In this segment, Potter John Sellberg demonstrates the Eastern-influenced tools he uses in his craft.
One tool John uses for molding clay is a Japanese trimming tool. It's a flat piece of steel bent at a right angle and filed sharp. The American version of the tool has a wooden handle to make it easy to grip.
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Another one of John's tools borrowed from the East is a jug tool. When making a jug or bottle on a potter's wheel, there comes a point when you can no longer get your hand inside the container. The jug tool fits inside the top of the jug and serves as an extra finger to help mold the clay.
A rib tool, known as a cow's tongue in Japan shapes the inside of a bowl.
Bassetting tools are used to decorate the outside of the walls of a pot.
A Japanese cutoff tool is used to cut a pot for a clay base. The tool is basically a twisted string attached to a dowel rod. It can also be a piece of wire strung between two dowels.
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