iandol on thu 13 jul 00
Dear Amy,
Congratulations. Perseverance pays. I am not sure if there is a limit to =
the size this technique will take a few pounds of clay. But it makes =
sense and works. I'm very please to hear about this success.
There is one thing I would like to clear up. I did not invent this =
method. It is illustrated in Pioneer Pottery by Michael Cardew. =
Furthermore, Seth Cardew demonstrates it in his workshop called The =
Language of Form. Similarly, seeds for the tall pots article can be =
found in the book by Leon Nigrosh.
When I write articles I always include references.These may be omitted =
because of space and other editorial considerations over which I have no =
control. Many people, directly and indirectly, contribute to my =
attainment. Articles are based on my experience and development of any =
techniques which come to me via other sources. I will not write about =
things that I cannot do successfully. And I like to be able to explain =
why things are successful. Whatever the source, it is pleasing to know =
that my skills as a writer and illustrator make them accessible to many =
other people.
Amy, thank your for your kind words.
Best regards and wishes for further success with your work,
Ivor.
Joyce Lee on sun 20 jan 02
Although you've received several fine responses to your questions about =
throwing bowl forms .... responses that I'm printing out for my own use =
... you may still want to look at Ivor's article in Pottery Making =
Illustrated from sometime last year. If you can't find it, I'll try to =
fit in time to seek the exact month. PMI, by the way, has loads of =
great how-to articles ..... that is its mission ...... How to Make =
Pottery .... along with step-by-step illustrations. I always seem to =
have a well-thumbed and well-clayed copy by my wheel.
Joyce
In the Mojave where it's so cold I've had to start wearing slippers when =
I get out of bed in the morning .... and where the wild rabbits aren't =
coming out until 10 a.m. or so ......
Richard Urban on sun 20 jan 02
Marianne,
This is just my opinion but in the end verbal describtions of throwing
techniques will yeild next to nothing. Throwing is 99.99% hands on. This is
not an intellectual process. What really counts is what is in your hands not
what is in your head. You may think your are receiving helpful information
but I can almost guarantee that when you sit down to throw you will
disregard, well, 99.99% of what you were told. Everyone throws differently.
It's a total body thing. Your body will tell you how to throw. Watch and
listen to what it is telling you. Feel it, don't think it. Practice,
practice, practice!
Richard
Cindy in SD on tue 8 mar 05
Dear Ben,
Everything I know, I learned from others. Having said that:
* Start with well-wedged, well-aged clay, not too soft.
* There will not be a "joint" per se, between the bowl walls and
base. They should flow together.
* Spread your base out as far as you want it, making the bottom of
the bowl a graceful curve.
* Throw a flower-pot-shaped cylinder to somewhat above your full
target height. Getting the bottom of the wall thicker than the top
is a common problem. I solve this by making several partial pulls
involving only the bottom half of the cylinder. I then blend the
bottom with the top by making a full height pull. It is necessary
to leave the lip of the pot thicker than you will want it, as you
will be stretching it out next.
* Gently pull the lip of the pot out, forming the future bowl into a
trumpet shape.
* Pull the walls out until they form a roughly straight, but slanted
line from base to your newly flared lip. You needn't be precise at
this point.
* Flare the lip out again.
* Repeat until you have achieved the desired diameter for the lip of
the bowl. You will know if you have gone too far, because the bowl
will begin to wobble and will ultimately collapse. At this point,
you need to either make a smaller bowl, use more clay or stiffer
clay, form a wider base, or become more skillful. As you make more
bowls, you will be capable of making them thinner. At first,
leaving slightly thicker clay at the base (to be trimmed away
later) may be necessary.
* Flare the walls of the bowl out into a pleasing line.
* Add any beading or other decorations to be done on the wheel, then
cut the bowl off.
* If you are lifting the bowl off the wheel on a semi flexible bat,
be careful to get your fingers underneath in such a way as to
deform the bowl as little as possible while moving it.
Have lots of fun making your bowls :)
Cindy in SD
Dale Neese on tue 8 mar 05
Ben,
center the clay low on the wheel head for a wide low "salad" bowl. Center
the clay taller for a "soup" type bowl. Open the clay for the salad bowl in
a wide "V" shape. Open a soup bowl with a taller "V" shape. Keep the clay at
the base of the "V" pushed in and centered at the wheel head. Thin the walls
of the "V" leaving a nice sturdy rim. Then with a rib on the inside right of
the "V"- bowl, work the curve of the bowl down from the top of the rim into
the bottom until you have a nice continuous curve. This method should work
with any amount of clay. There shouldn't be much at the base to trim. Try it
about 10 times.
