Anne Webb on tue 11 may 04
heya cristy..
i inherited a grabber pad a couple of years ago. as everyone else says, it
works well for plates, bowls, etc.. things with wide base. if i get the pad
a little dusty (ok really dusty) from trimmings or junk i've placed on it
while its not in use, i just give it a swipe with a damp sponge and it gets
grippy again.
using it for taller things with a narrower base doesnt work well as, because
of the different center of gravity, u need a little extra support to keep it
in place.
my teacher always swore by wads of clay vs the giffin grip.. mostly cuz
that's what he was used to, but also because when you're trimming, your rims
can sometimes be wonky or off (ie not perfectly round or not perfectly
centered or uneven) and using the clay wads allows you greater flexibility
than the giffin grip which requires the rim to be right on.
then you have the 3 little indentations the grips from the giffin grip if
you happen to trim your pot a little on the softer side... . but the
giffin just takes some getting used to, like any other tool. i dont mind
wadding pots with clay but its a PIA when it comes to production work.
another cheap option for you might be to throw a chuck for trimming..throw
it thick.. this is great for repetitive shapes. i have a couple of ones i
have thrown, trimmed, and bisqued, that i use over and over for common forms
i do that the giffin and wads dont work the best for. but you dont have to
bisque them.. in fact you probably have more flexibility if you use a fresh
chuck:
throw your chuck (trying to not use excessive amounts of water.. you dont
want it sludgy, just a nice form with some guts that can support the pot to
be trimmed) and drape dry cleaners plastic over it (so u dont have to wait
for it to copletely dry) and trim! then when you have the next pot,if its a
different shape, remove the plastic, reshape chuck, then when you have the
desired measurement and shape, drape the plastic again and there u go! when
the chuck gets a little on the wet side, you can firm it up a bit by using a
heat gun or torch. play around with it and see what works best for you.
you can also make a reusable chuck out of a coffee can, some thick foam (to
protect pot from sharp edge) and some sand.. centered the coffee can, wad it
down, drape the foam over and into it, poured some sand in to keep foam in
place, and voila.
i'm sure someone else out there might have some more helpful (and probably
more insightful) info re chucks.
best of luck...anne
>From: Cristy
>Reply-To: Clayart
>To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
>Subject: Grabber Pad
>Date: Thu, 29 Apr 2004 20:24:27 -0400
>
>Hi guys,
>
>I know you're probably thinking that all I have are questions, but you seem
>like a very helpful group and I need a lot of help.
>
>Does anyone have a Grabber Pad? I just received mine from Axner a couple
>days ago and I can't get my pots to stick to it. Maybe they are not heavy
>enough, or maybe it's just my stupid luck that anything I touch never works
>like it should. I thought about getting the Griffin Grip but the pad was
>less expensive and my pots shrieked at the thought of being gripped...no,
>they didn't actually shriek, it was more like a silent standoff...but the
>fact is now I have this thing and I need it to work or I'll just have to
>keep using my little wads of clay--which seem to work faster than getting
>all huffed and pouty over it.
>
>So, if anyone has one of them...how are you making it work???
>
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John Kudlacek on fri 14 may 04
Your post grabbed me. I have used all methods mentioned here plus a few
more to secure pots while trimming. Not only do I use the bat grabber but
also the mesh material used to prevent rugs from slipping. Also available
is a smooth shelf liner material (white), much like that used in the
commercial Bat Grabber" which can be adhered to the wheel head or non
porous bat in the same manner. To prevent the mesh type material from
denting the rim, I place a piece of polyurethene foam on top. For
convenience I glued a piece of the non skid mesh to a bat with Elmers.
It is important too, to use a small bottle cap or jar lid as a "bearing"
on the center of the inverted piece on which to apply pressure with a
finger throughout the trimming process. I save lids from vitamin bottles,
etc. for that purpose.
By the way, does anyone know a good substitute for the steel pins (rods)
used on the Giffin Grip? I lost one.
Whistle while you wedge,
John
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