Mark & Pauline Donaldson-Drzazga on mon 31 jan 00
------------------
Dear clayarters and Greg,
approaching the momentum kickwheel correctly is a state of mind primarily. =
As I
said in an earlier post that it was my first wheel, and I still use it even
though I am an old fart.
Kicking up the flywheel is often done with much vigour and gusto, producing =
much
sweat and little in the way of production. Relax, take it easy. My father =
(died
some four years ago) was of Polish peasant farmer stock, and if you saw him
digging in his allotments he was seemingly not doing much, but come back in =
an
hour and he would have left all the other younger budding gardeners miles
behind. They had stopped, absolutely knackered, but he was gaily plodding =
along.
Moral of this story is to pace yourself.
You are supplying the power to rotate the wheel and also applying the skill =
in
the making of the ware. The way I kick up the wheel is to lean back and =
lightly
touch the flywheel with the boney part of my foot (bending up the toes makes
this easier) just after the toes join the foot. Don't use your toes as you =
will
impart too much downward energy. It is almost the same idea as when you are
kneading the clay, your approach to the work bench should be at an angle of =
45
degrees. Do not try to race, just sit back and get the wheel up to speed - =
not
FAST, but enough to ease the clay into an even mound. Kick up again (cone if=
it
is a small piece of clay and then press down and viola it's in the centre) =
and
press down, kick and finally centre with ease, not with force=21 Kick up =
again and
bring up the clay, a light kick and pull up, get your shape, a very light =
kick
and finalise your form, by which time the wheelhead is just about stopping. =
The
natural slowing down should be used as an advantage, a tempo to work =
towards.
Too many people try to go as fast as they can, DON'T. Just use the natural
momentum and the torque that that supplies to run the wheelhead at as slow a
speed as is pertinent to the job in hand, eg. slow, very slow, when =
finishing
off a rim, faster when pulling up the clay, and fastest when making the =
first
move. The beauty of throwing on a momentum kick wheel is the discipline that=
it
requires, you pace yourself, and to do that correctly you have to relax, =
work
with the natural pace of the wheel - not against it. I have yet to use an
electric wheel that can outthrow (weight-wise) my momentum wheel, so if I =
need
to throw something in one piece that requires more than 60 - 70lbs of clay I
would prefer to use my momentum wheel, it gives me the torque I need coupled
with the slowness that large and wide pieces demand.
Happy potting Marek http://www.moley.uk.com
Rob Sanders on tue 1 feb 00
----- Original Message -----
From: Mark & Pauline Donaldson-Drzazga
To:
Sent: Monday, January 31, 2000 1:31 PM
Subject: Kickwheel - sore legs
It helps to remember to kick as near the center of the flywheel as
comfortable. You get a lot more oomph per kick there.
And kickwheels are so quiet! That makes quite a difference in a high school
classroom full of wheels! They're also great for teaching novice
potters---they just stop if you try to force the clay instead of work with
it!
Rob Sanders - retired to Taos, NM.
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