Edward Cowell on thu 17 apr 97
Amer: Just finished a three-night session at our local guild (Waterloo
Potters' Workshop) where I learned successfully to center large amounts of
clay. Divide the clay into 3 or 4 pound amounts. Form into balls with a
very slight point on one side. Center the first piece into an upside down
bowl shape with slightly rounded top. Use a rib (metal works well) and
clean off the slurry on outer surface. Dry your hands thoroughtly (this is
important), and firmly place the second ball (pointed side down) on top of
first centered ball. Place the palms of the hands on either side of this
second ball and work some of the outside clay downward onto the first ball
until it appears to be firmly attached. Start the wheel up and center this
second ball, working it into the first one. Continue in the same way with
the remaining balls. It's amazing how simple this method is - doesn't
require a lot of strength and is so fast. Good luck.
Laurie Cowell,
Waterloo, Ontario.
Michelle Lowe on sun 13 jul 03
Ooops, someone kindly pointed out (off list) that I probably meant convex, NOT concave...and they were correct... as in keep the balls of clay rounded, so there is less chance of air being trapped. Thanks Maurice!
Sorry for my confusion,
Mishy, reading OLD archives of clayart and strolling down memory cyberlane...
>Frank Boyden did a workshop here and demoed this sort of centering, but rather than leaving a depression in the clay, he kept it concave (both the pre-centered piece and the new piece), so when you place the second (or subsequent) pieces on, any air would be (ideally) naturally forced out, rather than trapped in-between. Makes sense to me!
>
>Mishy
>
>
>-----------
>Michelle Lowe potter in the Phoenix desert
>http://www.desertdragonpottery.com
>Mishy@desertdragonpottery.com
>mishlowe@amug.org
> \|/ |
> -O- | |
> /|\ | | |
> |_|_|
>____ |
>\ /-----|-----
>( )
><__>
>
>______________________________________________________________________________
>Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
>You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
>settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
>Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
-----------
Michelle Lowe potter in the Phoenix desert
http://www.desertdragonpottery.com
Mishy@desertdragonpottery.com
mishlowe@amug.org
\|/ |
-O- | |
/|\ | | |
|_|_|
____ |
\ /-----|-----
( )
<__>
Marianne Lombardo on sun 13 jul 03
Elzbieta,
I have absolutely no strength left in my arms anymore because of recent
chemotherapy infusions. To help me with wedging, and centering clay I have
to use clay that is a little bit softer than I used to use.
If I add a little bit of water to the plastic bag containing the clay, and
let it sit about a week, then I can wedge it in smaller amounts. Perhaps 3
or 4 wedged balls, then I slam them together into one.
Because the clay is softer I find I cannot use water to throw with or it
gets too wet and sags. So I throw with slip made from the same clay and it
works well.
Marianne
> larger amount of clay than I am used to. My wheel was practically throwing
ME all
> around the room. My arms are killing me. HELP! I'm not an especially big
person
> and am also having trouble wedging large amounts of clay, probably why I
am
Michelle Lowe on sun 13 jul 03
At 01:02 PM 7/13/2003 -0700, you wrote:
>I make a lot of large ( 20-60 lb ) pots. I have had increasingly more
>problems with sore wrists. It has helped to learn to throw with much softer
>clay. Which has other problems. It slumps very quickly, esspecialy if I'm
>triing to make tall jars. That is a challenge that I'm still triing to over
>come. I'm getting ready to build a "ball opener" to help aliviate the
>fatigue of opening up the clay once I manage to center it.
Have you tried lowering the water you introduce? When I was learning to throw larger pieces of clay, my fellow student (who was teaching me at the time) suggested centering with water, then taking the water away and throwing the piece with NO water. Sounds tricky, but it really wasn't too hard to adapt to, basically it seems like you just slightly alter the angle of approach to the clay with fingers/hands, in order to not chop of pieces or get 'hung up' by the friction. And it definitely changes the consistency enough that for larger, taller forms, you don't get the sagging as much.
