removig plates from bats

Hello All,
I really like your group. I've learned much from the Q&As. I am a new
potter so I have a lot to learn. Can anyone tell me the best way to remove
a plate from the bat after you throw it? Do you leave it til its dry? If
so, how do you trim a foot ring? I have plastic bats and compressed wood
bats. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Sandi

"john n va" wrote in message
et...
Hello All,
I really like your group. I've learned much from the Q&As. I am a new
potter so I have a lot to learn. Can anyone tell me the best way to
remove
a plate from the bat after you throw it? Do you leave it til its dry? If
so, how do you trim a foot ring? I have plastic bats and compressed wood
bats. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Sandi

Sandi:
You can do one of two things:
Use a wire tool to get between the piece and the bat, and saw through to
separate it, or
you can let it get leather hard and try to flex the (plastic) bat to remove
it.
Compressed wood bats are not good for leaving wet clay on to dry. They tend
to absorb
moisture and swell, which ruins them. Some of us use plaster bats, so the
plate can just sit there
and the plaster will help absorb the moisture. Then, the plate just pops
off the bat.

Once the plate is leather hard, you can flip it over onto a different bat,
then center and
hold it in place with a "Griffen Grip" or some wads of clay, and trim your
foot ring on the
wheel (slowly at first, don't go too deep :)

Have you tried throwing the plate face side DOWN and forming the ring as you
work?
That way, when leather hard you can flip it over, secure it to another bat
as above, and only
have to use a stainless rib to smooth the surface of the plate. Some find
that easier.

Good Luck!
Wayne in Key West

Thanks for the information Wayne in Key West. I have heard of plaster bats
but where can I purchase some? Thanks again,
Sandi
"psci_kw" wrote in message
.. .

"john n va" wrote in message
et...
Hello All,
I really like your group. I've learned much from the Q&As. I am a new
potter so I have a lot to learn. Can anyone tell me the best way to
remove
a plate from the bat after you throw it? Do you leave it til its dry?
If
so, how do you trim a foot ring? I have plastic bats and compressed
wood
bats. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Sandi

Sandi:
You can do one of two things:
Use a wire tool to get between the piece and the bat, and saw through to
separate it, or
you can let it get leather hard and try to flex the (plastic) bat to
remove
it.
Compressed wood bats are not good for leaving wet clay on to dry. They
tend
to absorb
moisture and swell, which ruins them. Some of us use plaster bats, so the
plate can just sit there
and the plaster will help absorb the moisture. Then, the plate just pops
off the bat.

Once the plate is leather hard, you can flip it over onto a different bat,
then center and
hold it in place with a "Griffen Grip" or some wads of clay, and trim your
foot ring on the
wheel (slowly at first, don't go too deep :)

Have you tried throwing the plate face side DOWN and forming the ring as
you
work?
That way, when leather hard you can flip it over, secure it to another bat
as above, and only
have to use a stainless rib to smooth the surface of the plate. Some find
that easier.

Good Luck!
Wayne in Key West

"sandi" wrote in message
et...
Thanks for the information Wayne in Key West. I have heard of plaster
bats
but where can I purchase some? Thanks again,
Sandi

Sandi:
Whenever possible, I like to order right from the source.
I recently made a switch from plaster bats
(which I made myself) to Hydro-bats.
They seem to be stronger. Hopefully, they will be less
prone to damage from tools, chipping, etc.

You can buy them he
http://www.hydrobat.com/

By the way, I have no connection to this company
other than being a customer.

Best,
Wayne in Key West

In article ,
psci_kw wrote:

Have you tried throwing the plate face side DOWN and forming the ring as you
work?
That way, when leather hard you can flip it over, secure it to another bat
as above, and only
have to use a stainless rib to smooth the surface of the plate. Some find
that easier.

Good Luck!
Wayne in Key West



Wayne,

Can you explain this a little further? It sounds interesting, but I
can't quite picture how it would work. How would you get the concave
inside of the plate, and the rim, if you throw it face side down? Do
you trim the face side intead of the underside? Do you throw the
plate in sections by attaching a ring to the top surface after doing
the underside and shaping it then? (I've done a large platter that
way.)

Deb R.

"Deborah M Riel" wrote in message
...
In article ,
psci_kw wrote:

Have you tried throwing the plate face side DOWN and forming the ring as
you
work?
That way, when leather hard you can flip it over, secure it to another
bat
as above, and only
have to use a stainless rib to smooth the surface of the plate. Some
find
that easier.

Good Luck!
Wayne in Key West



Wayne,

Can you explain this a little further? It sounds interesting, but I
can't quite picture how it would work. How would you get the concave
inside of the plate, and the rim, if you throw it face side down?

By trimming afterward. All you are really creating is the bottom thickness
and the foot ring(s)
and the outside (bottom side of the plate) bevel for the edge when you
throw.
Since the bevel (being upside down) is now "falling"
you needn't worry about it drooping, which is why throwing a plate upside
down
is an attractive method for more inexperienced throwers.

Do you trim the face side intead of the underside?

Yes. That is when you create any concavity you require. Remember that the
edge bevel
and the foot are already done, so only a rib and sponge is required. Of
course, if you want to get
fancy you can. And you can use a sponge or piece of chamois to true and
cleanup the rim.
Remember too that you are working with leather hard clay at this point.
Might need a bit of
moisture, but it's pretty tough stuff.

Do you throw the plate in sections by attaching a ring to the top surface
after doing
the underside and shaping it then? (I've done a large platter that way.)

I've never tried that. I've seen other potters use a coil ring for the
footring, but not for the edge.
Sounds like i have a bit of experimenting to do! Thanks for suggesting
that! :)
I tend to throw everything all at once, the trick of course being that you
are not going to
throw a 36 inch platter on a 12 inch bat. Use a bat at least the size of
the plate bottom. If you are going for an
extended bevel on the edge of the plate (say, more than 2 inches, use a bat
the size of the outside of the plate,
or even larger.
If you are trimming slowly enough, you can actually rest the handle of the
tool on the edge of the bat to steady it
while you shape the bevel.
No sense in having the clay (or your tools) wobbling about in space while
you're trying to shape the bevel and rim.

Throwing using a larger bat than the plate size means that basically, an
inexperienced thrower
need only really center the clay, and flatten and compress it. The bevel
for the outside edge is created easily, as its
resting against the bat. No worries about having to open or pull the clay.
Once the clay is leather hard, then it
gets flipped and trimmed. Leather hard is much more forgiving for the
beginner.
Hope that helps!
Wayne in Key West

Hi all,
I make bats from hardy backer board and it acts like plaster bats and more
durable plus no plaster pop outs is a piece of plaster gets in the clay. I
just leave them until the piece pops off. At that time, it may still need
to dry a bit before trimming.
If you would like to try it or see how it's done, go here, and click on 66
cent bats.
http://tonyolsen.com/up/

Take care, Stay muddy!
Tony (Galveston TX)

--
Hello All,
I really like your group. I've learned much from the Q&As. I am a new
potter so I have a lot to learn. Can anyone tell me the best way to
remove
a plate from the bat after you throw it? Do you leave it til its dry? If
so, how do you trim a foot ring? I have plastic bats and compressed wood
bats. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
Sandi