Ellen Currans on mon 6 oct 03
I'm new to Clayart but not to Clay. After Janet's gentle reminder that we
should introduce ourselves before entering in, let me just say that I have been
playing in clay for 44 years, and making a living from pottery for the last
29. My husband makes and pugs my clay, loads and unloads the bisque kiln,
unloads the MFT kiln, keeps all the technical equipment running and lifts heavy
loads. He has never made a single pot. I consider myself a "potter", not a
"ceramic artist", and I make useful Cone 10 stoneware for the kitchen, dining
room, garden, etc. My work is thrown and impressed slab work with textured
surfaces and simple glazes which I've tested and we mix ourselves. We've raised 3
kids, own our own home and live comfortably, (but not rich) on the income from
making pots. We have a showroom at our studio, but mainly sell everything I
make locally at several good craft fairs in Oregon and Washington. I've
never done wholesale, no longer do galleries, and do not want to sell on the
internet. At 71 I am slowing down a bit but there is still so much to learn and
new ideas to work through.
Enuf said! I want to suggest that those of you having trouble removing pots
from the wheel or teaching in situations where there are never enough bats,
try tar paper circles for bats. I took ceramic classes in a studio situation
where the few bats they had were monopolised by just a few students ( the
instructor was mostly "out to lunch"), and it was suggested that I could make bats
out of tar paper if I really wanted some. I've been using them ever since.
I use 15 lb tar paper (or building paper or roofing felt - whatever they call
it these days) which you can get at most building supply places in a two foot
wide roll. Use saucers, plates or a compass to draw circles the size you will
most likely use, and cut out with very heavy scissors or metal shears. Don't
get heavier paper thinking it will work better. It doesn't
.
I use the bats mostly for flat pots that will be difficult to lift without
distortion.
I use about 5 sizes, each about l inch larger that the plate, salad plate,
platter, etc, that I want to make. Attach it to the wheel head with a smear of
soft throwing slip. As you work you will have a continuous supply. When the
pot is thrown, cut off between the bat and the wheel head. The advantage here
for beginners is that your wire doesn't raise up in the center and cut away
the bottom of your pot. If it is a fairly small piece, I use a large stiff
cement trowel inserted under the bat to lift it off the wheel and slide it onto
the ware board. I can place 14 soup bowls on one ware board, without
distortion, and without taking up a lot of the space needed for individual plaster or
masonite bats. If I am throwing plates or platters, I first place a masonite
bat on the wheel and attach a same size tar paper bat to it. When the tar
paper bat is released by a cutting wire, the masonite bat with pot is lifted off
to a shelf. There are a number of in between sizes that I remove to a ware
board after cutting them loose from the wheel by using needle nose pliers to
carefully pull the tar paper bat with pot off the wheel onto a small board and
then onto the ware board.
When the pots are firm enough to turn, you simply place another masonite bat
on the top, flip, peel off the tar paper bat (scrape it clean if necessary)
and go on from there. Small pots can just be picked up and turned over
without the bat support. You do not get a nice twisted wire bottom, so if that is
important to you you won't like this system. You do get a very smooth, flat
bottom to trim. The bats can be used even if still damp, and I have used many
of mine for many, many years. If you leave a large margin around the edges, and
let them dry out too much, you may get some wrinkling on the edges, but you
will soon learn to avoid this. The pots should be turned (or covered with
plastic) as soon as they are firm enough. You can't leave them forever as you
might on plaster.
One major advantage of using tar paper bats is that you can store a couple
hundred of them on a small shelf and you only have a stack about 4 inches high.
Hope I've made this clear, and hope some of you try it. It sounds dorky but
it does work!
Oh yes, I had the gas tank filled last week and it was $1.40 a gallon in a
500 gallon tank.
Ellen, from the overcast Willamette Valley, where we have only had one good
rain since last May. Our water has all gone elsewhere, I guess.
Ababi on tue 7 oct 03
Hello Ellen
Your words are very interesting.
Thank you!
I shall forward this letter to my friends because I am not throwing. It
is funny last Friday or Saturday when I sprayed on some mugs, I wanted
to avoid the out of the mug - glaze to reach the inside - I used little
circle out of tar paper on top of the mugs, it is quite heavy and the
stream from my EZE sprayer did not throw it away!
