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warping spouts/tiny ribs

updated wed 2 feb 11

 

mel jacobson on tue 1 feb 11


mmm, i wonder why i have never experienced that
problem?
i make lots of teapots.

but, here is an idea:

when you throw your spouts, use a popscicle stick sort of tool
on the inside of the spout. i have cut a thin bamboo spout
throwing rib...long, 5/8" wide, thin. i use it like an inside finger.
polish it, use fine sandpaper.
the pressure of the rib on the inside of the spout keeps it
from torque-ing. it is the twist action of throwing with too
much pressure that makes it give a twist torque. keep it
upright, along the spout.

that is what unwinds....so, don't let it torque.
and, i agree with brown, it shrinks, and then torques.

anyway, something to think about. i was in the studio
throwing away and thought of this. then looked at my tools.
and, mmmm, sort of thought.

i always teach using an inside long rib. even a pencil works
well. spouts are bottle necks. you have to handle them
very carefully. use a rib. and, a rib can be any size, shape, length.
who says it has to be the shape of a kidney? in fact, i don't have any
that shape. i make them with my table top band saw. cut them to
fit the shape i want to make. hard wood makes great ribs. cut the wood
into thin strips on the table saw, cut the shape on the band saw, and refin=
e
them with the belt sander. or, strip a piece of bamboo, use a coping saw.
then hand sand, or file. same difference. i have one that is the
perfect shape
of the inside of a dinner plate. use it all the time.
mel
u-tube videos are great. i should make one for ribs...let me think about
it. i found a u-tube video from a gun smith, and the complete take
down of my s/w 6909. there is an actual trick to get it apart without
breaking your fingers. it was a hooozah moment. went to three other
videos of other guns. amazing stuff. there is something so intimate
about u-tube videos of actual craft work. a real learning tool/ i have
the service manual for that gun but could not understand it.

as any m.p can do: take apart your service pistol blindfolded in 25 seconds=
.
i can do that with a m1911/.45, now i can do it with this modern smith.
love u-tube. and phil will praise me now. i do believe that gunsmiths an=
d
sword makers are really `unbelievable` craftsmen. historically, guns
and clocks
were very much interwoven.
from: minnetonka, mn
website: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/
clayart link: http://www.visi.com/~melpots/clayart.html
new book: http://www.21stcenturykilns.com
alternate: melpots7575@gmail.com