Kate McCulloch on tue 24 oct 06
Hi!
This is my first time on here so hope it all goes well!
I'm a student studying BA 3D Design (focusing on ceramics) from 'over the
pond' in Exeter, UK.
I'm having a little difficulty centering - it as it always looks centered
but then once I start to pull up it starts to pull and then the bowl shape
never feels right. I'm using the right hand on top and the left hand
pushing but it just doesn't seem to be happening no matter how many times
are try it. Does anyone have any helpful tips that I could try?? Anything
like ideal speed or pressure and stuff would be gratefully received!!
Thanks for your time and no doubt I'll be on here constantly throughout my
last year!!
Marcia Selsor on tue 24 oct 06
I always tell students there should be more pressure between your
fingers than you are putting on the clay. Tense your hands, push with
the top hand and guid with the side. Then push the side hand and
guide with the top.
Make cone to igloo shapes thre or four times and it should be centered.
When pulling up, gently remove your hands from the clay. A quick jerk
can off center the piece.
Marcia Selsor
http://marciaselsor.com
On Oct 24, 2006, at 4:58 AM, Kate McCulloch wrote:
> Hi!
> This is my first time on here so hope it all goes well!
> I'm a student studying BA 3D Design (focusing on ceramics) from
> 'over the
> pond' in Exeter, UK.
> I'm having a little difficulty centering - it as it always looks
> centered
> but then once I start to pull up it starts to pull and then the
> bowl shape
> never feels right. I'm using the right hand on top and the left hand
> pushing but it just doesn't seem to be happening no matter how many
> times
> are try it. Does anyone have any helpful tips that I could try??
> Anything
> like ideal speed or pressure and stuff would be gratefully received!!
> Thanks for your time and no doubt I'll be on here constantly
> throughout my
> last year!!
>
Marek & Pauline Drzazga-Donaldson on tue 24 oct 06
Dear Kate McCulloch,
I am just down the road near South Molton just off the A377- 30 miles =
from Exeter - come to my Studio and I will get you going in about five =
minutes flat. just go to one of my sites and email me to organise your =
visit time.
My dragonfinials site is fully up with more video content.
Happy potting Marek
Hand made Architectural Ceramics from No9 Studio UK www.no9uk.com
Fully Residential Pottery Courses and more at Mole Cottage =
www.moleys.com
"Tips and Time Travel from a Vernacular Potter" reviews on =
www.keramix.com
an irreverent point of view after 35 years in the game Marek =
Drzazga-Donaldson =20
Assemble a dragon finial at www.dragonfinials.co.uk
Free Works and Mole Cottage DVD's and Video content on all the sites
Sheryl McMonigal on tue 24 oct 06
hi kate,
my husband made me a centering arm that is attached to my wheel because of
physical disabilities. I'm not suggesting that however one thought comes to
mind. you may be getting off center after you open with too jerky of hand
motions. sometimes you can get it back on center by slowing the wheel and
gently coller the piece and when you release your hands do so gently and
carefully open hands then take your time youre not in a race back off your
hands. do this as soon as you notice being off center because if you notice
when pulling up one side being thicker than the other sides. not good makes
you pot weak. also when centering I can feel my streength and force not
coming so much from my arms and hands but the pressure strength comes from
my chest and shoulders. lean in pull your elbows into your sides. everyone
will have different ways but most of all practice it's only clay and you can
use it again.
sheryl mc.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kate McCulloch"
To:
Sent: Tuesday, October 24, 2006 2:58 AM
Subject: Centering tips please!
> Hi!
> This is my first time on here so hope it all goes well!
> I'm a student studying BA 3D Design (focusing on ceramics) from 'over the
> pond' in Exeter, UK.
> I'm having a little difficulty centering - it as it always looks centered
> but then once I start to pull up it starts to pull and then the bowl shape
> never feels right. I'm using the right hand on top and the left hand
> pushing but it just doesn't seem to be happening no matter how many times
> are try it. Does anyone have any helpful tips that I could try?? Anything
> like ideal speed or pressure and stuff would be gratefully received!!
