Bob Cyr on fri 30 jan 98
Hi Good People of CLAYART,
This is a question about throwing style.
To trim around the base while throwing, or to minimize trimming to near zero?
Most potters that I have seen do trimming as part of the throwing. The clay
around the base is trimmed and the wheelhead is cleaned during throwing
using a tool. And the clay is trimmed once more before wiring off the pot.
I once knew a potter who used a minimum of trimming while throwing and
could get almost all of the clay to end up in the pot. The amount of clay
to be recycled was held to a minimum.
As I remember, here is what he did:
The centering was done as usual, but the pot was opened to a diameter much
bigger than that of the final pot. At times it looked as if most of the
clay was in the base and little remained to be pulled up to form a pot.
The first pull pushed in the clay at the base and the side so that a
truncated cone was formed with a narrow opening at the top. The opening at
the top was so small that on successive pulls the potters hand had to ease
into the opening to gain access. This was done gracefully and seemed to
present no problem.
As the base was pushed in on the successive pulls, the wheelhead was clean
and only a small fillet was present at the base. This was done without the
use of tools. (I don't remember if a sponge was used during throwing.) A
tool may have been used to remove a small amount of clay around the base
before wiring off.
What amazed me about this style of throwing was the moving of the clay on
the wheelhead to the sides of the pot and the very small about of clay that
was trimmed while throwing.
I have tried this approach and have found it difficult to move the clay at
the base inward and upward. Extra force usually results in the clay pulling
off of the pot on to the fingers or throwing sponge. Also, as the pot wall
gets thinner, attempts to push in the base to a smaller diameter risks
distorting the pot to the point of collapse.
If any of the CLAYART group use this style of throwing or could explain
better how it is done, I would appreciate hearing from you.
Bob
Reaching out from Townsend Hill, Springville, NY, USA
Cindy on sat 31 jan 98
Bob,
I'm not sure I follow your description, but I do generally get the large
majority of my clay into the pot. I open to a bit larger (usually) than the
finished base diameter. This simply allows me to get my fingers *under*
most of the inside clay. I raise the wall first time using my left thumb
outside (on the part of the wall closest to my body) and left fingers
inside. This is hard on the thumb, so I support it with the thumb of my
right hand and use right fingers to steady left hand. Pinching in a
carefully controlled, even movement, I pull the wall up. Keep the rim
smaller than the base.
After this initial pull (which Stephen Jepson calls the "claw"), I work on
the right (my right) side of the wall. Take care that you pull from the
very base of the clay where it touches the bat/wheel. Otherwise, you'll end
up with a thick blob there that should have been pot. An exception may be
large, wide bowls. These may need the extra clay to support the
wide-spanning walls.
Make one or two full pulls, then raise the top half of the wall until it's
as thin as I want it. I then concentrate on getting the bottom half of the
wall to a similar, consistent thickness. At this point, I may add details
to the bottom of the pot. (a mounded ring at the base, for example. ) I
"dig" under the walls (no more than a millimeter or two) with a pointed
wooden tool. This raises any clay still clinging to the bat. I use a flat
wooden tool with a rounded notch in the end to shape that extra clay into a
nice, mounded ring.
If I don't want to finish the bottom with a ring, I wait until the form is
completed and then finish by undercutting slightly. This is what I do for
cups and pitchers and other forms I don't intend to foot. For bowls, I do
not trim until I'm ready to foot.
Cindy Strnad
Earthen Vessels
Custer, SD
USA http://blackhills-info.com/a/cindys/menu.htm
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