Cindy on wed 17 nov 04
Hello, Dori
First, some postural things you might consider:
Do you throw sitting or standing? I find it much easier on my neck and
shoulders to throw standing up, with the splash pan at approximately belt
buckle level.
I built a table from scrap 2x4's and 2x6's to elevate the wheel to this
level. Make the legs a little long at first, then shave them off until you
like the height. I mounted the foot pedal so I can use it by pushing with my
leg, just above the knee. As an alternative, kits are available for leg
extensions on some wheels, but they're pricey.
If you don't want to do this, do make sure you have an ergonomic seat (lots
of posts on this in the archives) and elevate the unused foot to the same
level as the foot pedal.
Second, watch your breathing. Wear comfortable clothing (not tight at the
waist), and breath abdominally. This will help you to relax. I discovered I
was not breathing at all during difficult operations. Not good for the neck
and shoulders. This is a big deal.
Now, to centering large amounts of clay. Find the easiest way to do things.
If you are a young muscle man, then go ahead and center your 25-50lbs of
clay all at once. I will never do this, even though I most likely could do
it. But why? Here are instructions to center any amount of clay your wheel
can handle:]
First, wedge and prepare a cylindrical plug of clay in a size you can easily
handle. Center it; get the top fairly flat, but slightly convex. Then wipe
off or scrape off the slimy wet clay.
Place another, similar plug, carefully on top of the centered plug and seal
it down around the edges, avoiding the incorporation of any air bubbles.
You'll find the new plug is nearly centered, but you will need to give it a
little attention.
Once you have this second plug centered, you can either move on to opening
and throwing, or else add more clay. Try to keep the plug on the wheel
shaped roughly like a tuna can until you are finished adding new clay.
If you are making a particularly large pot, you don't need to start out with
25lb or more of clay. This is difficult to handle even if you do get it
centered by the previous method. Just make the bottom of the pot, then take
the pot off the wheel. Then center more clay and throw a ring. Measure the
ring so that it will fit on top of the existing pot. The existing pot should
have a pointed rim, like an upside down V. The ring should have a V-shaped
groove in its rim.
When the existing pot is stiff enough, turn the ring upside down and fit it
onto your existing pot. Seal them together, and then throw the ring into an
extension of the existing walls. Continue until the pot is as large as you
want it. (Remember the size of your kiln.)
Have fun,
Cindy
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