Marion Page on tue 22 apr 97
Hi everyone,
this may seem like a stupid question to you but just how do you use a
grabber pad???
My daugher bought me one for my birthday and although I consider myself an
experienced potter I can't get this thing to work for me. It just doesn't
"grab" my pots - they slide all over the place after I put them onto it!
What came in the box was just a bat with a smooth surface with concentric
circles on the top. There were no instructions in the box so I don't know
if there is a piece missing or if there is something simple that I don't
know? Or maybe my pots are just extra slippery?
Hope someone can tell me what to do.
Marion Page
in sunny Perth, Western Australia
Cindy on wed 23 apr 97
Marion wrote: > What came in the box was just a bat with a smooth surface
with concentric
> circles on the top. There were no instructions in the box so I don't
know
> if there is a piece missing or if there is something simple that I don't
> know? Or maybe my pots are just extra slippery?
Marion, a grabber pad is a soft, kind of gooey circle made of the same
stuff they use for fishing worms. It works great on low-profile pieces,
though taller stuff tends to fall over. I suggest you contact the
manufacturer or distributor and ask them to send you the rest of the
package. I believe Howard Axner (Oveida, FL) carries them.
Cindy Strnad
Lisa or Ginny on wed 23 apr 97
Marion Page wrote:
>
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Hi everyone,
>
> this may seem like a stupid question to you but just how do you use a
> grabber pad???
>
> My daugher bought me one for my birthday and although I consider myself an
> experienced potter I can't get this thing to work for me. It just doesn't
> "grab" my pots - they slide all over the place after I put them onto it!
>
> What came in the box was just a bat with a smooth surface with concentric
> circles on the top. There were no instructions in the box so I don't know
> if there is a piece missing or if there is something simple that I don't
> know? Or maybe my pots are just extra slippery?
What you SHOULD have received is a plastic bat with a rubber mat thing on
top. The rubber is resistant to sliding, and combines with the weight of
your pot to keep it from sliding around while trimming. I love 'em!
--
Lisa Skeen
Living Tree Pottery
Greensboro, NC
YesIAmRU?
Email: lpskeen@nr.infi.net
Eric Gordon on wed 23 apr 97
Marion- The Grabber pad that I use has some goo(it looks like silicone) on
the bat that holds down the pots when I am trimming. I find that it does
an excellent job of holding the pots for trimming so that I do not have to
use those gobs of clay around the edges to hold the pot in place.It does
not work when it is wet or when the pots are real tall with a slender base.
If you do not have3 the goo- then you do have a piece missing-
otherwise happy trimming!!!!
The Perfect Pot:a thing of beauty and a job forever.
Kathleen Gordon
Palo Alto,Ca
snail: 955 Channing Ave
email:emgordon@batnet.com
voice:415-328-9164
Wendy Hampton on thu 24 apr 97
There should be a rubber top with concentric circles on it. I use it a lot
and it works great.
I would call the person you got it from and tell them that you didn't receive
all the parts.
Wendy from Bainbridge Island WA
Vivian Mills on thu 24 apr 97
To All:
Before I even heard of the Grabber Pad, I was using something similar
to hold down pots for trimming, and it works fine for bowls and other
things that are not too high:
I took one of my plaster bats and affixed to it, with slurry, a circle
of the stuff that you can buy to hold your dishes on the table when
you're traveling in a trailer or boat. It has an open lace like design,
usually, with lots of tiny holes in it. Some times you can find a piece
cut as a place mat in places like Wal-Mart, or you may find it in rolls,
sold near the "Contac Paper". From what I see written on Clayart, I
think it might work as well as the grabber pad. For $1.25 or so, it's
worth a try.
I usually take a marker, and touch it to the pad while it's rotating on
the wheel, to make concentric circles, to make it easier to get your pot
centered on the pad.
Let me know if it works for you!
Vivian mills@iag.net
Teresa Murphy(TMurphy889@aol.com) on fri 25 apr 97
Hi Gang,
This grabber pad thing is something I have not heard of before. Could
someone pass along a little more information about this and possibly tell me
where I might aquire one? No one here in my part of OK knows what I'm
talking about.