> Thanks for your time and no doubt I'll be on here constantly throughout my
> last year!!
>
>
____________________________________________________________________________
__
> Send postings to clayart@lsv.ceramics.org
>
> You may look at the archives for the list or change your subscription
> settings from http://www.ceramics.org/clayart/
>
> Moderator of the list is Mel Jacobson who may be reached at
melpots@pclink.com.
Bruce Girrell on tue 24 oct 06
Kate McCulloch wrote:
> I'm having a little difficulty centering - it as it always looks
centered...
When you finish your centering work your hands should be motionless while
resting on the spinning clay. If they do not remain motionless with the clay
moving beneath them then your clay is not centered.
If, indeed you are having problems centering, then the main suggestion that
I have for you is to plant the elbow of your left arm into the thigh of your
left leg about 2/3 - 3/4 of the way from your hip to your knee. The bone of
your thigh should be directly behind your elbow. You may have to hunt around
a little bit for the proper place to put your elbow. There are pressure
points there that can hurt if you poke them with your elbow.
Placement of the elbow is not all that critical. What is important is that
you have it in a place that will allow you to use the strength of your leg
to help center the clay. In fact, your left arm will have very little to do
other than to communicate the power of your leg to the clay. With your left
foot firmly planted on the floor and your left arm in place, your left hand
will be able to resist any wobbles that the clay has to offer.
I keep my right elbow tucked closely to my body right about the bottom of my
rib cage and use my body weight to apply the downward pressure. Usually my
left and right thumbs are locked together. If you position your left and
right arms as I described, you will find that you must sit very close to the
wheel head. I keep my back straight and my head is pretty much directly over
the center of the wheel.
Another thing - I probably should have written about this first - Before
centering, your clay must be made homogeneous. Different methods exist, but
I'll refer to them all as wedging. The clay must be properly wedged prior to
beginning work or you will be unable to open and raise the clay uniformly,
regardless of how well centered the initial lump is.
> ... once I start to pull up it starts to pull and then the bowl shape...
Here's a little detail I would pick on. I suggest that it is not a good idea
to be pulling a bowl shape. Pull a cylinder instead. If the object is going
to be bowl shaped, leave the clay a little thicker at the top to allow for
expansion to a larger diameter later. It will be much easier to attain the
uniform wall thickness that you need in a cylindrical shape.
Here is what I suggest. After opening the clay you have the bottom of the
vessel and a thick stumpy wall on the wheel. At this point check again to
make sure that the clay is centered. If not, recenter again as it stands
using the same centering position as you did initially except that instead
of your right hand pushing down on the top of the mound of clay, your right
thumb pushes down on the top of the stumpy wall.
Even if your clay is centered properly after opening, you should still take
the time to compress the top of the wall and make sure that it is a uniform
height. And don't forget to compress the bottom of the pot at this point.
Next make a pulling pass. While the objective of a pull is to move clay
upward, it is at least as important to keep the wall uniform. Don't try to
pull too much clay at once. If you get the wall too thin by pulling too much
clay there will be no way to straighten it easily.
On your first pull you may be able to rest your thumbs along the top edge of
the clay wall. This will help steady your hands and will also help keep the
top straight.
After this pull, check the wall again. The wall should be vertical. The wall
thickness should be uniform and the top of the wall should be straight.
Apply pressure straight down on the rim to firm it up and to straighten it.
This is why it is important to have the wall vertical and why you want to
leave the wall fairly thick. Keep your fingers in their pulling position so
that you can ensure that the wall is still uniform.
Now make another pulling pass. Be sure that you start from the very bottom
of the clay. This part can be hard on fingernails, especially if you have gr
itty clay. Again, don't try to move too much clay at one time. Move the clay
upward keeping uniform wall thickness again.