Mishy
-----------
Michelle Lowe potter in the Phoenix desert
http://www.desertdragonpottery.com
Mishy@desertdragonpottery.com
mishlowe@amug.org
\|/ |
-O- | |
/|\ | | |
|_|_|
____ |
\ /-----|-----
( )
<__>
John Rodgers on sun 13 jul 03
When I center a large amount of clay, say a 25 lb block, I begin by
giving the clay a workout on the wedging table. Whether 2 lbs or 25 lbs,
if I am opening a new bag of clay, I leave it first in the bag and slam
it around a bit on the wedging table. This softens it up. Then I remove
it from the bag, and work the clay first into a big ball. I use plaster
bats so I wet the bat a bit so that the clay will stick to the bat. Then
I place the clay on the wheel as close to center as I can, pounding it
down onto the wet bat. This is sufficient to stick it to the bat. I then
turn on the wheel and with the wheel head turning slowly, and fingers
wet, I seal the edges of the flattened clay ball to the bat. All this
takes only a few seconds. Now I am ready to center.
I do my centering by pulling a series of cones up with the clay, each
cone being bigger at the base than the one before. With my fingers, I
first squeeze up just a little clay into a cone and center it, then
press it back down to a centered mound. Again with fingers I reach out a
couple of finger widths beyond the width of the centered mound pressing
into the he clay and squeeze it towards center, pulling up at the same
time, centering the clay while pulling it into a cone and pressing down
again. I repeat the process until I have pulled the clay up several
times, centering each time. When I am neat the bottom where I would be
ready for the final pull up, I press the clay down, holding my hands in
a way to make a rounded dome of the clay. That last clay layer will be
somewhat out of round, so I begin pulling the clay over from the top of
the clay, down over the edge and down onto the bat. Each pull puts more
clay down the side of the mound and onto the bat. In a few moments the
clay is perfectly rounded and centered, ready to make the final pull.
At that point , to open the clay I put my thumb in the dead center of
the dome and press down to the point where the bottom of the piece is
the right thickness. I next insert two fingers and pull towards me,
opening the clay. I repeat the process opening the clay further to the
point where I wish to begin vertical pulls up. At this point I consider
the clay to be centered and opened., ready to do with it what I will.
Hope this helps.
John Rodgers
Birmingham, AL
Elzbieta Sekula wrote:
>You would all have died laughing if you watched me try to center a much
>larger amount of clay than I am used to. My wheel was practically throwing ME all
>around the room. My arms are killing me. HELP! I'm not an especially big person
>and am also having trouble wedging large amounts of clay, probably why I am
>having so much trouble centering. Any hints at all would be greatly
>appreciated!
>
>______________________________________________________________________________
>Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
>You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
>settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
>Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
>
>
>
Penni Stoddart on sun 13 jul 03
Something I do is to center a small amount - say 3, 4 or 5 lbs then toss
another on top and center that. Continue until you are up to the amount you
want. I've done that with large bowls (10 lbs) and large platters (8-9
lobs). Small amount to some yes- but to my 7 years of potting, big enough.
I kinda think though, that if you are having trouble centering an amount of
clay - can you throw it decently and make something reasonable?
Just my $.02
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Penni Stoddart
of Penelope's Pots
Full Time Education Assistant,
Part Time Potter
You're just jealous because the voices only talk to me.
I'm not a complete idiot -- some parts are missing!
Dannon Rhudy on sun 13 jul 03
> You would all have died laughing if you watched me try to center a much
> larger amount of clay than I am used to. ...
trouble wedging large amounts of clay, probably why I am
> having so much trouble centering.....
This has already been said, but is worth saying again:
Wedge smaller amounts of clay, and center them one
piece at a time. Center what you're comfortable with,
flatten it a bit, place the next piece on top and center that,
flatten, etc., until you have the amount you wish. When
I need to throw anything larger than twenty pounds I
always do that. I CAN center bigger pieces, but it is
faster and easier to do in increments than to struggle
with an 80 pound lump. And, since I never wedge
pieces that big anyway, adding pieces until I get what
I want is quick and sensible.
regards
Dannon Rhudy
Elzbieta Sekula on sun 13 jul 03
You would all have died laughing if you watched me try to center a much
larger amount of clay than I am used to. My wheel was practically throwing ME all
around the room. My arms are killing me. HELP! I'm not an especially big person
and am also having trouble wedging large amounts of clay, probably why I am
having so much trouble centering. Any hints at all would be greatly
appreciated!
