Ron Collins on wed 27 dec 00
my plastibats have never loosened, and they all are over 12 years old, and
used a lot...
Gayle Bair on wed 27 dec 00
Hi Mike,
I have the same problem with some of my masonite
bats. I stick some clay on the bat pins then
put the bat onto the wheel. Even the warped
ones stay in place with this method.
I am surprised to hear the Plasti-bats
holes have loosened up!
Gayle Bair-Bainbridge Island WA
Mike wrote>
We own Plasti-bats and have found that their positioning holes have
"loosened up"
over the past two years(and we only thrown a couple times a week)!
I am now very close to "drilling new positioning holes." As they stand now,
when I
am centering, I can feel and hear their movement.. My current "fix" is to
use
tooth picks to take up the space.
Have others had problems with their bat holes enlarging?
Martin Howard on thu 28 dec 00
stick
the bat to that.>
That is fine, but it takes extra time to centre and flatten that pound of
clay each time.
The lotus system enables us move quickly from bat to bat. So long as we have
enough bats, work can be much quicker than the old centre, flatten and stick
method.
Martin Howard
Webb's Cottage Pottery
Woolpits Road, Great Saling
BRAINTREE, Essex CM7 5DZ
England
martin@webbscottage.co.uk
Martin Howard on thu 28 dec 00
Those with problems of loosened bat holes may be interested in the new
development by Potter's Mate of a modification to the Lotus wheelhead
system.
This has been specially designed by Potter's Mate, which has the rights for
Lotus, so that bats stay on in the right position.
I am fortunately due to get the first edition as soon as it comes from the
manufacturer.
Looking forward to it early in the New Year.
I will then report back to Clayart.
Martin Howard
Webb's Cottage Pottery
Woolpits Road, Great Saling
BRAINTREE, Essex CM7 5DZ
England
martin@webbscottage.co.uk
mudlark on thu 28 dec 00
How about an old developement . Center and flatten out a pound of clay and stick
the bat to that.
Martin Howard wrote:
> Those with problems of loosened bat holes may be interested in the new
> development by Potter's Mate of a modification to the Lotus wheelhead
> system.
> This has been specially designed by Potter's Mate, which has the rights for
> Lotus, so that bats stay on in the right position.
>
> I am fortunately due to get the first edition as soon as it comes from the
> manufacturer.
> Looking forward to it early in the New Year.
> I will then report back to Clayart.
>
> Martin Howard
> Webb's Cottage Pottery
> Woolpits Road, Great Saling
> BRAINTREE, Essex CM7 5DZ
> England
> martin@webbscottage.co.uk
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
Larry Phillips on thu 28 dec 00
mudlark wrote:
>
> How about an old developement . Center and flatten out a pound of clay and stick
> the bat to that.
Given the hassle involved in that, I'd place that method significantly
lower than
a. using SMALL bits of clay to steady it
b. using clay or matchsticks in the hole with the pins
c. putting up with the loose pins
d. not using bats at all
e. shoving a darning needle through my big toe.
--
If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!
http://cr347197-a.surrey1.bc.wave.home.com/larry/
Jim V Brooks on thu 28 dec 00
this is easy to fix..!!!!! get a hardwood dowel that fits into the
opening.. cut a small length of the dowel and expoxy it in place.. when dry..
redrill the hole. should be good for years. Jim in Denton Tx where we no
snow...
mudlark on fri 29 dec 00
So how long does it take you to center a pound of clay anyway. You only do it once
and use it for the day, or the week if you cover it up.
Please don't take offense, I'm sure you don't even have to think about it.
Sticking the bat to it just takes getting use to how wet or dry and being able to tap
on center.
There are other advantages to this no hassel method. Other than having to deal with
loose holes.
Like if you add on to a piece, leaving it on the bat to stiffen up a bit. Many times
the piece will dry alittle more on one side than the other. Or maybe you just throw a
little off center, heaven forbid. You can center the rim and not hassel with it. How
do you deal with that with bat pins?
Chucks and chums are easier to make. Do you use plaster bats?