TIA,
Teresa
Bob Hanlin on fri 25 apr 97
Mine came with a piece of waxy paper on top of the gooey surface.
BTW how do you clean trimmings off the thing?
At 08:58 AM 4/23/97 EDT, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Marion Page wrote:
>>
>> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>> Hi everyone,
>>
>> this may seem like a stupid question to you but just how do you use a
>> grabber pad???
>>
>> My daugher bought me one for my birthday and although I consider myself an
>> experienced potter I can't get this thing to work for me. It just doesn't
>> "grab" my pots - they slide all over the place after I put them onto it!
>>
>> What came in the box was just a bat with a smooth surface with concentric
>> circles on the top. There were no instructions in the box so I don't know
>> if there is a piece missing or if there is something simple that I don't
>> know? Or maybe my pots are just extra slippery?
>
>What you SHOULD have received is a plastic bat with a rubber mat thing on
>top. The rubber is resistant to sliding, and combines with the weight of
>your pot to keep it from sliding around while trimming. I love 'em!
>--
>Lisa Skeen
>Living Tree Pottery
>Greensboro, NC
>YesIAmRU?
>Email: lpskeen@nr.infi.net
>
>
Bob Hanlin
bhanlin@ionet.net
Oklahoma City, OK
Ric Swenson on sat 26 apr 97
Teresa,
I don't know what A "grabber pad" is, specifically, but I believe the
reference is to a method of trimming the foot on wheel -thrown plates,
bowls and the like....with a substantial diameter and lip.
With practice, even taller items can be trimmed with this simple
batt...which pins to your wheelhead. The top surface of the (usually
masonite or wood ) disc is covered with a piece of fairly dense foam
rubber. This material is usually available in fabric/craft/hobby stores,
or upholstery shops. (thin foam mattress padding!) It is between 1/4 and
1/2 inch thick, and I used to glue mine down with contact cement, then put
in the wheel and use a sharp tool, or razor blade (CAREFUL!)
to trim the edge even with the batt.
The next step is to use a felt marker to make concentric circles about
every inch out from the center to the edge. (A series of concentric
circles, not a "hypnosis" single line deal!)
Then...the tricky part ...take a leather hard bowl or plate and set it
down...close to centered...using the concentric lines. Then turn on the
wheel...slowly ... to start. Use your hands to frame the edge of the
bowl...ie. open both thumb / index fingers (right and left hand) the pads
of the thumbs are then used to v e r y g e n t l y push the rim
exactly into center.
Once centered, use one hand to apply pressure down in the center of the
bottom of the bowl...or plate... (I make a small divot in the cener and put
my middle finger of left hand in that divot and hold pressure down to hold
the bowl/plate in place....)big pieces...15 lbs or more... hold themselves
down. (I had one of these foam trim batt babies that was 2' in
diameter...remove Brent splash pan and let the trimmings fly!!)
Touch the other hand holding the trimming tool to help steady your
hands (loop tool, wire end tool, angle trimmer..whatever)
This helps you to keep your hands steady...they work together..just like in
throwing. Start to gently trim away a bit of clay from the foot at a time.
THIS TAKES PATIENCE...AND LOTS OF PRACTICE. The pressure of the trim
tool must be matched by the pressure holding the piece into the foam..the
friction of the foam helps hold the piece and is gentle on the lips...When
finished...trim / check / trim / check....be careful lifting the finished
piece off the foam...
(It probably took me a couple weeks in Grad school at Univ. Of Puget Sound
to "get it" I do not remember whose idea it was.....CM Article? Carlton
Ball or Ken Stevens? or Fred Olsen? thought of it or saw it
somewhere...at any rate, I think one of them showed us..... or at least I
first saw it there. Anyone know who used that system before 1975? anyone
care?)
Things with a L O W center of gravity are easy to trim this way....I got so
I could trim mugs...and small pieces like jars and lids.......THAT took
practice! The Wheel Speed is important...you will find a comfortable speed.
Not too fast...or they fly! An electronic foot pedal control works better
to control the speed than a ring cone drive, or kick wheel, IMHO.
This is hard to explain in writing..a challenge for me. Uff Da!
