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kick vs. electric

updated sun 3 feb 02

 

John Jensen on sat 2 feb 02


I remember making the switch. With the kickwheel you get it going as fast
as you can and it then goes through a range of speeds as your hands absorb
the energy. So your technique is oriented around centering a mass which is
changing speed (slowing down). I think the actuall centering moment happens
at a much slower speed than the fast speed we start out with. With the
electric wheel the speed is more or less constant. I found that I was
successful at centering at a much lower speed than I initially thought would
be appropriate. I now throw standing up and with one foot on the control
pedal and I make small adjustments as I go through the various stages of a
pot. For a while I was suffering a sore left knee and ankle from carrying
the weight disproporionatly on that side; but in the I learned to balance my
weight and let my right (pedal) foot carry it's fair share of weight even
when operating the controls.
John Jensen, Mudbug Pottery
mudbug@toad.net www.Toadhouse.com