Bubbles


It's many years since I did any throwing and I have never seen this 'screw'
method for steadying bats - I used a ring of clay with no other mechanical
retention.

I have done a bit of Google searching and this is what I understand from the
descriptions;

There are holes drilled through the wheel, into which are screwed cap-screws
(round-headed bolts with a hex). The bats have holes drilled through them
that correspond with the heads of cap-screws. When the bat is placed on
the wheel the screws stabilise the bat.

If this is all correct and the holes in your bats are now oversize, then
the solution seems obvious. Drill new, correct size, holes in the bats.

It may be difficult for someone without good machine-shop skills to
precisely position the holes (seems like 10" centres are standard). If the
bats are standard, off the shelf items, then it may be worthwhile buying one
new bat and using its holes as guides for drilling the old bats. Just be
sure to firmly clamp the two bats together prior to drilling.

If this is a regularly occurring problem, then it is probably worth not
using the new bat for throwing and just keeping it for drilling more holes
in the future.

Of course, I may be totally misunderstanding the situation, in which case
just ignore everything that I have written.

Ken


"Bubbles" wrote in message
...

Hi folks!

I am finally back at my wheel after many months not being able to use it
for one reason or another.

I realize that it will take me a while to get "the feeling" back, but in
the mean time, I have a rotten dilemma.

If I throw on my wooden bats (I have 2), the holes are slightly bigger
than the screws, so the whole bat goes kachung-kachung as I am trying to
center - so I can't center. I put some toothpicks into the spaces, but it
still seems as if the bat is not "solid".

If I throw directly on the wheel, I center pretty good and can make
"something" - but!!!! When it comes time to take my work off the wheel, I
use my "topfheber"
(http://www.michel.ch/michel/images_k.../topfheber.jpg),
I end up making the nice round pot crooked somehow :-(

Any tips/suggestions would be gratefully read and tried!

Marianne