David Hendley on sun 16 jul 06
When I mentioned my Formica sink cut out bats a couple
of days ago, several people asked about the cleats that
attach the bats to the wheelhead.
I knew I'd explained this to Clayart before, so a quick of the
archives brought this up:
Date: Fri, 15 Oct 1999 09:24:50 EDT
----------------------------Original message----------------------------
I can't understand why bat pins became the
standard for potter's wheels (here in North America,
anyway).
I haven't used one in 20 years or more. [Make that 30 years now!]
Every time I go to a school to do a workshop, I'm
reminded why again. It usually takes a dozen tries
to find one good bat with tight holes that is not warped.
Bat pins render the wheelhead useless, since no one
wants to spend time installing and removing them throughout
the day for different applications.
It's also hard to re-attach the bats when working on large
pots in stages.
So what's my system?
It depends on the piece.
And, of course, any system I use will be inexpensive;
however, no trips to the junkyard are required.
Off-the-hump throwing is done directly on the aluminum
wheelhead.
Small (2 lbs. & under) pieces with flat bottoms are done
on 7" diameter double tempered masonite, held on by
a 1 lb. low centered piece of clay. Works great, the
bats stick on, but can be easily removed by lifting up
on one side.
One sheet makes about 100 bats, for a cost of about
20 cents each.
Large pieces are done on Formica covered sink cut-outs.
This is the piece that is left over when they install a
sink in a bathroom. About 16" diameter. Suitable for
really big or really wide pots.
These bats are held on by three cleats - 2 " long pieces
of 1 X 2's - on the bottom of the bat.
To install the cleats, first put the bat on the wheel, center
it, and then draw a line on the bottom of the bat, with
the pencil against the outside of the wheelhead.
Then attach the 3 equally spaced cleats, so that the inside
surfaces just touch the line.
Use carpenters wood glue as well as two drywall or wood
screws for each cleat.
(This is the same idea that the Giffen Grip uses to attach
to the wheelhead).
These bats last, basically, forever.
The first ones I made in 1975 still fit tight and are as flat
as West Texas. In the center, the color has worn off the Formica,
and they're down to the brown color.
A few of these bats have gotten loose through the years.
No big deal - just glue a piece of shirt cardboard or a sliver
of wood to the inside surface of one of the cleats.
You get sink cutouts at a cabinet shop. In the 70's, I paid
a quarter each; they may be a dollar now.
15 or 20 of these is plenty, 'cause you only use them for
fairly good sized pots.
To use them, there's no need to align holes - just plop
them on the wheelhead - great for when a large sectional
piece needs to be re-attached to the wheelhead.
These bats are also the ticket for trimming those bowls that
are bigger than the wheelhead. Much sturdier than masonite
or plastic.
David Hendley
Maydelle, Texas
david(at)farmpots(dot)com
"EXTRUDE IT! Getting the Most From
Your Clay Extruder" available at
http://www.farmpots.com
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