John Baymore on sat 15 jul 00
Lorri,
The only time I have thrown narrow necks, well mostly just attempted it
but am getting better, the neck doesn't get small until the lower body o=
f
the pot is already formed. So when and how is a throwing stick used? I
hope that makes sense what I am not understanding and that someone can
clarify it for me.
Been using throwing sticks for about 26 years or so. Learned from my
friend Ben Ryterband at Mass. College of Art. He learned in Japan. The
stick takes the place of the left hand (if you throw counterclockwise) on=
the inside of the form. It is used when you can't easily fit your arm,
hand, or finger into the pot, (spout, or whatever) and reach the necessar=
y
point to change it from the inside.
If you learn to use one you are about to enter a whole new world of
throwing form possibilities as your whole STRATEGY to forming tends to
shift. Strategy used with throwing sticks is also useful in throwing for=
ms
you CAN reach into.
As you described, if you make a bottle-ish form without a stick, you pret=
ty
much HAVE to form the lower part before you "neck it in" because you can'=
t
go back an change it when the neck is too small to reach into. You can
move the lower wall clay inward by pushing from the outside....... but no=
t
move it outward. This limitation makes certain shapes much more difficul=
t
to achieve. Possible....but HARD. =
I am sure that you have noticed that certain shapes of clay on the wheel
tend to collapse easier than others. For example, if you get a overhangi=
ng
curve at the bottom of a wall and then try to apply a lot of torque at th=
e
top in necking it back in, it wants to sag, twist, or flop at the bottom.=
=
Physics in action. This tends to limit your forms, especially if yoiu ar=
e
wanting "big and bulbous" . The use of a throwing stick allows you to=
"rough out" the lower form, do the high torque work of necking in the top=
,
and THEN belly out the curve that is less stable.
So you pull a cylinder. Thin it to the appropriate point. Then you
lightly bulge the middle just a tad. Then you start to narrow in the nec=
k.
You rough out the neck area pretty close to the finished diameter. You
than use the stick to belly out the form (and not always in one pass or
from bottom to top, or in a uniform curve....use the intermediary curves
and the forces to your advantage). Then you finish the shoulder curve an=
d
finally the neck details. Then the foot area. Bingo. =
The stick can be used both to compress and move clay....or to simple stre=
ch
from the inside. =
It is a different approach to the sequence of the forming process that
allows you to take advantage of the structural qualities of the clay and
the physiscs of the forces in play at the wheel. The use of the stick
(also called an egote in Japanese) allows this change of approach.
It takes some getting used to. One KEY point is the grip you use on the
stick. You have to have FULL control of the stick, and learn to read
sensation through it. This takes practice. Don't expect to master it
overnight. I find that for most uses that you want the fingers of the le=
ft
hand to wrap around it like you were grasping a pole to steady yourself o=
n
a subway or trying to hold a live ant in your hand until you could get it=
outside.... and then place the thumb securely on the TOP end of the stic=
k
with the shaft opf the thumb in line with the stick. For me the KEY is t=
he
thoum position. It shouldn't be wrapped over your other fingers like a
fist. This is the power and the sensitivity all at once in using an egot=
e.
Something else has piqued my curiousity. I have read about anagama kilns=
.
As this word is never capitalized, I presume this is not the name of a
manufacturer. I looked up anagama in the dictionary and it wasn't in
there.
Ana in Japanese is "hole". Gama (sometimes pronounced more like kama
depending on word order) is "kiln. Anagama is "hole kiln" in the literal=
translation. It comes from the fact that these units historically were
formed by digging a hole into a bank of clayrich soil. Just a single tub=
e
of a hole in the ground.
Hope this answers your questions. I'm sure you'll get more on these from=
others too.
Best,
....................john
John Baymore
River Bend Pottery
22 Riverbend Way
Wilton, NH 03086 USA
603-654-2752 (s)
800-900-1110 (s)
JBaymore@compuserve.com
John.Baymore@GSD-CO.com
"Earth, Water, and Fire Noborigama Woodfiring Workshop August 18-27,
2000"
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