Cindy on mon 29 nov 04
Some thoughts on bats:
I have the pure & simple molding system, and I do like the bats. They're
huge, though. I only use them for plates and very large bottomed pots. What
an overkill to use them for mugs! Maybe they have a smaller bat mold--can't
remember. In any case, I haven't got it if they make it. One thing I've
noticed is that the triangular key tends to form a suction seal with my
bats. To avoid jarring the pot, I have to loosen the bat gently by sliding a
putty knife between it and the holder before removing the bat.
For mugs and cereal bowls, I use canvas bats. Just little squares of canvas,
saturated with slip. Dip them in the slop bucket, wipe them off or wring
them out, and place them in the center (more or less) of the wheel. Wiggle
them down a bit. They sometimes do slide a little until you get them broken
in. Once they get charged with slip, you don't need to do anything more than
wet them.
Just throw the pot, slide a sheetrock knife under the bat to loosen it from
the wheel, and put it on the shelf to dry. If you don't cut the piece off
the bat first, you will need to peel the bat off fairly quickly to avoid
S-cracks. I learned about canvas bats from Vince.
Hope this helps,
Cindy in SD
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