Ellen and Tom on thu 18 aug 11
On rereading my email I realized I was not very clear
about how to remove the larger pieces thrown on tar paper
bats from the wheel head. Most bowls or souffles or vases
up to 4 or 5 lbs do not need an additional fiberboard bat under
them. I put the 8 or 9 inch tar paper bat directly on the wheel
head. When you are throwing there is always a supply of fresh
sloppy clay in your waste bowl to smear with one hand while you
reach for the bat with the other. These are the pieces I remove
by cutting them loose with a wet wire, and then pulling them
onto a board held against the wheel head by grabbing the edge
of the bat with needle nose pliers. Larger pieces like platters
or plates I would use a fiber board bat under the tar paper, and
just simply lift both off and set on my drying shelves. Sometimes
you need to rewire between the fiberboard bat and tar paper bat
when you want to turn them. You do always get a perfectly flat
bottom however, since the wire cannot lift up in the center as it
sometimes does when you wire off carelessly.
I try to use bats no more than about an inch larger than the
bottom of the piece I am making. This helps to keep them
flat and drying without wrinkles on the edges.
Ellen Currans
Dundee, Oregon
=3D20
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