Sink traps for clay, what I use and a few links to DIY systems

It is the time of year, after the craziness of the holidays, where I take a deep breath, dive in and deep clean the studio. My studio is located in our house which is mostly a blessing but can be a curse. It is in a part of the house where we store most of our excess stuff, and can also become the depository of things we don't want to deal with at the moment, especially when I am not actively making pots. December in the studio is mostly sending out orders, packing and unpacking for shows. By the end of the month, it looks as if Santa's workshop exploded in there. We spent most of last Saturday going through and purging the storage portion of the basement in a effort to get a bit more studio space which was fabulous, and funny, and emotional at times. It is amazing the things that you hold on to for much too long. There were boxes that my husband and I went through that were like opening a time capsule. I also have about 20 years of Ceramics Monthly magazines that someone is welcome to come take off of my hands. So happy that there is now a digital version. Moving on...

Yesterday was the day I had been dreading (and putting off) for longer than I care to admit. Time to clean out the clay trap under the sink. I use a Gleco Trap, but because we have low sink clearance, can only use the smallest size bottle, which holds 19 oz. Honestly, this doesn't even take very long, but is such a messy, smelly chore, and switching the bottle always seems to lead to taking apart the whole system. Mostly because I let it go too long, and it gets heavy, pulling everything out of whack. Dentists also use sink trapping systems and it may be less expensive. If you are looking for a Gleco-Trap or something similar, check out dental supply places.

It brought me back to my days of being an apprentice at Eckels Pottery Shop in Bayfield, WI, and having to clean out the trap there. The used an old-fashioned grease trap, which worked great for a studio with high-volume use, and it was actually pretty easy to clean out (albeit messy, still), because it was accessible.

Sink traps are a pretty important studio tool. Keeping clay out of your sewer line will save lots of headaches and $$ later on. I have been posting DIY sink trap systems for studios on my Pinterest studio and display page as I come across them, thinking maybe I would someday find one that was easier to clean out and use. Here are a few links to some in case they might be helpful for someone out there:

Written by Charan Sachar of Creative with Clay:
http://ceramicartsdaily.org/clay-tools/making-clay-tools/how-to-make-a-better-homemade-sink-trap-for-your-pottery-studio/

Lakeside Pottery:
http://lakesidepottery.com/HTML%20Text/Tips/Preventing-clay-in-drainage.htm

A good option for studios without running water from Pottery-Magic.com:
http://www.pottery-magic.com/pottery/clay/sink_trap.htm

LaPella Arts:
http://lapellaart.blogspot.com/2007/09/potters-sink-trap.html