search  current discussion  categories  tools & equipment - bats 

bat pins smell just fine

updated sat 20 oct 01

 

Dai Scott on wed 17 oct 01


Hi, Vince - I would think that bat pins should eliminate the need to put any
clay on the wheelhead, or else what's the point of the pins? I've held my
bats on with a quickly smooshed coil of clay for years (still haven't done
Kevin's one-center-pin-and-one-outside-pin), and I can throw all day on that
same coil, batt after batt. Having to add clay to keep the batt from
moving was the reason I threw away my pins in the first place!
Dai in Kelowna, BC, wondering what happened to those (joke, I'm sure) ads in
CM years ago for batts with already centered clay on them? Must have been a
Soldner ad.........:)

"There is no right way to do the wrong thing."
potterybydai@home.com
----- Original Message -----
From: "vince pitelka"
To:
Sent: Wednesday, October 17, 2001 6:07 PM
Subject: Re: Bat pins smell just fine


> > First, throw away the idiotic bat pins.
> > Now, you have a nice wheellhead for throwing small items,
> > throwing off the hump, and trimming.
>
> David's system of making bats using sink cutouts and cleats is wonderful
for
> the larger bats, but of course when you are throwing an extensive series
of
> forms, oversize bats take up an enormous amount of space in your studio.
>
> Bat pins work wonderfully if you have good bats, and if the pins are
factory
> installed, or properly installed by you. We have bat pins on all our
> wheels, and we have plywood bats sealed with marine spar varnish, and
> unsealed Medex bats. All of our bats fit very well. The little dabs of
> clay I mentioned the other day, placed in a circle concentric with the bat
> pins, keep the bat from lifting off the wheel in a hard pull and
absolutely
> guarantee a firm tight fit, and it is absolutely no problem to pop them
off
> the wheel with a screwdriver. We have plywood bats that have seen very
> heavy use for seven years, and they still work beautifully.
>
> David's system is great if you need larger bats, or if you do not mind
using
> larger bats, but the bat pin system is great when it is done properly, and
> the bats themselves are far less cumbersome.
> Best wishes -
> - Vince
>
> Vince Pitelka
> Appalachian Center for Crafts
> Tennessee Technological University
> 1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
> Home - vpitelka@dtccom.net
> 615/597-5376
> Work - wpitelka@tntech.edu
> 615/597-6801 ext. 111, fax 615/597-6803
> http://www.craftcenter.tntech.edu/
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> 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.

vince pitelka on wed 17 oct 01


> First, throw away the idiotic bat pins.
> Now, you have a nice wheellhead for throwing small items,
> throwing off the hump, and trimming.

David's system of making bats using sink cutouts and cleats is wonderful for
the larger bats, but of course when you are throwing an extensive series of
forms, oversize bats take up an enormous amount of space in your studio.

Bat pins work wonderfully if you have good bats, and if the pins are factory
installed, or properly installed by you. We have bat pins on all our
wheels, and we have plywood bats sealed with marine spar varnish, and
unsealed Medex bats. All of our bats fit very well. The little dabs of
clay I mentioned the other day, placed in a circle concentric with the bat
pins, keep the bat from lifting off the wheel in a hard pull and absolutely
guarantee a firm tight fit, and it is absolutely no problem to pop them off
the wheel with a screwdriver. We have plywood bats that have seen very
heavy use for seven years, and they still work beautifully.

David's system is great if you need larger bats, or if you do not mind using
larger bats, but the bat pin system is great when it is done properly, and
the bats themselves are far less cumbersome.
Best wishes -
- Vince

Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Crafts
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
Home - vpitelka@dtccom.net
615/597-5376
Work - wpitelka@tntech.edu
615/597-6801 ext. 111, fax 615/597-6803
http://www.craftcenter.tntech.edu/

vince pitelka on thu 18 oct 01


> Hi, Vince - I would think that bat pins should eliminate the need to put
any
> clay on the wheelhead, or else what's the point of the pins? I've held my
> bats on with a quickly smooshed coil of clay for years (still haven't done
> Kevin's one-center-pin-and-one-outside-pin), and I can throw all day on
that
> same coil, batt after batt. Having to add clay to keep the batt from
> moving was the reason I threw away my pins in the first place!

Dai -
This is a really odd question. For anyone who does not know how to use a
cookie or a coil to attach bats, or who does not want to bother doing it
that way, bat pins are great. As you know, if the cookie or coil is not
done properly the bat can come loose from the cross-force of centering or
the torque of throwing. Obviously there is no chance of that happening
with bat pins unless you have really crappy bats.

Obviously some bats are not an absolutely perfect fit on the bat pins, and
in that case those little dots of clay keep the bat from moving around
during throwing. And even if the bats are a snug fit on pins, a hard pull
lifting the walls on a large vessel can lift the bat right off the pins, and
that is potentially dangerous. That never happens with those little dots of
clay. It is very easy to pop the bat off with a screwdriver, and the same
dots of clay serve for many consecutive bats. Does this really require any
more explaining?
Best wishes -
- Vince

Vince Pitelka
Appalachian Center for Crafts
Tennessee Technological University
1560 Craft Center Drive, Smithville TN 37166
Home - vpitelka@dtccom.net
615/597-5376
Work - wpitelka@tntech.edu
615/597-6801 ext. 111, fax 615/597-6803
http://www.craftcenter.tntech.edu/