Larry Phillips wrote:
> mudlark wrote:
> >
> > How about an old developement . Center and flatten out a pound of clay and stick
> > the bat to that.
>
> Given the hassle involved in that, I'd place that method significantly
> lower than
>
> a. using SMALL bits of clay to steady it
> b. using clay or matchsticks in the hole with the pins
> c. putting up with the loose pins
> d. not using bats at all
> e. shoving a darning needle through my big toe.
>
> --
> If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!
>
> http://cr347197-a.surrey1.bc.wave.home.com/larry/
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
mudlark on fri 29 dec 00
So what do you do if it dried aliittle one sided? Tall things can be that way and
many times are if you live in a dry climate.
Steve Mills wrote:
> True, however if you want to replace the pot on the wheel for further
> working, pins make life a lot easier!
>
> Steve
>
> In message , mudlark writes
> >How about an old developement . Center and flatten out a pound of clay and stick
> >the bat to that.
> >
> --
> Steve Mills
> Bath
> UK
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
Rick Hugel on fri 29 dec 00
Rather than loosened bat holes, I've often vexed by clay slurry buildup
between the wheel head and the bat and around the pins.
>True, however if you want to replace the pot on the wheel for further
>working, pins make life a lot easier!
>
>Steve
>
>
>In message , mudlark writes
>>How about an old developement . Center and flatten out a pound of clay
>>and stick
>>the bat to that.
>>
>--
>Steve Mills
>Bath
>UK
>
>______________________________________________________________________________
>Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
>You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
>settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
>Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
>melpots@pclink.com.
James L Bowen on fri 29 dec 00
Larry,
if you use the Mudlark method of attaching the
bats you can leave the clay pancake (cookie) on
the wheel head for weeks if you like by covering
it with plastic food wrap (saranwrap)
Steve Mills on fri 29 dec 00
True, however if you want to replace the pot on the wheel for further
working, pins make life a lot easier!
Steve
In message , mudlark writes
>How about an old developement . Center and flatten out a pound of clay and stick
>the bat to that.
>
--
Steve Mills
Bath
UK
Cantello Studios on sat 30 dec 00
Hi all just a note on bats. This may be old info to some of you but a potter
friend of mine name Tim turned me on to a new bat for throwing mugs and
smaller things. Go down to your local tile store and pick up some small
6in.tiles the ones without any glaze work the best just the red clay type.
If you fined the ones with small buttons of clay like feet on them they work
the best. The thinner the better less stacking space at wheel side. Take a
2lb. Ball of clay, center and flatten on wheel head about half inch works
fine. No need to put groves in this at all its better without. Put the tile
down on this flatten clay and hit once with hand not too hard they will
sometimes brake. The cool thing about this little bat is that its sticks and
stays the fired clay is like a suction cup. The little clay feet on the
bottom will not allow the tile to slip and after throwing just take a wood
tool and pop up. Another neat thing is you can get 16 tiles on a 12" by 4'
ware board. You will also fine that the mugs, or other small things will pop
off with ease and very clean. The only down side to this system is that a
ware board with 16 tiles and mugs can get heavy. Give it a test run you may
learn to love it I know I have. Chris from Chico Ca. ware its been 32 most
mornings but 60 by noon. I shot 39 on the front yesterday for the first time
with a birdie birdie finish. Yaaa Just like catching a 24in. Hat creek
Brown!!
-----Original Message-----
From: Ceramic Arts Discussion List [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG]On
Behalf Of Martin Howard
Sent: Thursday, December 28, 2000 2:01 PM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Re: loosened bat holes
stick
the bat to that.>
That is fine, but it takes extra time to centre and flatten that pound of
clay each time.
The lotus system enables us move quickly from bat to bat. So long as we have
enough bats, work can be much quicker than the old centre, flatten and stick
method.
Martin Howard
Webb's Cottage Pottery
Woolpits Road, Great Saling
BRAINTREE, Essex CM7 5DZ
England
martin@webbscottage.co.uk
____________________________________________________________________________
__
Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
Larry Phillips on sat 30 dec 00
mudlark wrote:
>
> So how long does it take you to center a pound of clay anyway.