Eric B on sun 13 jul 03
i've seen people use some "tricks" that might help, like centering the clay
in stages. for example, center 10lbs leaving a depression in the clay, then
wedge and place another 10lbs into the depression and re-center.
eric
SpunMud
Earl Brunner on sun 13 jul 03
You didn't say what the amounts of clay were......
I remember when I was a beginner, I could center a 2 lb ball of clay,
when I went to a 3 lb ball, I couldn't center it until I wore it down to
a 2 lb ball, then it centered fine. (I eventually got over that)
One of the techniques that Tom Coleman used to teach for people that
didn't necessarily have the MUSCLE to center larger lumps of clay was to
have them do it in stages. Center the largest piece that you can
comfortably center, then put another chunk on top of it and center it
into the first piece.
If it's throwing you around, you could probably pound it into
close-to-centered with out turning the wheel on. Get it as close to
centered as you can before trying to center it with normal spinning
technique.
The same applies to wedging, as long as you don't trap air as you put
pieces together, wedge them in smaller easily managed pieces and combine
them after wedging.
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of Elzbieta
Sekula
Sent: Sunday, July 13, 2003 12:10 PM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: centering large amounts of clay
You would all have died laughing if you watched me try to center a much
larger amount of clay than I am used to. My wheel was practically
throwing ME all
around the room. My arms are killing me. HELP! I'm not an especially big
person
and am also having trouble wedging large amounts of clay, probably why I
am
having so much trouble centering. Any hints at all would be greatly
appreciated!
Mike Gordon on sun 13 jul 03
How much clay are you talking about? What is a large amount ? 10 lbs. ?
20 lbs? If you use the wedging table to gently form the clay into a cone
shape then slap your hands on the clay in a downward direction as the
wheel turns slowly you can get it pretty much centered before putting
your hands in the water. Mike Gordon
Michelle Lowe on sun 13 jul 03
At 03:41 PM 7/13/2003 -0400, you wrote:
>i've seen people use some "tricks" that might help, like centering the clay
>in stages. for example, center 10lbs leaving a depression in the clay, then
>wedge and place another 10lbs into the depression and re-center.
>
Frank Boyden did a workshop here and demoed this sort of centering, but rather than leaving a depression in the clay, he kept it concave (both the pre-centered piece and the new piece), so when you place the second (or subsequent) pieces on, any air would be (ideally) naturally forced out, rather than trapped in-between. Makes sense to me!
Mishy
-----------
Michelle Lowe potter in the Phoenix desert
http://www.desertdragonpottery.com
Mishy@desertdragonpottery.com
mishlowe@amug.org
\|/ |
-O- | |
/|\ | | |
|_|_|
____ |
\ /-----|-----
( )
<__>
arthur judson on sun 13 jul 03
I make a lot of large ( 20-60 lb ) pots. I have had increasingly more
problems with sore wrists. It has helped to learn to throw with much softer
clay. Which has other problems. It slumps very quickly, esspecialy if I'm
triing to make tall jars. That is a challenge that I'm still triing to over
come. I'm getting ready to build a "ball opener" to help aliviate the
fatigue of opening up the clay once I manage to center it.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Elzbieta Sekula"
To:
Sent: Sunday, July 13, 2003 12:10 PM
Subject: centering large amounts of clay
> You would all have died laughing if you watched me try to center a much
> larger amount of clay than I am used to. My wheel was practically throwing
ME all
> around the room. My arms are killing me. HELP! I'm not an especially big
person
> and am also having trouble wedging large amounts of clay, probably why I
am
> having so much trouble centering. Any hints at all would be greatly
> appreciated!
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
>
>
Paul Brinkmann on mon 14 jul 03
Was looking through Axners catalogue awhile back, and noticed that they have
a rig that fits on your wheel, that c an center and open the clay. I got some
really good tips and ideas by reading through the catalogue. P.G.
