handle. It can easily cut a plug of clay coming out of a 4 inch pug mill or cut a spout on an angle before attaching it the pot; it’s like an extra hand if you’re cutting clay off an extruder. Made with stainless steel and a comfortable polymer handle. Can be used with a straight or curly wire. Replacement wires are available in either straight or curly designs. The Mudcutter is slightly larger than the Carving Bow, thus the wires are specific for each tool.

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Replacement Wires are available in straight or curly styles. The Mudcutter is slightly larger than the Carving Bow. Make sure you choose the right size wire in the style you want.

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