New Tool: Mug Rounder!

As you can see by the background, I've had this post in the buffer for a while! Sometime last summer, I made myself a new tool. (Actually made a whole bunch of them, thinking I might sell them, but I didn't get around to that either!) See, I do a lot of stamping and other alteration on my pots. I don't always mind if the piece is no longer round afterward- in fact sometimes it's the whole point! Sometimes I like the tension between the squishiness of the alterations, as with stamping, and the crisp machine-roundness that the wheel contributes. I found an easy way to get that back. It works like this:

Ooops, not round anymore!

No worries! Enter the Mug Rounder™ (J/K, you know I didn't trademark that shit.)
Gently press the mug rounder into the mouth of the mug. Once it's in place, give it a light spank. 

Et voilá, my mug is round once again! The mug rounder is just an enclosed thrown form. I made mine about 3 3/4" at the widest point, and they taper to accommodate smaller diameters, but obviously if you typically make wider-mouth mugs you could make one any size you want. It's only bisqued, because it needs to remain porous; otherwise it will stick to the wet clay and not release cleanly.

Hope you all are staying warm (or cool, if you are in Australia! Thinking of you, Tanya!)