After searching and researching pottery wheels I had signed up to several pottery groups on Facebook and even though I was enjoying my mini wheel, when I saw a treadle wheel for sale and I just felt it was perfect for me! It was a good price, I could pick it up as it wasn’t too far away, and it would fit in the car. I had previously looked at another one which was local but it was a standing treadle wheel and was too tall for the car…
I really liked the idea of a manual pottery wheel, not needing to be near an electric point and the electric alternatives all seemed so expensive, plus they always got snapped up if they were any good second-hand.
A lovely lady who was closing her pottery studio used to teach on this wheel so I knew it would be a goods one to start on.
There are different versions of manual wheels, you’ve got your kickwheel ones with a massive stone at the bottom, that you literally kick, then the treadle type with a pedal that goes back and forth and the motion gets converted to rotary motion on a very heavy wheel head.
To get this wheel into the small space I was using meant some serious sorting out was needed in our junk space and a lot of stuff got taken to second hand shops and the rest got binned – and about time too.
To make it easier to start recycling my clay and keep the wheels separate, I bought a different clay from Norwich Art Supplies to practice with.
A buff, fairly smooth clay which was nice and cheap for me to play with.
I’m finding the trimming very therapeutic, but I know I should be throwing better in the first place, so the learning continues.
I put a lot of shorts about my wheel throwing on Instagram
Tracey Tutt 
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