Meunier Joyce Lee on mon 8 apr 96
In Stephen Jepson's tape "Advanced Techniques of Throwing." he suggests that
you practice tapping on center by:
1) Putting a l 1/2 to 2 lb lump of clay inside a large, tall coffee can to
simulate
the weight of a pot. Place the pot on the wheel.
2) Start your practice exercise with the can offcenter. With your left hand,
tap two or three sharp taps against the can with every wheel rotation.
The taps should be short, quick, jabby strokes but not heavy-handed
or you'll knock the can off the wheel. The side of your hand seems
to work.
3) When the clay inside the can is oncenter, pull your hand away. You will
be able to feel the clay oncenter and you can clearly see that the
lump of
clay inside the can is centered.
4) Do not practice for more than ten minutes at a time. Don't look for a
rhthym in the beginning. That will occur in about a week; or at least
it does for most potters. (ten days for me)
5) Tap oncenter with the left hand, but tap off center with the right
since you don't need to be practicing tapping offcenter with the
hand you're
trying to use efficiently (your left). You would just be
practicing the
wrong moves and you already know those.
I hope this isn't too muddled. It helps to see Jepson model the moves. of
course.
This method has helped me a lot. But, of course, I'm an old woman with only
18 months into pottery - or into any art, for that matter. What do I know?
Joyce
Hot Mojave
John Jensen on tue 9 apr 96
I first saw "tapping to center" at a workshop and was impressed.. I'd never read
or heard about it or seen it done. By a long learning process, including
following this thread on Clayart, I have finally reached the point where I can
tap to center, and use this method on a daily basis. I now encourage my
students to learn this technique right from the start. It is probably as easy
to learn as centering the plastic clay that the pot was made from. I remember
a whole series of posts last year about this subject wherein folks described in
great detail how they did it, and I concluded that it doesn't really matter what
you think you are doing...Just tap, tap, tap and eventually you will learn to do
it...faster than you think. (with thanks to Jepson and his advocate,John
Tilton)
John Jensen in Annapolis..76053.1462@Compuserve.com
erosenth@eagle.liunet.edu on wed 10 apr 96
To all the tappers and non-tappers:
When I first learned how to center a lump of clay, I learned how to
tap. I wanted to learn things so fast that it all happenned together.
I couldnt think of another way to center pots for trimming or whatever.
I think that I will teach tap centering before I teach my students how
to center wet clay. This sounds like an interesting concept. I will
have them tap different types of containers on the first day.
Ev.
FMIRANDA@alpha.CC.OBERLIN.EDU on wed 10 apr 96
I found that this important and fun skill also depends on your being able
to SEE what your pot looks like centered. Would be ideal if someone could
tap your pot on center, and then you can look at it. This is because even a
professional pot is not a true circle, sometimes not even a mass produced
pot is a true circle- I kept waiting to see my pots looking as centered as
a bicycle wheel. Then I suddenly noticed that even bicycle wheels are not
perfectly on center.
I think seeing is easier to learn than hearing. I've been teaching hearing
for a long long time, and I really believe that almost everyone can learn
to hear, as long as you start training really really young - like age 4 -5
years old, and do it consistently for 12 -15 years (or more!).
Once past a certain age, though, and boy it's not easy. Which is why we now
see so much (good healthy) competition from Asian students, who get much
better early training.
(How did I get off on this?), yours, Sharon, the aural skills teacher...
Cindy on wed 31 dec 97
I've been reading the Giffon Grip posts and all the folks who wish they
could tap on center. I learned how to do this from Jepson's advanced
video--maybe his teaching methods can help someone else as well:
1. Get a coffee can and put a pound or two of wet clay inside.
2. Spin the wheel at a moderate speed.
3. Tap the can approximately three times per rotation, using your left
hand. Don't look for a pattern, don't use your right hand. You'll be
holding trimming tools in your right hand.
4. When you get the can approximately centered, tap it back off center
with your *right* hand and repeat the process. Don't tap the can off center
with your left hand--you're training your left hand to tap *on*
center--don't confuse it.
Using this method, I learned in less than an hour. During the next week or
so, I devoted a few minutes daily to practicing the skill. I seldom tap on
center now, as I prefer to use a clay chuck for bowls and plates, and I
seldom trim any of my other pots beyond establishing a pleasing profile
while they're still right-side-up and stuck to their bats. I do use it
occasionally, though, and it's handy to know.
Hope this helps,
Cindy in Custer, SD
Bonnie Staffel on sun 16 nov 03
Thanks, Joyce, for the mention of my videos. Yes, I did demonstrate the tap
centering in my Beginner's Video. It is a matter of rhythm and tapping and
timing. Better demonstrated than written. It was one of those things that
I learned before the GG and it made my production life so much easier.
Norm Schulman taught me how to string cut off from throwing on the hump.
Another easy system. Check out my web site for a description of my videos.
Bonnie Staffel, Charlevoix, MI
http://pws.chartermi.net/~bstaffel/
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