Andy Clift on fri 31 mar 00
Hi folks,
Andy here! Just wondering if anyone could help Kathy out. I've built a
plaster wedging table before but I am not sure if I did it the best way.
Maybe with lots of tips she can choose the best tips and make the ultimate
wedging table. Here is her message:
(((((((((I am building a wedging table and have made the box out of 3/4"
plywood. Is it best to line the wooden box with a plastic sheeting before
pouring in the plaster? What kind of plaster do I use so it won't flake
when wedging? Any tips on how much plaster to prepare and pour at a time?
Do I wait between bucket loads? If so, how long? All tips are
appreciated. Thanks. Kathy Akpallie@aol.com))))))))))
--
Andy Clift
Redlands, CA 92373
(909) 307-6346
ClayStation.com - CyberSpace's Grand Central Station for the Ceramic Arts
http://claystation.com
Subscribe to the ClayStation Conveyor - A free online newsletter with the
latest info about ceramics on the net.
http://claystation.com/conveyor.html
For more info on my web design services go to
http://claystation.com/services.html
Jim Brooks on sat 1 apr 00
I built my wedging board with 1"X4" board frame and quickly discovered that i
would have to have a cement truck back up with a load of plaster if i were
going to fill it to the top.. SO.. i used a concrete stepping stone from the
local nursery to "fill" the frame..(actually was not but about half full)..
and then completed the fill with plaster... As soon as it dried, i covered
it with canvas .. that was about 15 years ago.. i have changed the canvas
once.. and it needs changing again. Also,, have made three moves with this
thing and it held together.. Good luck.
Cantello Studios on sat 1 apr 00
I wished I could give you the answer you want but here is my 2 cents. The
best wedging table of all time is a 1 1\4 inch bathroom flooring covered
with 11 oz. or better canvas. That's if your going to use premixed clay.
Clay comes ready to throw and wedging it on plaster will only make it harder
to work, this is coming from some one that throws three tons a year.
I do have plaster around but I hardly ever use it. A 16 inch by 16 inch by 2
1\2" plaster slab is all I have. The nice thing about using the wood and
canvas table is you can wet it down to wedge up hard clay, try and do that
on a plaster table. I hope this has helped in your thinking, Pouring that
much plaster will take two people and two 5 gal. buckets almost filled to
the top. That would give you about 2 ft. by 2 ft. by 3" I guess. If you try
and do it in two 1 1\2 inch pours you can try scoring the first slab so the
next will stick. Good Luck From Chris in Northern California. Where the
temperature hit 85 today and the Garden is in and growing like a big Dog. I
can't make it threw the year without growing 10x more then my family can
eat. Growing and throwing is the best way to a peaceful soul. If your going
through Chico Ca. some time this summer stop by and have a sit. Call 1 530
8946973. I,like most potters love to visit.
-----Original Message-----
From: Ceramic Arts Discussion List [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.UKY.EDU]On Behalf
Of Andy Clift
Sent: Friday, March 31, 2000 2:43 PM
To: CLAYART@LSV.UKY.EDU
Subject: Building a plaster surface wedging table
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
Hi folks,
Andy here! Just wondering if anyone could help Kathy out. I've built a
plaster wedging table before but I am not sure if I did it the best way.
Maybe with lots of tips she can choose the best tips and make the ultimate
wedging table. Here is her message:
(((((((((I am building a wedging table and have made the box out of 3/4"
plywood. Is it best to line the wooden box with a plastic sheeting before
pouring in the plaster? What kind of plaster do I use so it won't flake
when wedging? Any tips on how much plaster to prepare and pour at a time?