Brinkmann, and the cit y of ST. Anthony, (San Antonio) Texas
Marek and Pauline Drzazga-Donaldson on mon 14 jul 03
Dear Elzbieta,
my first tip to all my students that come to me to learn to throw is to =
forget trying to centre, because if you cone the clay correctly it will =
automatically go towards the centre. You do not need to use strength to =
centre large amounts of clay - softer the better is my tip - just relax =
and forget this imperative that you MUST centre the clay. Approach the =
clay - do not attack it - and begin to apply a little pressure and build =
that pressure gradually. Your body stance is the most important part of =
throwing - relax, be at ease, not angry or taught like a tight spring - =
easy does it. And really if you think of the physics the basic idea of =
throwing is simple - too many try to make it appear as if you need to =
jump through hoops to be able to throw - and in effect it is simple, the =
complexity is in the evenness and repetition of form. Best way to learn =
is to do repetition throwing - same amount same shape over and over - =
simple dedication.
happy potting Marek http://www.moley.uk.com=20
Lee Love on mon 14 jul 03
Hi Elzabieta,
Why are you centering a large amount of clay? To throw off the hump?
If so, you really don't have to center the whole cone. When you final wedge,
make sure you have a cone shape, then place the cone on the middle of the wheel
head and rotate slowly while patting the cone. Then, just center the very top
of the cone, the amount you need for the piece. Throw the first piece, then
center the new top.
If you are not hump throwing, do it the traditional way: Throw the
base from the amount of clay you can center, then add thick coils to this thrown
base. Often, you can add a couple coils before you need to let the base dry
before adding new coils. I use a small torch to "speed dry" and then added new
coils. A small butane torch is a great thing to have in the workshop.
Have you ever seen a video of Hamada throwing larger jars on his
hand wheel? It is impossible to center a large amount of clay on these
handwheels. The coil and throw method is what Hamada used. I use it for
larger work, not because I can't center a large amount, but because the coil and
throw method is a way to capture the "life" you see in traditional`work. All
the Korean Yi pots were thrown this way, and they made no attempt to hide the
sections. It is my favorite wheel work.
Some of the need to center a large amount of clay is just macho
bluster. If the clay is of the proper softness, you don't have to be big,
hairy nor strong! ;^) (you don't have to be "Hairy Potter!.) Little Japanese
ladies weighing under 100lbs can wedge circles around me and can center any
amount I do, so don't think it is restricted by your size. Also, if you were
working on a wheel like mine, a wooden Korean kickwheel, there wouldn't be the
slightest chance of the wheel "throwing you around." Electric wheels make
the human "work toward the machine." You become a cog in the machine. A human
powered wheel only works in a humane manner. :^) Also, if the wheel is
"throwing you around", you are making it turn too fast.
Good luck!
--
Lee Love
Mashiko JAPAN Ikiru@hachiko.com
About FolkCraft:
mingei-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Share Photos Of the Akita Dog:
akita-g-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Zen Practice:
http://www1.ocn.ne.jp/~ikiru/ezendo.html
or email to: E-zendo-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Russel Fouts on mon 14 jul 03
Elzbieta
> You would all have died laughing if you watched me try to center a much larger amount of clay than I am used to. My wheel was practically throwing ME all around the room. My arms are killing me. HELP! I'm not an especially big person and am also having trouble wedging large amounts of clay, probably why I am having so much trouble centering. Any hints at all would be greatly
appreciated! <<
Fun was watching Simon Carroll MUSCLE a huge lump of clay on a powerful
wheel while tiny, little Katerina Evangelidou easily centered the same
amount on a treadle. You can see the pictures on my site
http://users.skynet.be/russel.fouts/clayart.htm (by the way, folks, the
photos won't stay there for very long, it's just temporary). You don't
actually see them centering (that's boooooring), you see the results
further on.
The trick is to center a managable amount first, then put another on top
of that and center it, then another, then another on top of that until
you have what you want
Russel
-----------------------------
--
Russel Fouts
Mes Potes & Mes Pots
Brussels, Belgium
Tel: +32 2 223 02 75
Mobile: +32 476 55 38 75
Http://www.mypots.com
Home of "The Potters Portal"
Over 2300 Pottery Related Links!
Updated frequently
My work can also be seen on:
The World Crafts Council International Site: http://www.wccwis.gr
The World Crafts Council Belgium Site: http://wcc-bf.org (English
Pages)
EasyCraft: http://www.easycraft.org
"To announce that there must be no criticism of the president, or that
we are to stand by the president, right or wrong, is not only
unpatriotic and servile, but is morally treasonable to the American
public." --U.S. President (and Nobel Peace Prize winner) Theodore
Roosevelt.
