Al Schlimm on mon 23 sep 96
In Ceramics Monthly, several years ago (probably between '89 and '91), someone
proposed an idea in that "tips" section in the back that worked very well for
getting large platters off of bats. It works with thicker bats, but probably
wouldn't with thin ones. It illustrated how to build a simple plywood platform
wide enough for your platters to fit between two eye-hooks, which were fastened
to the top surface of the plywood very near the edges. A strong wire was tied
from hook to hook. A small turnbuckle was used near one eye-hook so the
taughtness of the wire could be adjusted (after it had stretched). After
adjusting the wire to the exact height of the top surface of your bat (by
screwing the eye-hooks in further), you would push the entire bat and pot under
the wire, rather than pull the wire under the platter. The rigidity of the
device ensured that a clean, straight, even cut resulted every time. (I only
found it necessary for very large platters.) After the pot would dry a bit, I
would carefully place another large bat over it's rim and do the flip flop.
This device is a bit hard to visualize but it works like a charm. Check your
old CMs.
Al Schlimm (in Maryland)
| |
|