Do I wait between bucket loads? If so, how long? All tips are
appreciated. Thanks. Kathy Akpallie@aol.com))))))))))
--
Andy Clift
Redlands, CA 92373
(909) 307-6346
ClayStation.com - CyberSpace's Grand Central Station for the Ceramic Arts
http://claystation.com
Subscribe to the ClayStation Conveyor - A free online newsletter with the
latest info about ceramics on the net.
http://claystation.com/conveyor.html
For more info on my web design services go to
http://claystation.com/services.html
WHew536674@cs.com on sat 1 apr 00
I've made a few wedging tables in my day, and never thought to line them with
plastic. Never had any trouble with them. I try to mix up all the plaster I
think I'll need to fill the area in one pour. Pour it in while in a liquid
state, shake the table a bit to level it out and let it sit for a few days.
If you don't have enough plaster, rough up the surface a bit before you pour
again. Never had any trouble with flaking, maybe I was just lucky.
Joyce A
Mission, TX
KYancey on sat 1 apr 00
Andy Clift wrote:
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Hi folks,
> Andy here! Just wondering if anyone could help Kathy out. I've built a
> plaster wedging table before but I am not sure if I did it the best way.
> Maybe with lots of tips she can choose the best tips and make the ultimate
> wedging table. Here is her message:
>
> (((((((((I am building a wedging table and have made the box out of 3/4"
> plywood. Is it best to line the wooden box with a plastic sheeting before
> pouring in the plaster?
I would paint it with enamel paint then seal the seams with modeling clay.
> What kind of plaster do I use so it won't flake
> when wedging?
I suggest Casting Plaster #1
> Any tips on how much plaster to prepare and pour at a time?
The directions on the bag of plaster is a good begining, then depending on how
pourous you desire your table to be, you can vary your mix. Thinner mix results
in a softer product, and visa versa. For a wedging table I suggest a thicker
harder mix.
What are its dimensions? I would'nt make it too thick or it will take too long
to dry out. Two inches thick is a good guideline.
> Do I wait between bucket loads? If so, how long?
No. mix and pour as quick as possible. Other tips I suggest are to coat all
your molds, mixing buckets, etc with either Cooking oil like Pam, or Vaseline.
Trim sharp edges with a potato peeler. If any oil gets on your plaster working
surface, or minerals, salts, etc build up in your plaster and it becomes less
absorbant, you can re-dress the surface with steel wool. Soapy water is death
to plaster.
Dedicate a day or two to plaster making. Have cake pans, bowls, etc for making
bats, slump molds etc, then clean up thoroughly. Dried bits of plaster in clay
will pop out when fired.
Hope this is helpful, Ken
> All tips are
> appreciated. Thanks. Kathy Akpallie@aol.com))))))))))
>
> --
> Andy Clift
> Redlands, CA 92373
> (909) 307-6346
> ClayStation.com - CyberSpace's Grand Central Station for the Ceramic Arts
> http://claystation.com
>
> Subscribe to the ClayStation Conveyor - A free online newsletter with the
> latest info about ceramics on the net.
> http://claystation.com/conveyor.html
>
> For more info on my web design services go to
> http://claystation.com/services.html
rickmahaffey on sun 2 apr 00
We used to put in the electrical heat tape that you use on pipes to keep
them from freezing, or the type that you put in your flower beds so that
you can plant earlier in the "Spring". After it is poured you wait one
day then plug in the heat tape/wire and your table is dry in no time.
Also this is useful to reclaim clay.
Rick Mahaffey
Tacoma, Washington, USA
Jim Brooks wrote:
>
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> I built my wedging board with 1"X4" board frame and quickly discovered that i
> would have to have a cement truck back up with a load of plaster if i were
> going to fill it to the top.. SO.. i used a concrete stepping stone from the
> local nursery to "fill" the frame..(actually was not but about half full)..
> and then completed the fill with plaster... As soon as it dried, i covered
> it with canvas .. that was about 15 years ago.. i have changed the canvas
> once.. and it needs changing again. Also,, have made three moves with this
> thing and it held together.. Good luck.
sibylle on sun 2 apr 00
Hi,
here is another possibility for a wedging table, without doing all this
building work. I don't know wether it is as possible in US as in germany, but
we went to a graveyard to get an old tombstone of granite. It didn't cost
anything. We built an trestle of wood fitting exactly. OK, it was hard work for
half an hour, to transport this huge stone ( there steep stairs to our
pottery), but it was really worth it. It is polished, easy to clean, we are
very pleased to have it.