Dapogny.Gail on mon 14 jul 03
Do you really mean concave here?
Interesting to read of variations. I use this method all the time. I was
taught to center the initial mound (well-wedged) and end up with just
that----a mound -- CONVEX -- and then I rib it smooth and free of excess
water. Then put the next also well-wedged mound on top of the first,
mushing the sides into the first mound as needed. But convex...not concave,
no "container" or depression to hold the second mound of clay PLUS TRAPPED
CLAY BUBBLES
Then I center that second mound as a separate entity, and push it down onto
the first. Always works beautifully.
Gail Dapogny
>At 03:41 PM 7/13/2003 -0400, you wrote:
>>i've seen people use some "tricks" that might help, like centering the clay
>>in stages. for example, center 10lbs leaving a depression in the clay, then
>>wedge and place another 10lbs into the depression and re-center.
>>
>
>Frank Boyden did a workshop here and demoed this sort of centering, but
>rather than leaving a depression in the clay, he kept it concave (both the
>pre-centered piece and the new piece), so when you place the second (or
>subsequent) pieces on, any air would be (ideally) naturally forced out,
>rather than trapped in-between. Makes sense to me!
>
>Mishy
Gail Dapogny
Ann Arbor, Michigan
gdapogny@umich.edu
http://www.silverhawk.com/ex99/dapogny (single historical photo - no longer
registered with Silverhawk)
Antoinette Badenhorst on mon 14 jul 03
And to add to what you say Dannon, you would not run the risk to hurt
your arms/chest, by pulling a muscle!
Antoinette Badenhorst
105 Westwood Circle
Saltillo MS
38866
662 869 1651
Http://www.clayandcanvas.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of Dannon
Rhudy
Sent: Sunday, July 13, 2003 5:31 PM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Re: centering large amounts of clay
> You would all have died laughing if you watched me try to center a
much
> larger amount of clay than I am used to. ...
trouble wedging large amounts of clay, probably why I am
> having so much trouble centering.....
This has already been said, but is worth saying again:
Wedge smaller amounts of clay, and center them one
piece at a time. Center what you're comfortable with,
flatten it a bit, place the next piece on top and center that,
flatten, etc., until you have the amount you wish. When
I need to throw anything larger than twenty pounds I
always do that. I CAN center bigger pieces, but it is
faster and easier to do in increments than to struggle
with an 80 pound lump. And, since I never wedge
pieces that big anyway, adding pieces until I get what
I want is quick and sensible.
regards
Dannon Rhudy
________________________________________________________________________
______
Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
MarjB on mon 14 jul 03
Morning: The suggestions to center clay in parts rather than try one =
large amount make sense.
I noted that you said the clay was "throwing you around". Maybe you =
need to have yourself anchored/stablized - more clay - more important. =
My stool - basic homemade (bench shape) - has a cross bar at the bottom. =
When centering a large amount of clay the heel of my left foot is =
against that so that my "body is centering the clay" not hands/wrists - =
think shoulder directing the force not hands - the elbow is tucked into =
hip/leg (heel against brace) and lean into clay with your body - right =
hand applies resistance. If your wheel is not heavy, you'll move the =
wheel and the clay this way ! Think about a fulcrum and a lever to move =
a large rock or whatever - might help you visulize the idea. A =
suggestion from "a not very large potter with small hands". MarjB
C. A. Sanger on mon 14 jul 03
I learned to throw from a professor on the verge of retirement. He
said aging had mellowed his attitude about throwing large amounts. His
suggestion included taking a pain reliever BEFORE throwing, and to throw
in sections for large pieces. Some pieces, like platters, do require
one large chunk. He taught us to center "large" amounts of clay by
first forming a neat cone of clay, then patting it smartly as it rotated
slowly. Centering was done in sections then, starting with the top.
You moved down to center the next section. If we needed help opening,
we used a broomstick handle. A piece of 2 X 4 was used as a giant rib.
C. A. Sanger
ShardRock Clay Studio <:)}}}><
Herington, Kansas
Hendrix, Taylor J. on mon 14 jul 03
Let a newbie chime in here. Dannon and others are telling it straight.
