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Throwing left, right and seldom center!



 
 
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  #1  
Old July 16th 05, 05:04 PM
Bubbles
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Default Throwing left, right and seldom center!


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


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  #2  
Old July 16th 05, 05:18 PM
Celeste Evans
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Take some slightly stiff clay and put it on the pins that stick up.
Line up the bat holes and push down. Let the clay ooze out and fill up
the hole. This will usually steady the bat just fine.

If you don't like that method and prefer to work directly on the wheel
head. Make sure that you undercut your pot a bit before you cut it off
and clean off the crud from the wheel head. Then use your wire to cut
off the pot and quickly dry your fingers on whatever is handy. Make a V
with the two fingers closest to the thumb on both hands. With your palm
facing up insert the V under the pot in the undercut and twist and lift
to place on a nearby board. This takes a little practice and should be
done quickly after the cut is made with the wire tool. Obviously this
will not work with wide bottom pieces like plate, or large bowls.

Hope this helps

Cea

In article , Bubbles
wrote:

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

  #3  
Old July 16th 05, 05:28 PM
Bubbles
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Posts: n/a
Default


"Celeste Evans" wrote in message
...

Hi Celeste! Thank you for your quick reply!

Take some slightly stiff clay and put it on the pins that stick up.
Line up the bat holes and push down. Let the clay ooze out and fill up
the hole. This will usually steady the bat just fine.


I knew someone out there would have a good "trick"!!! I will try that - and,
if it works, I will buy myself some more bats! :-D

If you don't like that method and prefer to work directly on the wheel
head. Make sure that you undercut your pot a bit before you cut it off
and clean off the crud from the wheel head. Then use your wire to cut
off the pot and quickly dry your fingers on whatever is handy. Make a V
with the two fingers closest to the thumb on both hands. With your palm
facing up insert the V under the pot in the undercut and twist and lift
to place on a nearby board. This takes a little practice and should be
done quickly after the cut is made with the wire tool. Obviously this
will not work with wide bottom pieces like plate, or large bowls.


I don't get how I can have my palms up without totally twisting my arms
around. Do you mean palm down???

This method would mean that I would have to leave a higher base than I
usually would, right? - in order to get my fingers around it, I mean.

Hope this helps


Yes, it does! I will try the clay-trick first. Thank you!

Marianne




  #4  
Old July 16th 05, 08:18 PM
Celeste Evans
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Default

In article , Bubbles
wrote:

"Celeste Evans" wrote in message
...


If you don't like that method and prefer to work directly on the wheel
head. Make sure that you undercut your pot a bit before you cut it off
and clean off the crud from the wheel head. Then use your wire to cut
off the pot and quickly dry your fingers on whatever is handy. Make a V
with the two fingers closest to the thumb on both hands. With your palm
facing up insert the V under the pot in the undercut and twist and lift
to place on a nearby board. This takes a little practice and should be
done quickly after the cut is made with the wire tool. Obviously this
will not work with wide bottom pieces like plate, or large bowls.


I don't get how I can have my palms up without totally twisting my arms
around. Do you mean palm down???


Nope, palms up! This isn't hard you are just looking at it wrong or,
more likely I'm not explaining it well. Make a Churchill V. Rotate your
wrists so the thumbs face you. Let your thumbs move to the sides, then
drop the back of your hands down to the wheel. Spread the two V fingers
apart on both hands put under the pot twist and lift.


This method would mean that I would have to leave a higher base than I
usually would, right? - in order to get my fingers around it, I mean.


Not a whole lot, you will be lifting with the finger tips mostly. But
it doesn't really matter if the other method works for you.

Have fun!


Cea
  #5  
Old July 16th 05, 10:05 PM
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Default

instead of the "Churchill V" consider the "Mr. Spock Vulcan Greeting"
with your hands.

the key is a dry pair of hands & a well trimmed pot & clean wheel head.

also, if you lay down clay on the wheel head & apply the bat to the
wheel head it should stick better. you could even stick a bat to the
wheel head with no pins, just the bat patty of clay.

see ya

steve

  #6  
Old July 17th 05, 12:10 PM
KSL
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Default

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



  #7  
Old July 17th 05, 01:02 PM
Bubbles
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Posts: n/a
Default


"KSL" wrote in message
u...
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.


Hehe!

The thing is that all holes will sooner or later become too big, since the
edges of the screws will kind of file the holes every time you put the bat
on the wheel - so I would go through a lot of bats if I didn't find a
sollution to the loose bat problem.

I have tried sticking the bat on the wheel with clay, and maybe that is a
better sollution than the rest - simply forget the screws altogether. I have
some descriptions of the method in my books, so I will look into that as
well.

I think throwing on bats is the best bet, since I then don't have to
"destabilize" the pot before it is properly leather hard. Though I will also
try out Steve and Celeste's methods too, just to see what works best.

And - hey! This group is SO GREAT! Thanks for all the helpful responses!

Marianne (aka Bubbles)


  #8  
Old July 17th 05, 01:06 PM
Steve Mills
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Posts: n/a
Default

As an addendum to that; I have used the *Double Vee* technique for a
long time, born of working on a treadle wheel and disliking having to
stop every time a pot had to come off.
I clean up the base of the pot with a wooden knife, and with the wheel
still turning wire it off, dry my fingers (apron), slow the wheel right
down, and while it is still moving slowly pick the pot up, left fingers
fractionally in advance of the right. The dry fingers grip the base
WITHOUT any pressure distorting it and the piece peals off easily.
This is a technique well worth practising as it frees you up a lot.

Steve
Bath
UK


In article . com, steve
writes
instead of the "Churchill V" consider the "Mr. Spock Vulcan Greeting"
with your hands.

the key is a dry pair of hands & a well trimmed pot & clean wheel head.

also, if you lay down clay on the wheel head & apply the bat to the
wheel head it should stick better. you could even stick a bat to the
wheel head with no pins, just the bat patty of clay.

see ya

steve


--
Steve Mills
Bath
UK
  #9  
Old July 17th 05, 06:34 PM
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Posts: n/a
Default

another comment from a friend of mine. i mentioned my "bats were worn
out" and wobbly to him once.

he said, "change your bat pin heads first".

i did & suddenly the bats were a lot snugger again!

when i looked at the pin heads i was STUNNED at how worn down the were!
you'd think that metal against wood would have the wood holes wear on
the bats first. ~ but after some 18 years of throwing with that wheel,
the pin heads DID wear out!

see ya

steve

  #10  
Old July 17th 05, 09:17 PM
gmccord
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Two things to try
1. Use a clay bat ring instead of the pins
Take about 1/2 pound of wedged clay & center it on the
wheelhead. Open it to the wheeelhead and slowly make a ring
about 1/2 inch wide that is slightly smaller than the
diameter of yur bat. Pinch the clay between you fingers and
thumb holding your thumb steady and let the clay go up.
Then, press down on the clay, holding the inside of the ring
steady to let the clay move out from the senter of the
wheel. Just repeat this a few times until you get the ring
the size you want. It should be about 3/8 inch high when
you're done. Place a dry bat on the ring, tap it in the
center a few times & you're goo d to go.

2. Batgrabber
You can buy a batgrabber at www.batgrabber.com that is
placed under your bat. It's a rubber-ish material that will
hold the bat from moving . It also seems to do a great job
of helping with warped bats as well.

Good Luck!



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...toepferscheibe
/topfheber.jpg), I end up making the nice round pot
crooked somehow :-(
Any tips/suggestions would be gratefully read and tried!

Marianne


 




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