It is , eventually, faster than centering the pot to trim it and holding
it down with little wads of clay. Tall bottles and vases are trimmed in a
bisque fired thrown chuck....(shaped like "Three Mile Island
Stacks")......which can also ride on the foam, if designed with a low
center of gravity.
If you have questions please ask. I will try to help.
Did I leave out steps folks? Tricks that others have found helpful?
Is this "grabber" thing better? Cheaper? I'm curious.
Have fun!
Happy potting.
Ric Swenson, Bennington, Vermont
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Hi Gang,
>This grabber pad thing is something I have not heard of before. Could
>someone pass along a little more information about this and possibly tell me
>where I might aquire one? No one here in my part of OK knows what I'm
>talking about.
>TIA,
>Teresa
Cindy on sun 27 apr 97
Ric, Teresa: A Grabber Pad (tm) is made of the stuff they make fishing
worms from, tho I'm sure all sorts of home-made varieties are feasible.
Some guy in central Florida invented and manufactures them. You don't have
to pin or glue it down--it stays put all by itself. And I assume you clean
it by simply washing it in water.
I don't have a Grabber Pad because I trim my low-profile items either on a
chuck (if the rims are too wide for my wheelhead), or by sticking them to
the steel wheelhead with a bit of water. Works great, fewer hassles.
Cindy Strnad
Teresa,
>
> I don't know what A "grabber pad" is, specifically, but I believe the
> reference is to a method of trimming the foot on wheel -thrown plates,
> bowls and the like....with a substantial diameter and lip.
>
> With practice, even taller items can be trimmed with this simple
> batt...which pins to your wheelhead. The top surface of the (usually
> masonite or wood ) disc is covered with a piece of fairly dense foam
> rubber. This material is usually available in fabric/craft/hobby stores,
> or upholstery shops. (thin foam mattress padding!) It is between 1/4 and
> 1/2 inch thick, and I used to glue mine down with contact cement, then
put
> in the wheel and use a sharp tool, or razor blade (CAREFUL!)
> to trim the edge even with the batt.
>
> The next step is to use a felt marker to make concentric circles about
> every inch out from the center to the edge. (A series of concentric
> circles, not a "hypnosis" single line deal!)
>
> Then...the tricky part ...take a leather hard bowl or plate and set it
> down...close to centered...using the concentric lines. Then turn on the
> wheel...slowly ... to start. Use your hands to frame the edge of the
> bowl...ie. open both thumb / index fingers (right and left hand) the
pads
> of the thumbs are then used to v e r y g e n t l y push the rim
> exactly into center.
>
> Once centered, use one hand to apply pressure down in the center of the
> bottom of the bowl...or plate... (I make a small divot in the cener and
put
> my middle finger of left hand in that divot and hold pressure down to
hold
> the bowl/plate in place....)big pieces...15 lbs or more... hold
themselves
> down. (I had one of these foam trim batt babies that was 2' in
> diameter...remove Brent splash pan and let the trimmings fly!!)
>
> Touch the other hand holding the trimming tool to help steady your
> hands (loop tool, wire end tool, angle trimmer..whatever)
>
> This helps you to keep your hands steady...they work together..just like
in
> throwing. Start to gently trim away a bit of clay from the foot at a
time.
> THIS TAKES PATIENCE...AND LOTS OF PRACTICE. The pressure of the trim
> tool must be matched by the pressure holding the piece into the foam..the
> friction of the foam helps hold the piece and is gentle on the
lips...When
> finished...trim / check / trim / check....be careful lifting the finished
> piece off the foam...
>
> (It probably took me a couple weeks in Grad school at Univ. Of Puget
Sound
> to "get it" I do not remember whose idea it was.....CM Article?
Carlton
> Ball or Ken Stevens? or Fred Olsen? thought of it or saw it
> somewhere...at any rate, I think one of them showed us..... or at least
I
> first saw it there. Anyone know who used that system before 1975?
anyone
> care?)
>
> Things with a L O W center of gravity are easy to trim this way....I got
so
> I could trim mugs...and small pieces like jars and lids.......THAT took
> practice! The Wheel Speed is important...you will find a comfortable
speed.
> Not too fast...or they fly! An electronic foot pedal control works
better
> to control the speed than a ring cone drive, or kick wheel, IMHO.