I can center maybe 5 lbs of clay easily, if I said my prayers the night
before, but with the multiple lump approach I can center 3 times that
amount with no problem. Now, once I get it centered, I can't throw
anything worth scratch, but that is beside the point now isn't it? Quit
laughing!
Really, three baseball sized lumps of clay--easy to wedge, thump,
center, rib off, take a drink of dr pepper, thump, center, rib off, take
a drink of dr pepper, thump, center, take two drinks of dr pepper...
Pace yourself, now. Nothing is more aggravating than having to get up
from the wheel before you have made the final shape because you have run
out of dr pepper. Have a few cans sitting beside the wheel with a damp
cloth covering them.
Taylor, in Waco
-----Original Message-----
From: Dannon Rhudy [mailto:drhudy@EV1.NET]=20
Sent: Sunday, July 13, 2003 5:31 PM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Re: centering large amounts of clay
> You would all have died laughing if you watched me try to center a
much
> larger amount of clay than I am used to. ...
trouble wedging large amounts of clay, probably why I am
> having so much trouble centering.....
This has already been said, but is worth saying again:
Wedge smaller amounts of clay, and center them one
piece at a time. ...
Earl Brunner on mon 14 jul 03
Now Taylor, you drink all of that Dr.Pepper and you will have the OTHER
aggravating reason to get off of your wheel before you've made the final
shape...............
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of Hendrix,
Taylor J.
Sent: Monday, July 14, 2003 3:16 PM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Re: centering large amounts of clay
Pace yourself, now. Nothing is more aggravating than having to get up
from the wheel before you have made the final shape because you have run
out of dr pepper. Have a few cans sitting beside the wheel with a damp
cloth covering them.
Taylor, in Waco
psci_kw on tue 15 jul 03
----- Original Message -----
From: "Earl Brunner"
To:
Sent: Monday, July 14, 2003 8:29 PM
Subject: Re: centering large amounts of clay
> Now Taylor, you drink all of that Dr.Pepper and you will have the OTHER
> aggravating reason to get off of your wheel before you've made the final
> shape...............
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of Hendrix,
> Taylor J.
> Sent: Monday, July 14, 2003 3:16 PM
> To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
> Subject: Re: centering large amounts of clay
>
>
> Pace yourself, now. Nothing is more aggravating than having to get up
> from the wheel before you have made the final shape because you have run
> out of dr pepper. Have a few cans sitting beside the wheel with a damp
> cloth covering them.
>
> Taylor, in Waco
>
>
Gee, and here I thought that was the reason we had a bucket so close at hand
:>)
(Sorry, couldn't resist:>)
Wayne in Key West
who keeps two pots of coffee going. No coffee? No worky!
Steve Mills on tue 15 jul 03
Post Arthritis attack I'm getting stronger, but like Arthur have to
throw soft or it hurts!
My solution: throw the bottom half upside down on a batt with a thick
*tyre* of clay at the base, wrap the *tyre* in cling film while the foot
stiffens, then invert onto the wheel (sans batt), chock it into place
and throw the rest upwards. Works for me, and the pots are getting
bigger!
Steve
Bath
UK
In message , arthur judson writes
>I make a lot of large ( 20-60 lb ) pots. I have had increasingly more
>problems with sore wrists. It has helped to learn to throw with much softer
>clay. Which has other problems. It slumps very quickly, esspecialy if I'm
>triing to make tall jars. That is a challenge that I'm still triing to over
>come. I'm getting ready to build a "ball opener" to help aliviate the
>fatigue of opening up the clay once I manage to center it.
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Elzbieta Sekula"
>To:
>Sent: Sunday, July 13, 2003 12:10 PM
>Subject: centering large amounts of clay
>
>
>> You would all have died laughing if you watched me try to center a much
>> larger amount of clay than I am used to. My wheel was practically throwing
>ME all
>> around the room. My arms are killing me. HELP! I'm not an especially big
>person
>> and am also having trouble wedging large amounts of clay, probably why I
>am
>> having so much trouble centering. Any hints at all would be greatly
>> appreciated!
>>
>>
>____________________________________________________________________________
>__
>> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>>
>> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
>> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>>
>> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
>melpots@pclink.com.
>>
>>
--
Steve Mills
Bath
UK
| |
|