Not long at all, but...
> You only do it once and use it for the day, or the week if you cover it up.
I suppose. You work differently than I do. I'd be cleaning it off and
rethrowing the clay pad as I went from throwing on a bat to throwing on
the wheel.
> Please don't take offense, I'm sure you don't even have to think about it.
No offense taken.
> Sticking the bat to it just takes getting use to how wet or dry and being able to tap
> on center.
I find it very tedious to do it, is all. Centering clay is one thing.
Centering a bat on a clay pad adds an extra dimension or two. Getting
the right moisture amount is pretty much by guess and luck for me, and
if I get it wrong, I often don't know until the bat slips or pops off
with a few pounds of partially thrown clay on it.
> There are other advantages to this no hassel method. Other than having to deal with
> loose holes.
Well, I find it a tremendous amount of hassle. I really was kidding
about preferring the darning needle through my big toe, but not by much.
> Like if you add on to a piece, leaving it on the bat to stiffen up a bit. Many times
> the piece will dry alittle more on one side than the other.
And if it was thrown on a bat attached wit a clay pad? I don't see this
as a centering problem, but rather as a drying, or redrying problem.
> Or maybe you just throw a little off center, heaven forbid. You can center the rim and not hassel with it. How do you deal with that with bat pins?
I deal with it by putting the bat back on in exactly the place it was
when I took it off. If I threw it that way, I can certainly add to it in
the same way.
> Chucks and chums are easier to make. Do you use plaster bats?
I use wood bats, made of fairly fine particle board, left unfinished,
and drilled to accept the centering pins. They are dead easy to make and
use. When they get a little worn in the pin holes, I just make more
(from scrap, at a few pennies each, and often free).
If I had no centering pins, and had no choice but to use a pad of clay,
I _might_ throw on bats once or twice per year, but mostly, I'd just use
the wheelhead to throw stuff that was a lot more fun than centering bats
on clay.
--
If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!
http://cr347197-a.surrey1.bc.wave.home.com/larry/
mudlark on sun 31 dec 00
When I was first learning this stuff from Henry Mead at age 20 he more or less forced us all to learn to tap on center. We all hated it but learned how.
Left hand hold the piece down it the pot at 3 o'clock when the bump comes to 1 o'clock. Bite the tip of your tongue in the left corner of your mouth and
don't think!!! Watched a finisher in the Coors plant do it in one hit time after time to reinforce that yes it is a practiced skill and not just magic.
Yea, I guess we do work differently and thank God there aren't any rules or Potter Police to force us all into the same way of doing things. Sorry I'm
at the bottom of your list of good solutions to the loose- bat- problem.
I probably throw on the wheel head as often as you throw on bats. Or as often as you would if you were busy "poking yourself in the eye with a darning
needle".
I have a variety of different kinds. From the bird feeder gig (mudlarkpottery.com), a bunch of small masonite ones that wouldn't span the bat pins (if I
had them). Plaster (hydracal) for plates, platters and things with flat bottoms, ( hate to wire cut them and the dry real nice). Some Plasti bats which
I use like you would your wheelhead. Some 18" sink cut-outs. And then there are the Mexican Freetails that fly out of the old mine in the valley. Now
those are loose bats!! I digress.
The water thing becomes intuitive. You can just look at it and know. I have a course serrated rib that I touch up the pancake with now and then. The bat
goes on the slowly turning wheel, it gets a bump on center, another bump in the middle to make it stick and I'm set. Kind of a bing-bang-boom. I use the
same stick that I undercut the pot with to release the bat from the wheelhead.
Another beautiful clear day in Salida, Colorado , the "Heart of the Rockies"
Larry Phillips wrote:
> mudlark wrote:
> >
> > So how long does it take you to center a pound of clay anyway.
>
> Not long at all, but...
>
> > You only do it once and use it for the day, or the week if you cover it up.
>
> I suppose. You work differently than I do. I'd be cleaning it off and
> rethrowing the clay pad as I went from throwing on a bat to throwing on
> the wheel.
