Linda Hamm on thu 23 mar 00
Hi everyone;
I am new to the list and have found the messages both informative and
thought provoking.
I have been a production potter for the last 25 years, I consider
production pottery my day job, one I enjoy, that pays the bills so I can
make art pieces in ceramics and painting.
I have never measured my clay by weight. I measure my clay by volume, as in
cubic inches. From my point of view there is a measurable volume of
material used to construct a pot.
I measure my clay using a series of production cutters. I make these by
stretching 40 LB test fishing line (nylon) on wooden frames, tied on one end
to a small screw eyelet which I can turn with a nail to increase tension.
These last for years with a little adjustment now and then.
On the wall I have a list of all the cutter combinations and the size of
lump they will produce, organized in ascending order of size, measured in
cubic inches. As for my pug mill extrusions, I know the volumes I will get
using each cutter.
I also have kept a record of all my standard production items. These
records include, height, width, lid size, size of clay lump, and anything
else I may want to know in 10 years.
My extruder produces 4 inch extrusions (12.57 cubic inches per inch) which I
cut into wafers using the appropriate cutter. When I don,t cut up an
extrusion I just bang the clay into a block and use whatever cutter
combination is required.
When I want to make a standard item, I look up the measurements, choose my
cutters and go to work. I f I,m making something different, I find out how
much clay was used to make a similar item and I,m ready to go. There is
seldom any mystery, I just do what I want to do; make the pot of my choice.
For pots that don,t have to be a specific size I just cut clay by eye.
I tend to be fussy and have pretty ridged standards for my production ware;
so I can match pots I made 25 years ago. This system works for me.
Does anyone else measure their clay this way or a similar way.
Bob
Bob Hamm
Super Mud Works
Kelowna BC, Canada
ph 250 765-8876
fax 250 7650497
email hamm@direct.ca
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