Just realized the pottery wheel I bought in 2015 is still in my garage untouched

I was cleaning out the garage last Saturday and found that old Brent wheel I bought on Craigslist for $400. I had this whole plan to quit my receptionist job and sell mugs at the local farmers market near my place in Charleston. But then I took one class, threw like three lumpy bowls, and my teacher said my centering was 'aggressive.' I got embarrassed and never went back. Now the wheel is covered in dust and I still can't center clay to save my life. Anybody else have a hobby they bought all the gear for but never actually did?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_jake24d ago

Jumped headfirst into blacksmithing three years ago - bought a proper coal forge off a retiring farrier, an anvil that weighs like 150 pounds, and a whole set of hammers. I made one really sad bottle opener that looks more like a twisted paperclip and then my neighbor complained about the smoke. Now that anvil is holding down a corner of my patio and I use it to crack walnuts in the fall (which is actually pretty useful, not gonna lie). The forge itself is just a rusting hunk of metal in my shed, a constant reminder of the two weeks I thought I was going to forge swords for a living.

the_linda24d ago

Hold up, you spent real money on a forge big enough to smoke out your neighbor and made exactly one bottle opener that didn't even work? That's a whole different level of commitment to a hobby. Respect for actually using that anvil for walnuts though, that's more than most people get out of their expensive mistakes.

luna_wright24d ago

I read somewhere that like 60% of hobby gear ends up in garages collecting dust, so we're definitely not alone. @the_linda's comment about the forge really stuck with me, at least yours is doing something useful now. I should probably just sell my wheel but I keep thinking "what if I get back into it" even though it's been nine years.