>
> This is hard to explain in writing..a challenge for me. Uff Da!
> It is , eventually, faster than centering the pot to trim it and holding
> it down with little wads of clay. Tall bottles and vases are trimmed in
a
> bisque fired thrown chuck....(shaped like "Three Mile Island
> Stacks")......which can also ride on the foam, if designed with a low
> center of gravity.
>
> If you have questions please ask. I will try to help.
>
> Did I leave out steps folks? Tricks that others have found helpful?
> Is this "grabber" thing better? Cheaper? I'm curious.
>
>
> Have fun!
>
> Happy potting.
>
> Ric Swenson, Bennington, Vermont
>
>
>
>
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> >Hi Gang,
> >This grabber pad thing is something I have not heard of before. Could
> >someone pass along a little more information about this and possibly
tell me
> >where I might aquire one? No one here in my part of OK knows what I'm
> >talking about.
> >TIA,
> >Teresa
Evan Dresel on mon 28 apr 97
At 09:43 AM 4-26-97 EDT, Ric wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
[Stuff about centering on a foam pad]
> Once centered, use one hand to apply pressure down in the center of the
>bottom of the bowl...or plate... (I make a small divot in the cener and put
>my middle finger of left hand in that divot and hold pressure down to hold
>the bowl/plate in place....)big pieces...15 lbs or more... hold themselves
>down. (I had one of these foam trim batt babies that was 2' in
>diameter...remove Brent splash pan and let the trimmings fly!!)
>
>Ric Swenson, Bennington, Vermont
>
This is where I find myself sinisterly disadvantaged. Being left handed, I
hold the trimming tool in my right hand and then hold my right hand in my
left for support and control (like those TV cops with big guns held in both
hands). That's fine, but I need a third hand to press down on top of the pot.
Hmm, so how do Japanese potters trim with the wheel spinning the other way?
Don't you need to get the trimming tool on the side moving away from you?
-- Evan Dresel who got a trifle much sun today doing the outside chores.
pedresel@revolution.3-cities.com
Ric Swenson on tue 29 apr 97
Evan,
This technique does take practice...just as using water on the wheelhead
does...to attach the piece down while you trim a foot....(I hate what that
does to the lips of my plates and bowls however.)
Just as you have to use both hands throwing a cylinder...one inside and one
hand outside the wall of the cylinder...fingers pointed in the direction of
rotation..ie for a wheel spinning counter clockwise, you want the left in
and right outside the pot as it rotates...(usually this is the
case...although I have taught people with disabilities, even one with a
single hand...to throw...let's not get distracted Ric...those are Very Long
Stories!) the point is that you have to coordinate the use of both hands
and to a certain extent, it doesn't matter which direction your wheel
spins..the hands have to learn to work together.
Remember that Shimpo wheels have (had?) a switch for "forward and
reverse"..... Which ever way you first learn to rotate the wheel will feel
confortable for you for ever more. I have tried to throw the opposite
direction (hoyta hogo?) and find it difficult....but not impossible.
Holding your trim tool in the left hand and spinning the wheel clockwise
might be what floats your boat. Try it.
I empathize with the lefties...(Is it 11 % of the population?)
all the best,
Ric
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>At 09:43 AM 4-26-97 EDT, Ric wrote:
>>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>
>[Stuff about centering on a foam pad]
>
>> Once centered, use one hand to apply pressure down in the center of the
>>bottom of the bowl...or plate... (I make a small divot in the cener and put
>>my middle finger of left hand in that divot and hold pressure down to hold
>>the bowl/plate in place....)big pieces...15 lbs or more... hold themselves
>>down. (I had one of these foam trim batt babies that was 2' in
>>diameter...remove Brent splash pan and let the trimmings fly!!)
>>
>>Ric Swenson, Bennington, Vermont
>>
>
>This is where I find myself sinisterly disadvantaged. Being left handed, I
>hold the trimming tool in my right hand and then hold my right hand in my
>left for support and control (like those TV cops with big guns held in both
>hands). That's fine, but I need a third hand to press down on top of the pot.
>
>Hmm, so how do Japanese potters trim with the wheel spinning the other way?
>Don't you need to get the trimming tool on the side moving away from you?