Sibylle
Andre van de putte on sun 2 apr 00
------------------
I made mine on a formica topped 2 foot by 4 foot table the following way.
Bought plexiglass that was 5/8 inch by 23 inches by 4 inches (I used longer
lengths for the other two sides, but four such pieces would produce a square
wedging table).
Used caprenter clamps to secure these to the table, put some clay on the
outside seams (just in case). Then I began mixing plaster in a clean, large
plastic glaze bucket (thankfully on wheels). You need to use a release on
the formica (green soap) and then mix Potters Plaster =23 1 and pour away.
Pouring another batch of plaster can be done pretty much right away...or you
can wait if you want to. Once filled, remove the plexiglass (and keep for a
future replacement) and you have a wedging block that will last for years.
GOOD LUCK,
Andr=E9
Chicago
amy parker on thu 6 apr 00
Gee, Sibylle, if you do this in Georgia, USA, you will be arrested for
defacing a cemetary. I would have thought it was illegal in your part of the
world also! And aren't you worried about bringing a ghost home to complain
about his missing headstone???
Amy
At 01:13 PM 4/2/00 EDT, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>Hi,
>here is another possibility for a wedging table, without doing all this
>building work. I don't know wether it is as possible in US as in germany, but
>we went to a graveyard to get an old tombstone of granite. It didn't cost
>anything. We built an trestle of wood fitting exactly. OK, it was hard work for
>half an hour, to transport this huge stone ( there steep stairs to our
>pottery), but it was really worth it. It is polished, easy to clean, we are
>very pleased to have it.
>
>Sibylle
>
>
amy parker Lithonia, GA
amyp@sd-software.com
sibylle on fri 7 apr 00
Hi Amy,
defacing a cemetary is also forbidden here in germany. But it is normal, that af
about 40 years a grave was kept, they remove it and you can get the gravestone.
think it cannot be sold because it is a kind of unfashionable ;). It costs nothi
they are even glad they don't have to care for it any more.
And concerning that ghost, perhaps you are right and she (it is the gravestone o
women) is the reason why very often our tools are lost or we find them at places
where nobody ever would lay them down (bucket of mud for example, or behind the
radiator). We might have to make a sacrifice to bring her soul the eternal peace
and to get our pottery more tidy :). Thanks for the hint.
sibylle
amy parker schrieb:
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Gee, Sibylle, if you do this in Georgia, USA, you will be arrested for
> defacing a cemetary. I would have thought it was illegal in your part of the
> world also! And aren't you worried about bringing a ghost home to complain
> about his missing headstone???
>
> Amy
>
>
Earl Brunner on sat 8 apr 00
We in the US have few cemeteries older than 200 years (at
the most).
Europe on the other hand has many that go back 400-600 or
more years.
I have walked in churchyards in England that were 400+
years
old and they were using the older head stones for sidewalk.
They also
had them stacked and piled up in the corners. They had
moved the older
ones out of the way to make room for the newer ones. I
suspect that it
would be possible to acquire one of these older stones
without breaking
the law, or even upsetting anyone.
amy parker wrote:
>
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Gee, Sibylle, if you do this in Georgia, USA, you will be arrested for
> defacing a cemetary. I would have thought it was illegal in your part of the
> world also! And aren't you worried about bringing a ghost home to complain
> about his missing headstone???