Ababi Sharon
Glaze addict
Kibbutz Shoval Israel
ababisha@shoval.org.il
http://members4.clubphoto.com/ababi306910
http://www.matrix2000.co.nz/Matrix%20Demo/Ababi.htm
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of Ellen
Currans
Sent: Monday, October 06, 2003 10:10 PM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Throwing on tar paper bats
I'm new to Clayart but not to Clay. After Janet's gentle reminder that
we
should introduce ourselves before entering in, let me just say that I
have been
playing in clay for 44 years, and making a living from pottery for the
last
29. My husband makes and pugs my clay, loads and unloads the bisque
kiln,
unloads the MFT kiln, keeps all the technical equipment running and
lifts heavy
loads. He has never made a single pot. I consider myself a "potter",
not a
"ceramic artist", and I make useful Cone 10 stoneware for the kitchen,
dining
room, garden, etc. My work is thrown and impressed slab work with
textured
surfaces and simple glazes which I've tested and we mix ourselves.
We've raised 3
kids, own our own home and live comfortably, (but not rich) on the
income from
making pots. We have a showroom at our studio, but mainly sell
everything I
make locally at several good craft fairs in Oregon and Washington. I've
never done wholesale, no longer do galleries, and do not want to sell on
the
internet. At 71 I am slowing down a bit but there is still so much to
learn and
new ideas to work through.
Enuf said! I want to suggest that those of you having trouble removing
pots
from the wheel or teaching in situations where there are never enough
bats,
try tar paper circles for bats. I took ceramic classes in a studio
situation
where the few bats they had were monopolised by just a few students (
the
instructor was mostly "out to lunch"), and it was suggested that I
could make bats
out of tar paper if I really wanted some. I've been using them ever
since.
I use 15 lb tar paper (or building paper or roofing felt - whatever they
call
it these days) which you can get at most building supply places in a two
foot
wide roll. Use saucers, plates or a compass to draw circles the size
you will
most likely use, and cut out with very heavy scissors or metal shears.
Don't
get heavier paper thinking it will work better. It doesn't
.
I use the bats mostly for flat pots that will be difficult to lift
without
distortion.
I use about 5 sizes, each about l inch larger that the plate, salad
plate,
platter, etc, that I want to make. Attach it to the wheel head with a
smear of
soft throwing slip. As you work you will have a continuous supply. When
the
pot is thrown, cut off between the bat and the wheel head. The
advantage here
for beginners is that your wire doesn't raise up in the center and cut
away
the bottom of your pot. If it is a fairly small piece, I use a large
stiff
cement trowel inserted under the bat to lift it off the wheel and slide
it onto
the ware board. I can place 14 soup bowls on one ware board, without
distortion, and without taking up a lot of the space needed for
individual plaster or
masonite bats. If I am throwing plates or platters, I first place a
masonite
bat on the wheel and attach a same size tar paper bat to it. When the
tar
paper bat is released by a cutting wire, the masonite bat with pot is
lifted off
to a shelf. There are a number of in between sizes that I remove to a
ware
board after cutting them loose from the wheel by using needle nose
pliers to
carefully pull the tar paper bat with pot off the wheel onto a small
board and
then onto the ware board.
When the pots are firm enough to turn, you simply place another masonite
bat
on the top, flip, peel off the tar paper bat (scrape it clean if
necessary)
and go on from there. Small pots can just be picked up and turned over
without the bat support. You do not get a nice twisted wire bottom, so
if that is
important to you you won't like this system. You do get a very smooth,
flat
bottom to trim. The bats can be used even if still damp, and I have
used many
of mine for many, many years. If you leave a large margin around the
edges, and
let them dry out too much, you may get some wrinkling on the edges, but
you
will soon learn to avoid this. The pots should be turned (or covered
with
plastic) as soon as they are firm enough. You can't leave them forever
as you
might on plaster.
One major advantage of using tar paper bats is that you can store a
couple
hundred of them on a small shelf and you only have a stack about 4
inches high.
Hope I've made this clear, and hope some of you try it. It sounds dorky
but
it does work!
Oh yes, I had the gas tank filled last week and it was $1.40 a gallon in
a
500 gallon tank.
Ellen, from the overcast Willamette Valley, where we have only had one
good
rain since last May. Our water has all gone elsewhere, I guess.
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