Dale Tex
"across the alley from the Alamo"
San Antonio, Texas USA
Ben on tue 8 mar 05
Hi all,
Need some help on technique throwing bowls, 6 lbs and up. Sometime I =
sit down and throw them fine - don't even think about it. Other times I =
have a run of bad ones can't figure out what I'm doing wrong. and I =
don't have any formal training to fall back on as to what's =
right....so.....,
Same thing every time...
The "joint" between the base and the wall. Open, pull, thin, shape. =
right there as I'm bringing the bottom of the wall out to shape I end up =
with too much clay at the lowest point and not enough immediately above =
creating a hump where the wall is sagging without adequate support over =
the thicker lower wall/base section. It's not that the wall is too thin =
but more like the difference in thick and thin the wall moves but the =
base doesn't. I can't figure out what I do when I do it right. bring =
the inside all the way out, pull up from the outside? vise versa? same =
same? =20
Any descriptions of proper technique in this section would be greatly =
appreciated.
Thanks,
Ben
Taylor from Rockport on fri 11 mar 05
Ben,
You will have to take my advise with a grain of salt, me having been
throwing only about two or so years, but here are some things to think
about:
This is a very common beginner mistake. I had it for a time myself.
Often for me it was when I forced the clay to take a bowl shape and the
sturdier clay at the base forced the wall to thin. El sago.
I have decided that centering a 'doornob' rather than a mound as for
cylinderical forms helps me to get extra clay up and away from the bottom
of the future bowl. I always use my hitchhiker's thumb to open up a
curved bottom and I pay special attention to where my doornob contacts the
bat.
It might also be that you are ribbing out your bowls for final shape?
Sometimes one can push the clay to far too fast. At times like these that
extra clay at the bottom is one's worst enemy.
remember continuous curve. Don't throw a bowl like it were a big-mouthed
cylinder. They are not the same.
Pot on,
Taylor, in Rockport, TX
On Tue, 8 Mar 2005 17:32:10 -0800, Ben wrote:
>Hi all,
...
>The "joint" between the base and the wall. Open, pull, thin, shape.
right there as I'm bringing the bottom of the wall out to shape I end up
with too much clay at the lowest point and not enough immediately above
creating a hump where the wall is sagging without adequate support over
the thicker lower wall/base section. It's not that the wall is too thin
but more like the difference in thick and thin the wall moves but the base
doesn't. I can't figure out what I do when I do it right. bring the
inside all the way out, pull up from the outside? vise versa? same
same?
...
Louis Katz on fri 11 mar 05
Keep the vault straight ( or with a reverse curve) from the last floor
supported section to the rim. Just as you are finishing the bowl put
the curve in.
Louis
On Mar 11, 2005, at 10:16 AM, Taylor from Rockport wrote:
> Ben,
>
> You will have to take my advise with a grain of salt, me having been
> throwing only about two or so years, but here are some things to think
> about:
>
> This is a very common beginner mistake. I had it for a time myself.
> Often for me it was when I forced the clay to take a bowl shape and the
> sturdier clay at the base forced the wall to thin. El sago.
>
> I have decided that centering a 'doornob' rather than a mound as for
> cylinderical forms helps me to get extra clay up and away from the
> bottom
> of the future bowl. I always use my hitchhiker's thumb to open up a
> curved bottom and I pay special attention to where my doornob contacts
> the
> bat.
>
> It might also be that you are ribbing out your bowls for final shape?
> Sometimes one can push the clay to far too fast. At times like these
> that
> extra clay at the bottom is one's worst enemy.
>
> remember continuous curve. Don't throw a bowl like it were a
> big-mouthed
> cylinder. They are not the same.
>
> Pot on,
>
> Taylor, in Rockport, TX
>
> On Tue, 8 Mar 2005 17:32:10 -0800, Ben wrote:
>
>> Hi all,
> ...
>> The "joint" between the base and the wall. Open, pull, thin, shape.
> right there as I'm bringing the bottom of the wall out to shape I end
> up
> with too much clay at the lowest point and not enough immediately above
> creating a hump where the wall is sagging without adequate support
> over
> the thicker lower wall/base section. It's not that the wall is too
> thin
> but more like the difference in thick and thin the wall moves but the
> base
> doesn't. I can't figure out what I do when I do it right. bring the
> inside all the way out, pull up from the outside? vise versa? same
> same?
> ...
>
> _______________________________________________________________________
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>
Chris Trabka on wed 16 mar 05
Ben,
Mayor Mel had an excellent tutorial in PMI a few issues ago.
The process/method is important. Be direct.
The method that works for me (you may have to adapt it).
Center.
Open; compress the bottom.
First pull; get as much height as you can: 3/4 of the finished bowl, a
cylinder.
Second pull; get the total height, an open form, straight sides, cut off
excess at the foot.
Third pull; refine the sides, set the rim.
Afterwards; use a rib to set the curve of the bowl.
I always throw in a series, 20 to 40; the first few are practice/warm-ups.
Chris
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