>
> > Please don't take offense, I'm sure you don't even have to think about it.
>
> No offense taken.
>
> > Sticking the bat to it just takes getting use to how wet or dry and being able to tap
> > on center.
>
> I find it very tedious to do it, is all. Centering clay is one thing.
> Centering a bat on a clay pad adds an extra dimension or two. Getting
> the right moisture amount is pretty much by guess and luck for me, and
> if I get it wrong, I often don't know until the bat slips or pops off
> with a few pounds of partially thrown clay on it.
>
> > There are other advantages to this no hassel method. Other than having to deal with
> > loose holes.
>
> Well, I find it a tremendous amount of hassle. I really was kidding
> about preferring the darning needle through my big toe, but not by much.
>
> > Like if you add on to a piece, leaving it on the bat to stiffen up a bit. Many times
> > the piece will dry alittle more on one side than the other.
>
> And if it was thrown on a bat attached wit a clay pad? I don't see this
> as a centering problem, but rather as a drying, or redrying problem.
>
> > Or maybe you just throw a little off center, heaven forbid. You can center the rim and not hassel with it. How do you deal with that with bat pins?
>
> I deal with it by putting the bat back on in exactly the place it was
> when I took it off. If I threw it that way, I can certainly add to it in
> the same way.
>
> > Chucks and chums are easier to make. Do you use plaster bats?
>
> I use wood bats, made of fairly fine particle board, left unfinished,
> and drilled to accept the centering pins. They are dead easy to make and
> use. When they get a little worn in the pin holes, I just make more
> (from scrap, at a few pennies each, and often free).
>
> If I had no centering pins, and had no choice but to use a pad of clay,
> I _might_ throw on bats once or twice per year, but mostly, I'd just use
> the wheelhead to throw stuff that was a lot more fun than centering bats
> on clay.
>
> --
> If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!
>
> http://cr347197-a.surrey1.bc.wave.home.com/larry/
>
> ______________________________________________________________________________
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at melpots@pclink.com.
Richard Stack on mon 1 jan 01
I have a simple solution which nobody has mentioned but which works very
well for me. When I bought my wheel I found that it didn't have the little
knobs for holding bats in place. I also found that people wanted a lot of
money for bats. So I made my own bats out of composition board, drilled two
holes in the wheelhead the diameter of a small dowel stick, and then drilled
corresponding holes in the bats. I keep a jar full of bits of dowelstick by
the wheel and just stick them in the bat and stick the bat on the wheel. It
stays perfectly firm and one can either leave the dowel sticks in or take
them out as you wish when you're done. I guess it isn't as fast as the
standard method, but I'm not a production potter and it works fine for me.
yours, Richard Stack
Larry Phillips on mon 1 jan 01
mudlark wrote:
>
> I have a variety of different kinds. From the bird feeder gig
> (mudlarkpottery.com), a bunch of small masonite ones that wouldn't
> span the bat pins (if I had them).
I just visited your site, and was pleased to find a fellow fisherman. I
don't get out nearly often enough, and envy those who live close to good
fishing. I've never tied my own flies, though--maybe someday.
I guess if I was selling pots, making a living with them, I might do
things differently. Since it's strictly a fun thing with me, I like to
do things in ways that are the most enjoyable.
Thanks for the comments and the site pointer.
--
If you're not living on the edge, you're taking up too much room!
http://cr347197-a.surrey1.bc.wave.home.com/larry/
Steve Mills on mon 1 jan 01
Even in soggy England we are capable of dry weather! and my workshop can
get quite warm in the summer. With the tall bottles that I make, I find
that wrapping the neck in cling film prevents lop-sided drying.
Steve
In message , mudlark writes
>So what do you do if it dried aliittle one sided? Tall things can be that way
>and
>many times are if you live in a dry climate.
>
>Steve Mills wrote:
>
>> True, however if you want to replace the pot on the wheel for further
>> working, pins make life a lot easier!
>>
>> ______________________________________________________________________________
>> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>>
>> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
>> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>>
>> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
>melpots@pclink.com.
--
Steve Mills
Bath
UK
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