Ellen Currans on sat 16 sep 06
I totally agree with Vince that the Giffen Grip is a wonderful tool,
especially for anyone who plans to make a living from their pottery.
I think you need to learn first how to center quickly and easily by
the more traditional methods, and then, if you really have a need for
it, get a Giffen Grip. It will shorten your trimming time by a great
deal and easily pay for itself. There are many ways to adapt it for
different shapes. I bought one of the first ones (made of some kind of
compressed wood) and still use it. I think there may have been some
problem with the first grips getting damp and the wood swelling so they
didn't grip easily, but I don't leave damp pots sitting on my grip, and
don't have a problem with that. I have a second one bought second hand
for $50 made of plastic, and I continue to use the first one because it
has a slightly larger opening. I keep it on a second, older wheel and
use that wheel just for trimming. When they first came out they only
had 3 sizes of posts and my husband made intermediate size for me so I
could be more specific about where I wanted to grip the pot.
I make everything in series, and the Giffen grip is most useful if you
can set it up and trim 40 mugs, and then move on to soup bowls or
vases. If you are make one of a kind pieces, it won't save you much
time, but perhaps some frustration.
I agree with (I think it was Tom Sawyer) that it would be helpful to
have a larger grip or some kind of expansion. I saw something
advertised like that in CM a few years back. Was it called the
"Gorrilla Grip"? About the time I got around to writing for one it was
gone. It was it was only there a few months, and I wonder if perhaps
they were infringing on Giffen Grip's patent's. I use the grip to hold
slab work that I want to add thrown feet to, and the size is limiting.
I've never paid any attention to the naysayers who claim it will pinch
their pots, or is totally unnecessary if you are a "real" potter. It is
just another tool, like the wheel and the extruder. If it distorts your
pots you are probably trimming too wet. If you don't really make many
pots you probably don't need one.
Ellen Currans
Dundee, Oregon
P.S. We have just changed over from a PC to Mac OSX on the
recommendation of our son who works for Hewlett Packard.
I'm not sure if this e-mail will fit into the recommended line length
Clayart would like. Please let me know if the line length is too long
and I will try to figure out how to fix it. I do like my new MAC but it
is a big learning curve right now, and we haven't time to go for
lessons.
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Taylor Hendrix on sun 17 sep 06
Ellen (and Vince)
I just got through trimming some small jugs and bottles, and boy could
I have used a griffin grip. As it was I had to throw a chuck this
morning, set it outside for a time to stiffen up. I still have some
circular blemishes now on the sholders of those jugs, but I kind of
like them now. I forgot to cover my chuck with plastic before I left
(late) for work. When i get home tonight I will have a useless hunk
of clay waiting on my hendley-bat.
Taylor, in Rockport TX
On 9/16/06, Ellen Currans wrote:
> I totally agree with Vince that the Giffen Grip is a wonderful tool,
> especially for anyone who plans to make a living from their pottery.
David Hendley on sun 17 sep 06
Dear Taylor,
If you were an experienced enough potter you would have had no
trouble trimming your jugs in a chuck. There is no reason to set
a chuck outside to stiffen, and there need not be blemishes if you
do it right.
I don't care if a potter wants to use a Giffen Grip, but just like the
experienced lumberjacks at the East Texas Timber Show can
saw through a 10" pine tree faster than a guy with a Stil chain saw,
I can confidently say that I could trim jugs with a chuck as fast,
or faster than someone using a grip.
Of course, until you achieve the requisite skill level, the Giffen
Grip will be easier and faster.
The main reason I don't like the Giffen Grip is that it cannot take
into account uneven pots. Many pots are off-center at their tops,
compared to their bottoms. Probably more than half of anything I
throw that is more than 10" tall is like that. It doesn't matter and
no one knows, but if you tighten a grip around such a pot it will
not be properly situated for trimming.
With a foam bat, a chuck, or 3 wads of clay on the wheelhead
it is a simple matter to get the bottom you want to trim in perfect
center, even though the top is far from perfectly centered.
David Hendley
Maydelle, Texas
david(at)farmpots(dot)com
http://www.farmpots.com
----- Original Message -----
> Ellen (and Vince)
>
> I just got through trimming some small jugs and bottles, and boy could
> I have used a griffin grip. As it was I had to throw a chuck this
> morning, set it outside for a time to stiffen up. I still have some
> circular blemishes now on the sholders of those jugs, but I kind of
> like them now. I forgot to cover my chuck with plastic before I left
> (late) for work. When i get home tonight I will have a useless hunk
> of clay waiting on my hendley-bat.