I also suggest that you get your thumbs resting on the rim as soon as
possible. This isn't terribly important, but I have found it helpful in
keeping my fingers from wandering and in keeping the rim straight. Also,
keeping your thumbs on the top of the rim makes it difficult to make another
mistake: thinning the rim too much. Your pull should actually stop just
short of the rim. That will help keep the rim robust and even. If the rim
ends up too thick it is almost trivial to thin it, but it is very difficult
to repair a too-thin rim.
After the pull look again. Is the wall vertical? Is it uniform in thickness?
Is the rim straight? Fix anything that's not right. Cone the walls in if
they have flared out. Use a rib to help even out throwing rings to keep the
wall uniform (the decorative throwing rings that some people like can be
done on the last pass or two). If you don't fix it now, it will only get
worse on the next pull - and it will be harder to fix then.
Repeat the pulls as necessary, always keeping in mind the uniformity of the
wall thickness and the evenness of the rim. Also be sure to start the pulls
right from the very top of the bat so that you don't leave so much clay at
the base of the pot.
As the pot gets taller, the walls will be thinner and your touch should
accordingly be more gentle, though still firm. You still have to move clay.
Decrease pressure between your fingers as you move from bottom to top during
the pull. Also as the pot gets taller, compressing the rim must be done more
gently, but if you have kept the walls uniform and the rim straight through
the first few pulls the rim will tend to remain pretty straight all on its
own as you finish the piece.
If the pot is to be widened to a bowl shape you need to leave the top and
rim thicker so that the shape can be expanded. This is another reason that
it is very important to decrease the pressure between your fingers as you
move from bottom to top. Expanding a cylinder to a bowl shape is the fun
part. It's like magic. And if you have made a good uniform cylinder, the
clay behaves just as it's supposed to as you do the expansion.
All rules are made to be broken. You may have noticed how much I hammered on
uniformity. Clay behaves well when it is uniform -
Uniform consistency from wedging
Uniform wall thickness during throwing
Uniform drying
Problems - throwing difficulties, weak rims, cracking, etc. - arise from
nonuniformity.
Well, there are those who can artistically break the uniformity rule, but
for now I strongly suggest that you strive for uniformity. You'll know when
it's time to break the rules.
To summarize:
1) Prepare the clay properly
2) Get the clay centered. Center using your leg for power when you need it
3) Open, recenter if necessary, and compress the bottom and rim
4) Pull a vertical wall, leaving the clay thick enough that you can use
pressure to correct any wobbles. Pull from the very bottom of the pot.
5) Leave thickness at the rim to strengthen the pot and to keep the rim
straight
6) Inspect after each pull and fix any problems before the next pull
Happy potting,
Bruce Girrell
Disclaimer:
I am not a full time potter. I have been making pottery for only about five
years. Others here have much more experience than I. On the other hand, I am
an engineer, and engineers spend their time looking at objects and
processes, constantly thinking "How does this work?" and "How could I make
this work better?". So the suggestions that I have made above are the
result of me throwing a lot of pots poorly and looking at the result to see
what went wrong and what I could have done to make them come out more as I
had intended.
Marek & Pauline Drzazga-Donaldson on tue 24 oct 06
Centering is supposedly a mystique, but clay actually wants to be at =
rest and in the centre, that is its preferred state - an inertia.
To coax it there, to help it on its way does not, and should not, take a =
great amount of energy on behalf of the potter, but it is a FULL BODY =
excersise, and as Mel put it succinctly -=20
place your elbow/forearm on the inside of
your thigh. then push your leg with your
arm attached...push...and feel the ball
of clay go to center
It really is a matter of variable pressure with your body. Don't just =
use your arms or wrists, use the whole of your body - this minimises =
injury and the use of crutches and other ancillary gadgets.
Happy and safe potting Marek
Hand made Architectural Ceramics from No9 Studio UK www.no9uk.com
Fully Residential Pottery Courses and more at Mole Cottage =
www.moleys.com
"Tips and Time Travel from a Vernacular Potter" reviews on =
www.keramix.com
an irreverent point of view after 35 years in the game Marek =
Drzazga-Donaldson =20
Assemble a dragon finial at www.dragonfinials.co.uk
Free Works and Mole Cottage DVD's and Video content on all the sites
lela martens on tue 24 oct 06
Hi!,
Bruce certainly has good tips. Did me good to read his note also.
