Lili Krakowski on sun 20 mar 11
I have used Creative Industries (no connection, relation etc) plastic =3D
bats for a long time and really like them. I do a lot of slip =3D
decoration....in fact that is what I mostly do these days..and the ribs =3D
on the underside of the bats not only make them non-wobbly, but also =3D
allow me a good grip when tilting to pour slip in and out of plates and =3D
bowls.
I also have and use outdoor and marine plywood bats which I cut from =3D
dumpster gathered plywood. I do not like Masonite ones for the reasons =3D
Vince gives. And certainly no plaster bats...again for the reasons =3D
Vince enumerates.
Bats flying off: wheel speed too fast. A huge, enormous number of =3D
throwing disasters come from the wheel going too fast. When people had =
=3D
kickwheels this rarely happened. But fabulous electric wheels that can =3D
exceed the speed of light have given many the idea that fast is better. =
=3D
Production potters DO throw fast, there are reasons for it, and they =3D
acquire the skill.
For most potters however slower is better. And for big pots a creeping =3D
wheel is a good idea.
Which brings one to splash pans. Growing up on a German style =3D
kickwheel, I soon learned to throw very dry. Still do. So splash pans =3D
are only to catch trimmings... The splash pans that come with wheels =3D
are much too small to catch trimmings off larger pots. =3D20
However: My wheel is "set" in a table. Following advice either in CM or =
=3D
Ceramic Review, I found an old Formica-topped kitchen table of the type =3D
pulls open. I pulled it open, cut an opening allowing the top of the =3D
wheel shaft to fit in when table closed, adjusted wheel height (I throw =
=3D
standing up) and now have a wonderful trimming catcher as well as work =3D
surface.
The woodworking supply houses sell these "slides" --under that name--and =
=3D
they are great. A table can be adapted or built and splashpans sent to =3D
their just rewards.
Lili Krakowski
Be of good courage
Michael Wendt on sun 20 mar 11
So far I have learned on clayart that I am
very much crutch dependent. For example,
I throw with lots of water so a splash pan is a must.
People who see how much water I use are amazed...
that is until they see how fast it is.
A typical set of three pulls takes about 45 seconds
because there is no need to worry about drag.
Then it only takes seconds to remove all water
with a sponge and shape to my hearts content.
My clay is way stiffer than most people like
(also declared a crutch by someone a while back).
Stiff clay tends to pry bats off the wheelhead both
during centering and heavy early pulls.
I beat the bat uplift problem that came with such heavy
pulls by making the central shaft of my wheel hollow
and installing an "O" ring on the wheel head which
then allows me to retain the bat on the bat pins by
means of a vacuum pump mounted in an adjacent
room so it is nice and quiet where I work.
The pressure differential exerts about 700 lbs of
force downward on the bats so I use 3/4" high density
floor underlayment sealed with 3 coats of polyurethane
for my bats.
I invite anyone coming to NCECA in Seattle next year to plan
a visit to our studio in Lewiston, Idaho to see the facility
and
take home any ideas you can use in your own studio
setting.
Regards,
Michael Wendt
Steve Mills on mon 21 mar 11
Like Michael I too appear to be of that ilk; I throw with slip, medium soft=
c=3D
lay and fairly quickly, and use the edge of the wheel tray for support on o=
c=3D
casion. If I didn't have the dreaded splash pan/wheel tray I would be COVER=
E=3D
D in clay. As it is I manage to get enough on me to make a decent bucket of=
s=3D
lop!=3D20
Obviously I am a lost cause, and byond redemption.=3D20
Now where did I put my Sack-cloth and Ashes?
Steve M
Steve Mills
Bath
UK
www.mudslinger.me.uk
Sent from my Ipod touch
On 20 Mar 2011, at 21:22, Michael Wendt wrote:
> So far I have learned on clayart that I am
> very much crutch dependent. For example,
> I throw with lots of water so a splash pan is a must.
> People who see how much water I use are amazed...
> that is until they see how fast it is.
> A typical set of three pulls takes about 45 seconds
> because there is no need to worry about drag.
> Then it only takes seconds to remove all water
> with a sponge and shape to my hearts content.
> My clay is way stiffer than most people like
> (also declared a crutch by someone a while back).
> Stiff clay tends to pry bats off the wheelhead both
> during centering and heavy early pulls.
> I beat the bat uplift problem that came with such heavy
> pulls by making the central shaft of my wheel hollow
> and installing an "O" ring on the wheel head which
> then allows me to retain the bat on the bat pins by
> means of a vacuum pump mounted in an adjacent
> room so it is nice and quiet where I work.
> The pressure differential exerts about 700 lbs of
> force downward on the bats so I use 3/4" high density
> floor underlayment sealed with 3 coats of polyurethane
> for my bats.
> I invite anyone coming to NCECA in Seattle next year to plan
> a visit to our studio in Lewiston, Idaho to see the facility
> and
> take home any ideas you can use in your own studio
> setting.