>
> Taylor, in Rockport TX
>
> On 9/16/06, Ellen Currans wrote:
>> I totally agree with Vince that the Giffen Grip is a wonderful tool,
>> especially for anyone who plans to make a living from their pottery.
>
Elizabeth Priddy on mon 18 sep 06
The main reason I don't like the Giffen Grip is that
it cannot take
into account uneven pots. Many pots are off-center at
their tops,
compared to their bottoms. Probably more than half of
anything I
throw that is more than 10" tall is like that. It
doesn't matter and
no one knows, but if you tighten a grip around such a
pot it will
not be properly situated for trimming.
With a foam bat, a chuck, or 3 wads of clay on the
wheelhead
it is a simple matter to get the bottom you want to
trim in perfect
center, even though the top is far from perfectly
centered.
David Hendley
______________________________
I respectfully disagree, David. If you use the slider
arms, the grip is the PERFECT tool for uneven and
imperfectly thrown work.
You are not supposed to grab it by the rim at the
base, but by the middle or at the top near the
inverted foot. For this you use the sliders.
I leave a grip set up and ready to go and a little
extruded bottle next to it holds my sliders and posts.
I can set up and trim anything in about 30 seconds as
the grip just snaps on, I put on the long arm sliders,
adjust and trim. Nothing I use to trim dries out,
needs to be covered in plastic, leaves marks, or
wobbles. A properly seated grip and a little
dedicated tool kit for the bits and pieces is not a
high price to pay for 0 distortion of perfect rims
when you can come by them.
I am guessing that you have not given a grip a week in
your studio, because you just don't seem to understand
how it works.
And the only reason I am saying anything is that I am
willing to bet you a rack of wings at Hooters, that I
could beat you in a trimming match with a grip agin
your dinosaur methods...
But to determine the truth, we may have to stage a
breakout session at the Louisville NCECA, a cage match
if you will...
See you there man!
E
Elizabeth Priddy
Beaufort, NC - USA
http://www.elizabethpriddy.com
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Greg McRitchie on mon 18 sep 06
"Dear Taylor, If you were an experienced enough potter you would have had no trouble trimming your jugs in a chuck.".....Many pots are off-center at their tops, compared to their bottoms. Probably more than half of anything I throw that is more than 10" tall is like that."
Dear Dave,
If you were an experienced enough potter you would have had no
trouble throwing pots the same top to bottom.
Sorry, I just could not resist :)
Seriously, and I hope you were not too offended by my wise crack.
I have actually worn my fist GG out and I was amazed that they sent me a brand new one for no charge. I just finished trimming and then banding three hundred mugs (about a half a kiln load) and I think I would still be at it if not for the grip. I also use chucks for jugs because the spouts are not flush but I just hold the chuck with the GG. I heard a very well known potter say that real potters don't use GG's and I thought to myself; real potters don't use electricity either. Of course I also fly fish with a spinning rod, always the rebel.
Greg McRitchie
Mudslide Stoneware
Alberta Canada
fireandmud@yahoo.com
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Tony Ferguson on tue 19 sep 06
Elizabeth,
You can trim uneven pots. I do it frequently. I use packing foam slices as shims to compensate for the unevenness.
Tony Ferguson
Elizabeth Priddy wrote:
The main reason I don't like the Giffen Grip is that
it cannot take
into account uneven pots. Many pots are off-center at
their tops,
compared to their bottoms. Probably more than half of
anything I
throw that is more than 10" tall is like that. It
doesn't matter and
no one knows, but if you tighten a grip around such a
pot it will
not be properly situated for trimming.
With a foam bat, a chuck, or 3 wads of clay on the
wheelhead
it is a simple matter to get the bottom you want to
trim in perfect
center, even though the top is far from perfectly
centered.
David Hendley
______________________________
I respectfully disagree, David. If you use the slider
arms, the grip is the PERFECT tool for uneven and
imperfectly thrown work.
You are not supposed to grab it by the rim at the
base, but by the middle or at the top near the
inverted foot. For this you use the sliders.
I leave a grip set up and ready to go and a little
extruded bottle next to it holds my sliders and posts.
