Sometimes when tasked with what should be a simple job we find ourselves taking elaborate and convoluted detours as we must reroute our work to accommodate the lack of tools designed for very specific purposes. My simple bisque stamp for my Mud Quilt project is no exception. My prototype is a prototype not because I needed to work out how to approach the project but rather because I was not able to construct the piece to my liking with the tools that I had at hand.

As you can see below I am making a cube with each of the six sides featuring a common arrangement of basic shapes that are used to form many quilt patterns. The tool that I needed was a slab cutter that could precisely cut 45° angles on my square slabs so that they fit together precisely and formed a strong edge that can withstand the pressure of being pressed into the mud.

I could have ordered the tool delaying my project, but fortunately we have a 3D printer and the skills to design simple objects like this one. An hour and a half after hitting print I was able to string up this simple little tool and cut perfectly beveled clay edges. It works so beautifully that I’ve printed several for each of the ceramic studios so that other student’s slab building can benefit from beautifully beveled edges.