>
> Amy
>
> At 01:13 PM 4/2/00 EDT, you wrote:
> >----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> >Hi,
> >here is another possibility for a wedging table, without doing all this
> >building work. I don't know wether it is as possible in US as in germany, but
> >we went to a graveyard to get an old tombstone of granite. It didn't cost
> >anything. We built an trestle of wood fitting exactly. OK, it was hard work f
> >half an hour, to transport this huge stone ( there steep stairs to our
> >pottery), but it was really worth it. It is polished, easy to clean, we are
> >very pleased to have it.
> >
> >Sibylle
> >
> >
> amy parker Lithonia, GA
> amyp@sd-software.com
--
Earl Brunner
http://coyote.accessnv.com/bruec
mailto:bruec@anv.net
Mason Batchelder on fri 21 apr 00
I believe this could already be in the archives as I wrote of it before
,however maybe it was mailed direct as I often have done.
Those of us who prefer a palster wedging table can make the weight factor
less of a problem with this approaach-
USING 2"x 4" LUMBER, I built a table with a shelf below with enough height
under the shelf for stowing normal pails the height you commonly use.
The 4 legs come to the level of the finished desired height, depending on the
users preference
.A piece of scrap plywood is placed to become the removable floor for the
table and blocks screwed to the leg members work well.A piece of wire mesh
(CALLED HARDWARE CLOTH HERE)like is used for rabbit cages with small squares
can replace this when removed, if desired.A wall of 2"X4" above the floor but
resting on it and secured to the leg members with galvanized screws(DECK
SCREWS WORK) form the walls, butted or mitered you choose .When the carpentry
has been completed , a table with a rectangular recessed void.Now, using
plastic "SOLO" (BRAND) or solid plastic cups( bathroom size) cups and add
carpenter's glue to their rims and, leaving a wide border ,(keeping any 2
cups diameter from the edges of the walls) glue the cups rim side down to
the removable plywood floor with one cup being used as a guide to measure a
seperation of 1 cup away from each others giving a reverse egg carton look to
the project, and allow it to dry a couple days.When the glue is completely
dry, they should have a suitable distance from the top of the edge of the
void 2"X4" 's and using a plaster calculator from US gypsum (ESTIMATE THE
PROPER PROPORTIONS FOR THE SIZE YOU ARE FILLING-t subtracting the cups'
volume) AND MIX THE PLASTER ( I have used moulding and #1 pottery
PLASTER-BOTH HAVE DONE EQUALLY WELL OVER THE YEARS IF MIXED PROPERLY AND
RELIEVED OF THE BUBBLES BY JARRING THE FILLED FORM.)
When the plaster is all mixed and the last poured (two people or more , if a
big form) overfill a bit and use a good stiff clean edge straight edge to
level the top by drawing it cleanly across.The table jaring will help fo give
a smooth surface.
I always use a 12 ounce canvas that I purchase from a good art supply store
or heavy cotton duck from a huge department store's fabric dept the kind you
would use to redo deck chairs.
I nail the canvas under the bottom edge using artist's canvus puller plyers
if you have them (ASK AN ARTIST FRIEND WHO STRETCHES CANVAS).I use galvanized
roofing naills with the flat heads to secure it and make "ARMY CORNERS" LIKE
YOU MAKE HOSPITAL BEDS.
A SCREW EYE HOLDS A GOOD STAINLESS WIRE AND A TURNBUCKLE IS USED ON THE OTHER
END TO TIGHTEN IT FOR CUTTING THE CLAY MOUNTED EITHER IN THE CENTER OR ONE
END OF THE BOARD DEPENDING ON THE SIZE YOU MAKE.
When the top has been covered ,on a protected surface, turn the table upside
down and remove the plywood bottom and the solo cups and secure the hardware
cloth mesh wire to the underside , if desired.
The use of the solo cups make it much lighter, uses less plaster, and gives
the plaster a means of drying out much more quickly if a lot of clay is
wedged or recycled drying thru this ventilating underside.
THIS HAS WORKED FOR ME SINCE BUILDING THEM IN THE LATE 1960'S.
Margaret Arial
Lexington,SC
| |
|