I can set up and trim anything in about 30 seconds as
the grip just snaps on, I put on the long arm sliders,
adjust and trim. Nothing I use to trim dries out,
needs to be covered in plastic, leaves marks, or
wobbles. A properly seated grip and a little
dedicated tool kit for the bits and pieces is not a
high price to pay for 0 distortion of perfect rims
when you can come by them.
I am guessing that you have not given a grip a week in
your studio, because you just don't seem to understand
how it works.
And the only reason I am saying anything is that I am
willing to bet you a rack of wings at Hooters, that I
could beat you in a trimming match with a grip agin
your dinosaur methods...
But to determine the truth, we may have to stage a
breakout session at the Louisville NCECA, a cage match
if you will...
See you there man!
E
Elizabeth Priddy
Beaufort, NC - USA
http://www.elizabethpriddy.com
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Elizabeth Priddy on wed 20 sep 06
Anything you can temporarily attach to a wheel head
can also be attached to the grip, and you are dead
even again.
Grip still is better.
Regarding extremely large forms and how they don't
fit,
I am pretty sure they are working on it.
And you have to have a form with a mouth diameter of
14 inches to be "too large" and a corresponding height
of greater than 8 inches. So I guess giant casseroles
will have to be done the old fashioned way. How many
regular potters make those? Versus how many potters
work with less than 10 pounds at a time and sometimes
make things that are not exactly round and that can't
tap center and that don't like dealing with little
clay wads...
For things that are just tall and less than 14 inches
wide, the place you grip it with sliders will just sit
a little lower than the top, still works.
I have some slider design ideas for the makers, but
the thing istself is s thing of beauty. (A valid
criticism of the grip is that it has a minimal
diameter so trimming the nobs on very small lids
requires a piece of foam or something and I refuse to
do this with a tool designed specificly so that you
don't have to do all that. For those tiney lids, I
now tap center them.)
For anyone working less than 14 inches in diameter,
the grip will function fine.
For people working larger than that, I would say that
you need special equipment for that at that point of
scale anyway. So your bats are also too small and
your splash pans should be removed and lots of things
that would make other similarly useful pieces of
equipment or tools "useless". Illogical red herring.
A grip is good for what it is good for, production and
irregular trimming. I also use it to construct really
wierd two part thrown/extruded bottles. It is an
excellent third arm, which frequently comes in handy,
kyuk kyuk.
Don't bash the grip due to the limits of your skill in
utilizing it or your creativity in figuring it out.
I have saved $300 worth of time using it many many
fold over and besides that, it is fun to use.
Last post on it though, don't want to scare off any
more serious potters from clayart. (That was a funny
way to shut down a valid discussion, btw!)
Really, though, the merits and failings are there in
the archives. Read up, folks.
E
Elizabeth Priddy
Beaufort, NC - USA
http://www.elizabethpriddy.com
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catjarosz on wed 20 sep 06
I have been watching this thread... dont really need to add to it but I am
a giffin grip user ... saw them in CM mag back in early 80's and that
picture of the pitcher sitting in that grip fascinated me .. I though WOW
miracle TOOL gotta have me one of those..... it took me a long time to
save enough to buy that thing and my professor hates them but she never
taught us to tap on center and I never knew you could do that... she did use
chucks and I on my own would draw circles with a pencil on the wood bats as
it turned on the wheel to help me center things up..
Well I get the giffin and also start Haywood Tech about the same time...
haha I learn that the pitcher on the grip thing is sorta pushing the
truth.. It aint easy to do such a thing with pulled lips and I discovered
that putting a wet shammy on the lip area after trimming bottom you can
pull a lip once the clay softens ... so thats how I solved the pulled lip
dilemma on a pot I wanted a trimmed bottom..
Ok so whats my point ? My point is I would sooo love to tap center and I
cant seem to do it.. I have tried many a time and it gets me car sick..
What is the secret to this? is there some one or two things that you can
pin point to help someone learn how to do it with written word or is it a
have to do a hands on thing? Can you tap on center a big heavy platter
? I feel I am missing a HUGE SKILL not being able to tap on center..
not to mention its a beautiful thing to watch someone do this...
I love my GG but I'd love to be able to choose either or..
respectfully Cat Jarosz in the mountains of NC 8 miles to Highwater Clay
and UNCA( university north carolina at asheville) in a town pronounced
Lester but spelled Leicester...
www.catjarosz.com
www.guildcrafts.com/cat/
V)''(V woof & >^..^< mew
(_o_)
\||/ chicks with beards rule!!
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