>
>-- Evan Dresel who got a trifle much sun today doing the outside chores.
> pedresel@revolution.3-cities.com
rswenson@bennington.edu
Ric Swenson, Bennington College, Route 67-A, Bennington, Vermont 05201-6001
802 442-5401 vox 262 fax 237 or direct fax 802 442-6164
Sam Cuttell on tue 29 apr 97
>This is where I find myself sinisterly disadvantaged. Being left handed, I
>hold the trimming tool in my right hand and then hold my right hand in my
>left for support and control (like those TV cops with big guns held in both
>hands). That's fine, but I need a third hand to press down on top of the pot.
>
>Hmm, so how do Japanese potters trim with the wheel spinning the other way?
>Don't you need to get the trimming tool on the side moving away from you?
>
Ahem, Evan:
Please, please don't use being left handed as an excuse! I, too, am
sinister. I put bottle caps on the base of pots when I'm trimming to
spread the pressure, and trim with my right hand. With smaller pots,
yes I can lean right against left for support. With large pots, I
push down with the left hand and trim with the right.
It's like anything else in life. Do it over and over, and you will
eventually find you're not even thinking about it any more when
you're doing it.
BUT - don't use right/left handed as an excuse/crutch. It just don't
fly!
sam - alias the cat lady
Melbourne, Ontario, CANADA
http://www.geocities.com/paris/3110
scuttell@wwdc.com
The more people I meet, the more I like my pets.......
David Hooker on mon 23 jun 97
Lisa-
You can get one of these "gems" out of a dumpster behind a carpet
store! Get a piece of carpet pad, cut it the size of your wheel head, and
glue it to a bat-- presto! I have two of these (one for red clay, one for
white) that I've used for 5 years now, and still going strong! Why buy what
you can make?
David JP Hooker
dhooker@ns1.upstate.net
Alice Chittenden on tue 16 mar 99
Hello everyone.
I'm responding to Lynn Le's question about a grabber bat. I think what
you are seeking is the grabber pad which comes mounted on a bat ( at
least from Axner's). The catalog lists the price as $39 for the 12" size
and $44 for the 14". I'm sure other places carry them as well. I can't
tell you how they work as I've never used one but I know people who have
and they seem to like them. Axner has a toll-free number 1-800-
843-7057. I have never had any problems with their service.
Alice Chittenden in Connecticut where Mother Nature sure surprised us
yesterday with more snow than we've had all winter!
Fred Hagen on thu 29 apr 04
Cristy,
I have a bat grabber and have experienced the same difficulty that you speak of. I talked to the manufacturer at the Indy conference and he said that it was meant to hold on forms that have a low profile i.e. bowls platters etc. He also said that short of a Giffin Grip, clay blocks around the outside are still the way he suggests. The Giffin Grip people seem to be in 2 groups you either love them or hate them --there doesn't seem to be many people in the middle.
Fred Hagen
Cristy wrote:
Hi guys,
I know you're probably thinking that all I have are questions, but you seem like a very helpful group and I need a lot of help.
Does anyone have a Grabber Pad? I just received mine from Axner a couple days ago and I can't get my pots to stick to it. Maybe they are not heavy enough, or maybe it's just my stupid luck that anything I touch never works like it should. I thought about getting the Griffin Grip but the pad was less expensive and my pots shrieked at the thought of being gripped...no, they didn't actually shriek, it was more like a silent standoff...but the fact is now I have this thing and I need it to work or I'll just have to keep using my little wads of clay--which seem to work faster than getting all huffed and pouty over it.
So, if anyone has one of them...how are you making it work???
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Cristy on thu 29 apr 04
Hi guys,
I know you're probably thinking that all I have are questions, but you =
seem like a very helpful group and I need a lot of help.
Does anyone have a Grabber Pad? I just received mine from Axner a =
couple days ago and I can't get my pots to stick to it. Maybe they are =
not heavy enough, or maybe it's just my stupid luck that anything I =
touch never works like it should. I thought about getting the Griffin =
Grip but the pad was less expensive and my pots shrieked at the thought =
of being gripped...no, they didn't actually shriek, it was more like a =
silent standoff...but the fact is now I have this thing and I need it to =
work or I'll just have to keep using my little wads of clay--which seem =
to work faster than getting all huffed and pouty over it.
