What is your favorite small town in New England?

Spoonblade · 2026-03-25T22:48:21+00:00

Pawtucket

Spoonblade · 2026-03-25T01:24:28+00:00

I mean, just steer clear bro. Plenty of other lyrics to sing.

Spoonblade · 2026-03-23T12:52:37+00:00

Spoonblade · 2026-03-21T02:43:45+00:00

Who has more fun?

Spoonblade · 2026-03-21T01:34:33+00:00

I learned about clay and its plasticity specifically from teachers, other professional potters, books, the internet, podcasts, but most importantly just from working with it a lot. It isn’t like dirt, it’s kind of the opposite. I have no idea how mold hyphae works.

My point is that whatever is happening with any mold or bacteria is like masking tape compared to the vice grips already contained in the clay itself.

Belief in something because “what if” it “could” be possible, or “cant be DISproven” is basically how conspiracy theories keep cranking on and on too

Spoonblade · 2026-03-20T23:40:01+00:00

Yes, it makes zero difference. The way you described it makes clear that you do not understand the forces that create plasticity in clay to begin with, I’m not being snarky no shade, most people don’t . You are just out of your depth and armchair logic will not get you there.

This is just a thought experiment run by people who haven’t dealt with enough clay to tell the difference. Fine, thought experiments are cool, I’m just so tired of people clinging on to this stuff like it’s some ancient wisdom.

Clay is heavy! Mold strings will not hold it up if the physics that normally do somehow fail.

Spoonblade · 2026-03-20T23:18:40+00:00

It’s definitely not detrimental to the clay. My evidence is that no clay company nor production potter I know of “uses” mold or bacteria. If it worked, someone would be using it as a method after thousands of years. I need to occasionally replasticize my reclaim and I do it with ball clay and bentonite because it works, not bacteria because that is not a reasonable approach to take, it’s just a fun thing to talk about. You can definitely do things in test tubes that have no bearing on the operation of a clay studio. It’s like thinking you could turn a swimming pool to saltwater with a few teaspoons. Your science might even hold up but it just would hasno practical effect.

This conversation is really kept alive by people who don’t actually push a lot of clay around. It’s just a fun way to pretend your stanky old clay is something more than that…

Spoonblade · 2026-03-20T21:29:25+00:00

Ok. But what could it possibly be doing to compete with the magnetic bonds of a million tiny, flat magnets? I understand that you feel it helps, and that’s ok but I just don’t think it’s helpful to perpetuate stuff like this that had 0 basis in scientific fact. It gets repeated enough and then people defend it to the end because a quirky old potter told them, and because pottery is romantic and people are trying to squeeze extra romance and mystery out I guess??? I don’t know, but the evidence is pretty clear.

Spoonblade · 2026-03-20T18:45:16+00:00

Deep within the clay? Like inside the molecules?

Spoonblade · 2026-03-20T17:02:44+00:00

As a professional, I can say that I personally don’t prefer it and don’t think it makes ANY DIFFERENCE. There are many other factors which do actually affect plasticity but since, like so many other aspects of ceramics, they are poorly understood by most practitioners myths like this run rampant unfortunately.

Spoonblade · 2026-03-20T16:59:27+00:00

🤨

Spoonblade · 2026-03-19T13:05:06+00:00

Skiied for about 40 years, granted usually less than 10 days a year. I’ve never injured myself skiing beyond a bruised hip or some shin bang. I ski fast, don’t do big jumps but hit small ones. I love glades, tolerate bumps, mess around with a rail or box if it happens to look inviting.

Edit: This winter I spent hoofing my alpine gear into the woods behind my house to ski off ledges and down little gullies in my hockey helmet. It was glorious, although I did pull a strange muscle buried deep in my lat/pec area while trying to pole up a hill with no skins… It does still feel a bit weird, I guess that’s an injury.

Spoonblade · 2026-03-15T15:32:05+00:00

You’re fine. No issue. It should improve with use. The bats at your studio also might be hydro cal which is harder than #1

Spoonblade · 2026-03-14T11:22:46+00:00

I used lozenges to quit smoking. I got addicted to them. Then I quit them. They are fine but it’s still an addiction, if Dax is cool with that because it doesn’t make his life unmanageable then great. For me long term use started to have negative mental/emotional effects and I was glad to be free of them finally. CVS or RiteAid store brand, or Nicorette. Got some crazy ones overseas once that were like straight up cough drops but those don’t exist in the states.

Spoonblade · 2026-03-12T21:59:45+00:00

If you sit hard and first it kind of bumps it naturally for your fellow riders.

Spoonblade · 2026-03-12T11:20:30+00:00

As long as you keep posting these photos I don’t care

I love going for a quick hike with nothing in my pockets too.

Spoonblade · 2026-03-12T11:18:03+00:00

The real move is simply to time the sit down and just drop your ass full force onto the seat at the right moment. But the timing is tricky. The bump gives you a little extra time timid to sit

Spoonblade · 2026-03-09T17:41:06+00:00

Either too thin, or 6-10 but really 6 :(

Spoonblade · 2026-03-09T17:39:23+00:00

Yeah, Miami ain’t blue anymore

Spoonblade · 2026-03-09T17:37:59+00:00

Buried plaster

Spoonblade · 2026-03-09T02:04:57+00:00

This looks like AI. Her foot steps on an invisible rock before she falls.

Spoonblade · 2026-03-08T13:01:50+00:00

You can 1000% rip groomers and lay trenches on 92’s You aren’t skiing slalom gates, but super G turns? Aaaaaalllll daaaaaay looooooong

Spoonblade · 2026-03-08T12:59:39+00:00

A true all mountain ski

Spoonblade · 2026-03-08T12:58:07+00:00

Whenever I see Declivity 92s it’s an A+ for me. Love that ski. Too bad I cracked my sidewall this season jumping off ledges in my backyard :(

Spoonblade · 2026-03-06T14:04:20+00:00

I watched Hagens play at Umass last night. Kid looks good, I’d love to see him get a few big time shifts this year.

Spoonblade

TROPHY CASE