> Regards,
> Michael Wendt
Bob Seele on mon 21 mar 11
Michael,
That reminds me for the time I went in for a check-up.
Felt good going in.
Found out I had high blood pressure.
Found out I had may need heart surgery.
And just to rub it in, I was flat footed.
By now I did have high pressure !
bs
On Mar 20, 2011, at 8:22 PM, Michael Wendt wrote:
So far I have learned on clayart that I am
very much crutch dependent.
The word 'politics' is derived from the word 'poly', meaning 'many',
and the word 'ticks', meaning 'blood sucking parasites'. Larry
Hardiman
Luke Nealey on tue 22 mar 11
As an isolated, not for profit/for fun, therapy, whatever thrower I find
these types of discussion the most illuminating on clayart. Clayart and
assorted links that come up are the only contact I have with skilled,
experienced potters. When some grand statement about the right way gets
thrown out I shudder and think I am a dolt, no wonder I have problems;
thankfully the crew comes to the rescue and a whole bunch of other heavy
weights chime in and say it aint so. As a result I get about ten ideas, a
starred string and new things to try. All these cabinet makers with their
laminated, routed bats would recoil in horror to see the octegon shaped bat=
s
I have made gluing hardi backer to plywood with shape limited to what a
circular saw can do. I made these because I was having a difficult time
running a wire under large diameter forms evenly (I know ya'll, there are a
hundred techniques that you will post for doing this well). But they work
for me, the platters pop off the hardibacker when ready to trim and you jus=
t
have to keep your knees from getting wapped by the corners on the bats when
you're throwing.
The beauty (for me) of this whole deal is that its what comes out of the
kiln that counts. No one pays more for, or admires more something thrown o=
n
the wheelhead or with little water or really quickly. What you see and
feel is what you get, end of story.
Best regards,
Luke Nealey, Rankin Co. MS
On Sun, Mar 20, 2011 at 8:22 PM, Michael Wendt wrote:
> So far I have learned on clayart that I am
> very much crutch dependent.
gwynneth rixon on tue 22 mar 11
I also use the tray edge for support, and throw with slip....but I don't ge=
t
covered...I use a kickwheel, a wooden trayed SAVIAC.
As an aside it is interesting in these interesting times to think what that
stands for...
Search After Values In an Age of Crisis.
Gwynneth
Wales
www.gwynnethrixonceramics.co.uk
On Mon, Mar 21, 2011 at 10:26 PM, Steve Mills m
> wrote:
> Like Michael I too appear to be of that ilk; I throw with slip, medium so=
ft
> clay and fairly quickly, and use the edge of the wheel tray for support o=
n
> occasion. If I didn't have the dreaded splash pan/wheel tray I would be
> COVERED in clay. As it is I manage to get enough on me to make a decent
> bucket of slop!
> Obviously I am a lost cause, and byond redemption.
>
> Now where did I put my Sack-cloth and Ashes?
>
> Steve M
>
> Steve Mills
> Bath
> UK
> www.mudslinger.me.uk
> Sent from my Ipod touch
>
> On 20 Mar 2011, at 21:22, Michael Wendt wrote:
>
> > So far I have learned on clayart that I am
> > very much crutch dependent. For example,
> > I throw with lots of water so a splash pan is a must.
> > People who see how much water I use are amazed...
> > that is until they see how fast it is.
> > A typical set of three pulls takes about 45 seconds
> > because there is no need to worry about drag.
> > Then it only takes seconds to remove all water
> > with a sponge and shape to my hearts content.
> > My clay is way stiffer than most people like
> > (also declared a crutch by someone a while back).
> > Stiff clay tends to pry bats off the wheelhead both
> > during centering and heavy early pulls.
> > I beat the bat uplift problem that came with such heavy
> > pulls by making the central shaft of my wheel hollow
> > and installing an "O" ring on the wheel head which
> > then allows me to retain the bat on the bat pins by
> > means of a vacuum pump mounted in an adjacent
> > room so it is nice and quiet where I work.
> > The pressure differential exerts about 700 lbs of
> > force downward on the bats so I use 3/4" high density
> > floor underlayment sealed with 3 coats of polyurethane
> > for my bats.
> > I invite anyone coming to NCECA in Seattle next year to plan
> > a visit to our studio in Lewiston, Idaho to see the facility
> > and
> > take home any ideas you can use in your own studio
> > setting.
> > Regards,
> > Michael Wendt
>
Snail Scott on wed 23 mar 11
On Mar 22, 2011, at 8:03 AM, Luke Nealey wrote:
> ...All these cabinet makers with their
> laminated, routed bats would recoil in horror to see the octegon =3D
shaped bats
> I have made...
There's no absolute reason that a bat has to be round.=3D20
It does give the maximum surface area without bumping=3D20
the splash pan, but it's not that much more, really. An=3D20
octagon, I think, is a very reasonable compromise=3D20
between simplicity in making and workability in use.
-Snail=3D
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