Lisa Williams on fri 17 may 02
Hi All -
My family all pitched in and bought me a new electric wheel for my birthday
(Creative Industries Clay Boss). It got here on Tuesday and I have been
trying to make something............anything.............but I am ending up
with off-centered lopsided things! I have been using a homemade kickwheel
for about a year and was getting to the point where I could usually make
what
I pictured in my head (a little lopsided, sometimes squatty, but mine all
mine!).
Is this normal when changing wheels to only be able to make a mess and not
make pots? I think I am experiencing wheel anxiety now! I did about 14
other things this morning before sitting at the wheel. This past winter I
had "kiln anxiety" because I had never fired a kiln (a friend found one and
showed up at my house with it one day) and everyday I would go look at it
and
touch it. Finally, I set a target date and fired it and I haven't stopped
since!
Help! Advice, suggestions, moral support??????
Lisa in NC
Jose A. Velez on sat 18 may 02
Lisa said:
> My family all pitched in and bought me a new electric wheel for my
birthday
> (Creative Industries Clay Boss). It got here on Tuesday and I have been
> trying to make something............anything.............but I am ending
up
> with off-centered lopsided things! I have been using a homemade kickwheel
> for about a year and was getting to the point where I could usually make
what
> I pictured in my head (a little lopsided, sometimes squatty, but mine all
> mine!).
Lisa, I went exactly through the same problem a few months ago. My
conclusion was that I was going too fast on the electric wheel. On my kick
wheel top speed took a lot of kicking and there was a natural limit to it
and then sort of a natural decay in speed through the throwing process. In
the electrc wheel there is no obvious indication of the speed and it is
constant unless you take some action. The feeling is completely different.
I made several adjustments tha have helped quite a bit. First I adjusted
the heigth of my chair so that I am seating at the level of the wheel head.
Also SLOWED down the wheel quite a bit. Now I try to be very aware of the
speed and start on the slow side and make upward adjustments if needed.
Also, I found I was getting tense and tired trying to concentrate on the
position of the pedal and what I was doing with my hands. I added a piece
of wood under my left foot, similar to the pedal under my right foot to
balance my body. All of these have helped I think, but the main thing is
speed control and PRACTICE. I think eventually you will get the feeling and
all the motions will become second nature again.
Best of Luck,
Jose A. Velez
Penni Stoddart on sat 18 may 02
LIsa,
I too learnt on a home made kick wheel I bought from a former teacher. In
fact I just moved it out to my historic period studio in our local pioneer
village this morning!
Okay, back on track......
In September of 2001 my grandmother sent some $ from England for all of us
grandchildren. It took me a few days but I suddenly realized it would be
almost enough for a new wheel. SO I bought a Pacifica. And made wonky pots
as I call them because I couldn't centre. It was SSSOOOOOO frustrating. Then
I slowed down! I do not use the highest speed now, just keep it all at a
constant and slow down little by little as my pot gets taller. That was the
key for me. I kick wheel forces you to go slow, but with an electric we
think we need to go fast. Not so.
The plus is that now I make big platters of 6 and 8 lbs with the help of a
bat and bat pins. Something I would never have attempted on my kick wheel.
Keep at it, it will come. Just slow down a little and take your time just
like on the kick wheel
~~~~
Penni Stoddart of Penelope's Pots
Now acting as PAST President,
Artisans London (Ontario, Canada)
I live in my own little world, but it's ok... they know me here
john elder on sat 18 may 02
Hi Lisa,
I have thrown on electric wheels for 28 years, in the last couple of years I
have been working on and off on different kick wheels. I much prefer the
work that comes off the kick wheel. It is more relaxed and quite. My next
wheel is going to be a kick wheel! You might be experiencing the same ...in
reverse. Most electric wheels do not have enough range at the slower
beginning speeds...too fast too quick!
You have just lost your slow center for a faster one. Moral support, don't
worry it will come back. Remember faster pots don't necessarily mean better
pots.
Good Luck,
John Elder
>From: Lisa Williams
>Reply-To: Ceramic Arts Discussion List
>To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
>Subject: My new wheel - I've lost my center!
>Date: Fri, 17 May 2002 19:39:43 EDT
>
>Hi All -
>
>My family all pitched in and bought me a new electric wheel for my birthday
>(Creative Industries Clay Boss). It got here on Tuesday and I have been
>trying to make something............anything.............but I am ending up
>with off-centered lopsided things! I have been using a homemade kickwheel
>for about a year and was getting to the point where I could usually make
>what
>I pictured in my head (a little lopsided, sometimes squatty, but mine all
>mine!).
>
>Is this normal when changing wheels to only be able to make a mess and not
>make pots? I think I am experiencing wheel anxiety now! I did about 14
>other things this morning before sitting at the wheel. This past winter I
>had "kiln anxiety" because I had never fired a kiln (a friend found one and
>showed up at my house with it one day) and everyday I would go look at it
>and
>touch it. Finally, I set a target date and fired it and I haven't stopped
>since!
>
>Help! Advice, suggestions, moral support??????
>
>Lisa in NC
>
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ginny bivaletz on sat 18 may 02
lisa - i recently changed from a kick wheel to an
electric. i found that i needed to run the electric
at a much slower speed than it was capable of to
closer imitate my kick wheel. in time i have gotten
used to the faster speed but i still go much slower
than top speed. good luck.
=====
ginny from orcas island, washington.
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Earl Brunner on sat 18 may 02
For someone who is still in the " I could usually make what I pictured
in my head (a little lopsided, sometimes squatty, but mine all mine!)"
stage it is probably somewhat normal. You aren't just moving from one
electric wheel to another, but from a kickwheel to an electric, and that
alone can cause some adjustments in the way you throw.
I would shift down (if you haven't already done so) to smaller pieces of
clay and work back up. You may be having a tendency to use excessive
speed, and/or changing the speed too much while trying to throw. You
have to get used to the fact that even if you take your foot off of the
peddle, the wheel while stay at a constant speed instead of the slow
down cycle that the kickwheel gives you. All can be problems on an
electric wheel for someone that hasn't done much throwing on one.
Electric wheels aren't magic, but when you get used to it, I think that
you will like it.
Earl Brunner
mailto:bruec@anv.net
http://coyote.accessnv.com/bruec
-----Original Message-----
From: Ceramic Arts Discussion List [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On
Behalf Of Lisa Williams
Sent: Friday, May 17, 2002 4:40 PM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: My new wheel - I've lost my center!
Hi All -
My family all pitched in and bought me a new electric wheel for my
birthday
(Creative Industries Clay Boss). It got here on Tuesday and I have been
trying to make something............anything.............but I am ending
up
with off-centered lopsided things! I have been using a homemade
kickwheel
for about a year and was getting to the point where I could usually make
what
I pictured in my head (a little lopsided, sometimes squatty, but mine
all
mine!).
Sharon Pemberton on sun 19 may 02
I taught myself to throw on an old, homemade kick wheel that was out of
round
and not too level. The old, hippie-potter who built and gave the wheel told
me, "if you can learn to throw on this thing, you can throw on anything." He
was correct, but the transition to level and not having the wheelhead sling
a
bit took a bit of getting used to. Hang in there, you can make the
transition. Practice, practice, practice.
If you can make them there, you can make them anywhere.......eventually!
Sharon in Dallas
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