Vince Pitelka on sun 7 dec 97
I have been watching all these postings about bats. First, it is no
trouble at all to make round bats if you make the right jigs for the band
saw and drill press. I recently sent a thorough explanation of the process
to another Clayarter, and it was subsequently posted to the list. If you
can't find it on archives let me know.
But another option everyone should consider is using canvas squares in place
of bats. I have posted about this before, but I will repeat the essential
stuff here. Get some heavy canvas, at least 10 ounce, and cut it into
squares where the width of the square is at least two inches greater than
the base diameter of the forms you want to throw. Obviously, it would make
sense to have a variety of sizes for different needs. Mix up a batch of
THICK gritless slurry. For throwing porcelain or whiteware, mix up a kaolin
slurry. For throwing buff stoneware, mix up a goldart slurry. For throwing
terracotta, mix up a redart slurry. Coat your canvas squares with a thin
brush-coat of the appropriate slurry, and let them dry completely. Smear a
bit of slurry on the wheel with your fingertips, spiraling outwards. Place
a canvas square over the slurry, and squeegee outwards from the center with
a rubber rib. Start the wheel and squeegee outwards from the center with
the wheel spinning, so that the top of the canvas gets sealed with slurry.
Throw in a normal fashion on top of the canvas square.
When you finish your pot, carefully pull your cutoff wire under the canvas,
with the wheel NOT turning. Grasp the corner of the canvas, and pull the
pot off onto a wareboard. If your splash pan rises above the level of the
wheel, get a cheap standard pointed concrete trowel from Lowes or Walmart,
and pull the canvas and pot onto the trowel, and from the trowel onto the
wareboard.
This system works especially well for pots that are not going to be
wheel-trimmed. In that case, when the pot is leather-hard, peel off the
canvas, smooth down the burr around the edge or roll the edge (and sign your
name if you wish), and you are done with the bottom. The canvas texture is
quite pleasing.
- Vince
Vince Pitelka - vpitelka@DeKalb.net
Home 615/597-5376, work 615/597-6801, fax 615/597-6803
Appalachian Center for Crafts
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
Sandra Dwiggins on tue 9 dec 97
Vince--
You must have read my mind. Yesterday I was throwing many mugs
and since my philosophy is not to trim if I can help it, I use bat after bat
and I hate it. I was thinking about the square bats inside the round bat
option--but the cloth bat thing is so much easier and takes up so much
less room--and it seems that it would probably be alright with any size of
work. Are there any limitations that you have run across with this
method?
Sandy
Don Jones on wed 10 dec 97
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Vince--
>You must have read my mind. Yesterday I was throwing many mugs
>and since my philosophy is not to trim if I can help it, I use bat after bat
>and I hate it. I was thinking about the square bats inside the round bat
>option--but the cloth bat thing is so much easier and takes up so much
>less room--and it seems that it would probably be alright with any size of
>work. Are there any limitations that you have run across with this
>method?
>Sandy
Sandy,
Imagine the time and space you will save if you throw the mugs directly on
the wheell, trim off the excess on the bottom, cut it with a twisted
wire(which leaves a nice "Horse eye" pattern),lift it off, and put it on a
board. No trimming no fuss, no muss..
Don Jones
claysky@highfiber.com
:-) implied in all messages and replies
http://highfiber.com/~claysky
Vince Pitelka on wed 10 dec 97
>You must have read my mind. Yesterday I was throwing many mugs
>and since my philosophy is not to trim if I can help it, I use bat after bat
>and I hate it. I was thinking about the square bats inside the round bat
>option--but the cloth bat thing is so much easier and takes up so much
>less room--and it seems that it would probably be alright with any size of
>work. Are there any limitations that you have run across with this
>method?
Sandy -
For those who would rather avoid deforming casseroles, bowls and plates on
removal from the wheel, a rigid bat works better for those forms. Large
diameter or very large size forms are better thrown on a rigid bat. Almost
all other forms can easily be thrown on canvas squares as described.
- Vince
Vince Pitelka - vpitelka@DeKalb.net
Home 615/597-5376, work 615/597-6801, fax 615/597-6803
Appalachian Center for Crafts
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
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