Mudtools

Mudtools High performing clay tools for your ceramic making needs. Created by Michael Sherrill in Bat Cave, NC I started with the rib.
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The Birth of Mudtools

During my years of working in clay, making pots and art, I have often had ideas that required working outside “normal” processes. I found that the available “clay tools” did not serve my ideas well. So, out of necessity I would make a tool, or modify an existing one to suit my needs. These new tools quickly became indispensable and were always the first thing to come out of

my toolbox. Naturally, I would show these off at a workshop, and as a result I found that people were interested in buying them! It didn’t take long to figure out that I couldn’t make a tool for each person that wanted one. I was going to need a little help, and that is how Mudtools was born. I had already found a material that performed well and actually got better with use (it is self-polishing.) With the material in mind, I designed six shapes that I think cover a lot of what hand builders and throwers need from a rib. Each rib shape is available in four hardnesses from very soft to very firm. You choose the shape and hardness that suits your clay and your working style. It is my goal to offer you a tool that has a high performance quality, is pleasing to the hand and eye, and that you find indispensable.

Today we are hoping to show up for another artist in the ceramics community.After a devastating electrical house fire, L...
05/11/2026

Today we are hoping to show up for another artist in the ceramics community.

After a devastating electrical house fire, Laurie, Morgan, and their dog Jess were forced to leave their home. While everyone is thankfully safe, the damage to their home and studio is immense, and the road ahead will be long.

Laurie’s studio space, work, molds, and tools now face extensive cleaning and recovery, and many of the business-related losses will not be covered by insurance. With her first sale of the year canceled and uncertainty around when she can safely return to work, this support means everything.

We have shared their GoFundMe link in our bio, and thanks to the incredible generosity of this community, they have almost reached their goal. It would be amazing to help carry them the rest of the way.

If you are able to contribute or share, every bit helps as they begin rebuilding this next chapter together. 🧡

05/04/2026

Progress in the infrastructure of our community is continuing to take place in the time passing from the hurricane. Our old office site is gone but the roads are making a come back. Check out this update from the river directly from Michael!

We’re excited to see The Village Potters Clay Center reopening their doors in Asheville, NC. Spaces like this are the b...
04/10/2026

We’re excited to see The Village Potters Clay Center reopening their doors in Asheville, NC.

Spaces like this are the backbone of our community. Places where people learn, share knowledge, and come together through clay. Their return and grand re-opening is something worth showing up for!!

If you’re in the area, stop by, support, and be part of their grand reopening this Saturday.



Let’s continue to show up for the spaces that make this field what it is.

St. Pete Ceramics Studio has experienced a devastating fire, losing their space, equipment, kilns, wheels, and so much o...
04/08/2026

St. Pete Ceramics Studio has experienced a devastating fire, losing their space, equipment, kilns, wheels, and so much of what made their studio a home for their community.

For many, ceramic studios are more than workspaces. They are places of learning, connection, healing, and creative growth. Seeing a space like this suffer such a tremendous loss is heartbreaking.

They are now working to rebuild, and a GoFundMe has been created to help them recover and reacquire the equipment and supplies needed to bring the studio back to life. If you are able to give, share, or help spread the word, it would mean a great deal.

Please consider supporting St. Pete Ceramics Studio during this incredibly difficult time. We are holding them in our thoughts and cheering them on as they begin the long process of rebuilding.

Link in Bio!!

STACKERZ are NOW live online!A simple solution for something most of us deal with daily keeping tools organized, accessi...
04/06/2026

STACKERZ are NOW live online!

A simple solution for something most of us deal with daily keeping tools organized, accessible, and where you need them.

Designed to fit our polymer ribs, STACKERZ allow you to magnetize your tools for easy storage and quick access in the studio.

As an artist, we use them to keep my most-used ribs within reach and off the table.

As an educator, they’ve become a way to map out projects placing tools directly on the board alongside assignments, timelines, and demonstrations so students can clearly see what’s needed.

Small tool. Big shift in workflow.

Now available on our website.

Please note: STACKERZ do not work well with Pink Ultra Soft ribs due to their flexibility.

We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who picked up a Petal Knife today. The response was beyond anything we anticipated...
04/03/2026

We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who picked up a Petal Knife today. The response was beyond anything we anticipated, and our stock sold out faster than expected.

If you missed this release, don’t worry!! We’re already hard at work to create more for another drop in the future.

As always, our email subscribers hear about releases first. If you’d like early access to future tool drops, restocks, and studio insights, be sure to sign up for the Mudtools newsletter through our website.

Thank you for your continued support!

A moment from NCECA in Detroit this past week. GM Modeler shaping the contours of a concept vehicle using our Long Scrap...
04/02/2026

A moment from NCECA in Detroit this past week. GM Modeler shaping the contours of a concept vehicle using our Long Scraper Stainless Rib.

Different material, different scale, same principles of form, surface, and control. It’s always interesting to see how tools move across disciplines and find their place in unexpected processes.

We all know time is the studio is precious. So why waste it deciding on a single flexibility??? With our brand new 5 Fle...
04/01/2026

We all know time is the studio is precious. So why waste it deciding on a single flexibility??? With our brand new 5 Flex-In-One Mudtools Rib, decision fatigue is no more!!

Comment “Yes I want the 5 Flex-In-One For My Studio Now Because I Think It Would Save Me Time” to learn more!!

That’s a wrap on 2026. As always we can’t begin to express enough how grateful we are for each and everyone of you. You...
03/28/2026

That’s a wrap on 2026. As always we can’t begin to express enough how grateful we are for each and everyone of you. You all have given our small family business such love and purpose in the tools we create at our home in North Carolina!

Safe travels home and we cannot wait to celebrate with you again next year in Baltimore, MD.

NCECA Day 2!! Tools are flying out of the booth, and soon all over the country. We can’t wait to have an epic Friday wit...
03/27/2026

NCECA Day 2!! Tools are flying out of the booth, and soon all over the country. We can’t wait to have an epic Friday with you all!!

Address

Hendersonville, NC
28792

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm

Telephone

+18286251852

Website

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