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pin tools, was practice, practice and more practice

updated tue 26 aug 03

 

Diana Primiterra on sun 24 aug 03


Since I am a beginner and don't know any better, I'll
say this.

From what I am gathering, some people discourage pin
tools for beginners like me This is to avoid getting
into the bad habit of throwing incorrectly in the
first place. I can see a pin tool being used in
laziness, instead of for a legitimate reason like a
few people have mentioned. Perhaps for a beginner it
should not even be an option to use it at all in
class.

For me, I have never liked them, and have now learned
to throw more correctly and take much more care in
making sure the top is always even in the first place.
With every upward pull, I make sure it is even on the
top, before continuing to the next pull. However, if
for some reason I pull it out of form towards the end
of throwing whatever it is, I will trim it.

In my classes the teacher told us to trim the ugliest
things even though I never wanted to keep them.

I think pin tools are great, but I will always try to
avoid getting into the situation of having to use it.
I don't think it is harmful to do a very final trim on
a form to make sure it is even though. I would rather
use it to make sure things are right, rather then to
use it out of neglect or laziness.

Diana


--- Susan Setley wrote:
> In a message dated 8/23/03 11:48:47 PM,
> gferguson@WORLDNET.ATT.NET writes:
>
> <<
>
> I'm not saying this should be status quo and have to
> be done with all
>
> pieces, but I think it is perfectly acceptable to do
> when needed versus
>
> trashing the piece and starting over. >>
>
> I routinely do this on larger bowls. The rim on a
> bowl can be uneven and not
> apparent to my eye. I discovered this the hard way
> after making an elaborat
> medium-sized planter, completely with appliqued
> leaves around the edge and
> multiple layering of glazes.
>
> Because I did not trim the rim, when I trimmed the
> bottom, part was thicker
> and part thinner -- the bowl was not level. The bowl
> was large enough that I
> did not see it just by looking down on it.
>
> Worse, when I applied the leaves around the edge,
> that accentuated the
> unevenness.
>
>
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Geoffrey Gaskell on mon 25 aug 03


Suffice it to say that the pin tool is to a novice potter what a golf
handicap is to a novice golfer. It gives the beginner some vague hope of
acquiring a Competitive Edge!

Geoffrey Gaskell
Just looking for an excuse to mention golf again.
"Don't mention the War!" - Basil Fawlty