Spent two hours cleaning a pot I found in a creek bed

I was poking around a dried up creek near my house in Springfield last Saturday and spotted this dark brown rim sticking out of the mud. Pulled it up and it was a whole clay pot, about the size of a cantaloupe, with some kind of pattern carved around the top. Got home and started washing it off in the sink, but the dirt was caked on hard and I didn't want to scrub too aggressive and damage it. Ended up soaking it in warm water for an hour, then using a soft toothbrush to gently work the mud out of the grooves. Took me a solid two hours total, and when I got it clean, the pattern turned out to be a bunch of little fish shapes linked together. Not sure how old it is, maybe some old farm junk from the 1800s, but it felt good to finally see the design. Has anyone else found pottery that looked way worse than it turned out after a proper clean?

2 comments

2 Comments

karen4101mo ago

I mean, that fish pattern sounds cool, but I once spent two hours just scraping road tar off a sneaker.

taylorhunt1mo ago

Wait, is scraping tar off a sneaker really that big of a deal though? @karen410 I mean, I get it's annoying, but like, you coulda just used some goo gone and called it a day. Two hours sounds like you were making a project out of it when it was probably a 15 minute job tops. I've had tar on my shoes before and I just hit it with some rubbing alcohol and it came off easy. No shade, but maybe you were overthinking it or using the wrong stuff. Honestly, some people act like a little dirt or scuff is the end of the world, but shoes are meant to be worn. Let them get a bit beat up, it adds character.