So, if anyone has one of them...how are you making it work???
Carol Tripp on fri 30 apr 04
HI Cristy,
I too bought a Grabber pad when I started fitting out my pottery space ( a
w.c.); cheaper than a Giffin and smaller to store. I too had difficulties
with it. There's a long cut in it from a fettling knife made when I was
less than pleased. I put the Grabber pad away for a few years and went back
to clay wads. Now I use the Grabber and really like it.
So, what changed? I learned that it is best for pots with a wider/lower
center of gravity; plates, wide bowls and such. Tall cylinders are not
happy on a Grabber. I'd even be leary of mugs at this point. If the mugs
are on the soft side, and you have the skills to trim with a light touch,
then you could use the Grabber. Personally, I prefer to wet the rims of mugs
and put them directly on a moist wheel head, center, and then trim.
If your pots are hard leather hard, you will probably have difficulties
using the Grabber. Then trimming involves pressing down hard and the pots
tend to fly. Try trimming when the pots are softer and a lighter touch is
called for. (Think about cutting different cheese; parmeson takes a
stronger cutting action than Brie) You say that you have to trim when you
are ready and not when the pots are? That is sadly the case all too often
for those of us who are not full timers. Change your methods to suit the
occasion. If your pots are softish, use the Grabber. If hard, use four
good wads to hold 'em down. Or pack you pots up differently so they will be
softer when you are ready for them.
Best regards,
Carol
Dubai, UAE
OT - saw Hidalgo yesterday. What an inadvertantly amusing movie. Mile
wide misses as regards Arabic culture, not to mention geography that bore no
relationship to the known world.
Cristy wrote:>
>Does anyone have a Grabber Pad? I just received mine from Axner a couple
>days ago and I can't get my pots to stick to it. Maybe they are not heavy
>enough, or maybe it's just my stupid luck that anything I touch never works
>like it should. I thought about getting the Griffin Grip but the pad was
>less expensive and my pots shrieked at the thought of being gripped...no,
>they didn't actually shriek, it was more like a silent standoff...but the
>fact is now I have this thing and I need it to work or I'll just have to
>keep using my little wads of clay--which seem to work faster than getting
>all huffed and pouty over it.
>
>So, if anyone has one of them...how are you making it work???
_________________________________________________________________
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foxpots on fri 30 apr 04
Dear Christy,
I have a grabber pad, and a Giffin Grip. I use the Giffin Grip for
cylinders, and use the grabber pad for plates, spoon rests, short/wide
cylinders, and bowls. I'm quite fond of both these items. I, also, have a
21" batt that I have glued a round piece of some sort of a foam like pad
that is used to make pillows in the middle of. (I know that is not a good
sentence, hope you get the idea.) It is probably 1-1/2" tall. I use this
to trim larger bowls and platters. If I don't get crazy and spin the wheel
too rapidly, this works very well.
Good luck,
Jean Wadsworth Cochran
http://www.foxhollowpottery.com
Does anyone have a Grabber Pad? I just received mine from Axner a couple
days ago and I can't get my pots to stick to it. Maybe they are not heavy
enough, or maybe it's just my stupid luck that anything I touch never works
like it should. I thought about getting the Griffin Grip but the pad was
less expensive and my pots shrieked at the thought of being gripped...no,
they didn't actually shriek, it was more like a silent standoff...but the
fact is now I have this thing and I need it to work or I'll just have to
keep using my little wads of clay--which seem to work faster than getting
all huffed and pouty over it.
So, if anyone has one of them...how are you making it work???
Jones Pottery on sat 1 may 04
Hello,
I have and have used grabber pads for years. THey definatly have thier uses,
but are not for all kinds of pots. Clay is not supposed to stick to them and
not supposed to slide on them either. If you can bump on center that helps.
I use a rubber wheel with a wheel bearing in it on larger pots or a plastic
milk jug lid works ok too. There is a little learning curve to it like all
tools but I think with a little practice you will learn to like it.
Chris Jones
www.jonespottery.net
www.islandpotter.com
Amelia Island, FL
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