Ever since I got back from Zygote, and actually, since the beginning of this new litho chapter, I've been puzzling about how to set up a graining area in or near my classroom. Rebekah the Excellent, my teacher, offered me three different solutions. The easiest one consisted of putting the stones in a big, low, sturdy plastic tub and graining stone on stone with a pitcher of water nearby. This is the most attractive option, both because we can do it inside my classroom rather than out, which means we can do it no matter the weather, AND, I don't have to do any carpentry to make a grate to grain on in a sink. I am a not mucher when it comes to carpentry. I don't know if I've mentioned that before.
As it turns out, all of my searches for 'sturdy' or 'heavy-duty' tubs yielded nothing that could stand up to the weight of the stones and the wear and tear of graining. I've been resigning myself to carpentry, but, on a flash of inspiration, I stopped by a farming supply store. I told the lady at the cash register what I wanted and initially, she said they didn't have anything like that. I explained a little bit about what I wanted to do and after a moment, a light went off in her eyes and she named the thing that would work! Which was a tub made for mixing concrete. Who knew that existed? And then, a contractor fellow in line confirmed that it would indeed be fine for graining. So, bless the hearts of people with experience!
Here it is. Isn't it handsome? I'll probably put some boards in the bottom to make the stones easier to lift out, but, as soon as our Leveling Bar gets here, I think we are ready to start graining stones!
As it turns out, all of my searches for 'sturdy' or 'heavy-duty' tubs yielded nothing that could stand up to the weight of the stones and the wear and tear of graining. I've been resigning myself to carpentry, but, on a flash of inspiration, I stopped by a farming supply store. I told the lady at the cash register what I wanted and initially, she said they didn't have anything like that. I explained a little bit about what I wanted to do and after a moment, a light went off in her eyes and she named the thing that would work! Which was a tub made for mixing concrete. Who knew that existed? And then, a contractor fellow in line confirmed that it would indeed be fine for graining. So, bless the hearts of people with experience!
Here it is. Isn't it handsome? I'll probably put some boards in the bottom to make the stones easier to lift out, but, as soon as our Leveling Bar gets here, I think we are ready to start graining stones!
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