Something I told my students was, when you feel the clay is centered,
..look away. Let your hands feel if the clay is truly centered as the wheel
is turning.
Seems our eyes fool us, maybe it`s wishful thinking that centering is done,
but with the hands alone to `feel`, it`s harder to fool ourselves.
Best wishes from Lela
>
>Hi!
>This is my first time on here so hope it all goes well!
>I'm a student studying BA 3D Design (focusing on ceramics) from 'over the
>pond' in Exeter, UK.
>I'm having a little difficulty centering -
_________________________________________________________________
Ready for the world's first international mobile film festival celebrating
the creative potential of today's youth? Check out Mobile Jam Fest for your
a chance to WIN $10,000! www.mobilejamfest.com
Melissa Michael on tue 24 oct 06
7 years of fixing wobbling pots while teaching has really improved my own throwing... and also changes the instructions I give on "how" to throw...
My best tips for you:
1. Wedge your clay, DO NOT THROW DOWN while wedging. If you wedge properly with your hands the air will be removed but the clay particles will stay loose. If you throw your clay down while wedging, the particles will become compact and difficult to move when centering on the wheel.
2. Change your hand position. Your left hand will do the centering, your right will do the shaping.
If you are kicking counter-clockwise, move your left hand to six o'clock. Achor your left elbow into your hip, leg, or stomach. This will allow your entire body to help stablize your arm. With the wheel going a moderate speed (I teach on kick-wheels - so don't let the wheel speed slow while centering) push in with your left PALM at 6 o'clock. Allow the clay to "Pop up" - use your right hand FINGERS at 12 o'clock to pull the clay into your left hand which is staying steady since your entire body is behind it.
3. After coning-up, move your right hand fingers NOT YOUR PALM (fingers stay stiff and straight) to the top of the clay. Begin to push down, keeping your right hand fingers angled off the edge of your clay at 3 o'clock. Keep your left hand at 6 o'clock to continue to centering the clay as you push down.
*** DON'T KICK WHILE YOUR HANDS ARE ON THE CLAY - this will quickly un-center a centered piece of clay!
*** DON'T TAKE YOUR HANDS OFF THE CLAY QUICKLY. once you feel the clay stop wobbling, you need to release the pressure you are putting on the clay SOFTLY. If you push hard on the clay to center and whip your hands away quickly, you'll notice that the clay wobbles. If you are pushing the clay hard into the center, there is no wobble, and you release carefully and softly, the clay will remain centered and still.
Hope this helps!
Melissa Michael
Use your PC to make calls at very low rates
Ivor and Olive Lewis on wed 25 oct 06
Dear Kate McCulloch,
From the other side of the Globe I would not presume to give you =
instructions. I would wish to sit down with you, watch you work, analyse =
your activity then suggest remedial action. In other words I would =
expect to teach you until you became accomplished and proficient, =
achieving mastery in the elementary skills and tasks of using the Wheel.
If you are an undergraduate in a tertiary institution then you need to =
consult your lecturers or tutors and ask for the assistance they should =
be providing. Perhaps you have been absent, due to unavoidable reasons, =
from a critical demonstration . If so, I suggest you consider asking for =
remedial tuition. But if instruction has not been given then I would =
like to consider the advice I might propose.
Best regards,
Ivor Lewis.
Redhill,
South Australia.
Lee Love on wed 25 oct 06
Make sure your clay is not too stiff and well wedged or pugged. If
your clay is too hard, it makes it more difficult to center.
--
Lee in Mashiko, Japan
http://potters.blogspot.com/
"Let the beauty we love be what we do." - Rumi
"When we all do better. We ALL do better." -Paul Wellstone
| |
|
