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large pots and cracked bottoms.

updated thu 26 feb 98

 

ryan hunt on sun 22 feb 98

I went in to the studio this morning and got ready to flip one of the
pieces I was working on so the bottom wouldn't crack. The shoulder was
too sharp and the whole thing just fell in on its self. Though not a
frequent problem, ocasionaly I like to make vessels with extreemly sharp
shoulders. Does anyone have any tips on how to keep sharp shoulders
from colapsing when fliped to dry, or a different technique where
flipping is not required. The size/volume I am dealing with is
approxamately 24 to 28" tall and 18 to 24" in diameter.

Thanks

Ryan


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Kenneth D. Westfall on mon 23 feb 98

Ryan,
If you are having the problem while the pieces are still in progress(before
trimmed) then try using plaster bats...they will allow the piece to dry as
fast as can be hoped for while still wet enough to work with. I will
assume that you are using a cutoff wire to loosen the pieces from the bat
so they can "move" while drying. If the problem is occurring after you
have trimmed the pieces, then
try using some large sheets of paper, such as continuous feed computer
paper under the piece after you trim the bottom and are waiting for it to
dry. This will allow the piece to move as much as it needs to by
'shrinking' up the paper, as the clay dries. One side effect of the paper
method though is that it may leave an impression in the bottom of the piece
which you may want to sand off (using something like a fine nylon kitchen
scratcher, such as green 3M) when it is totally dry. Hope this is helpful.
Tracey Westfall
Pine Hill Pottery
At 11:44 AM 2/22/98 EST, you wrote:
>----------------------------Original message----------------------------
>I went in to the studio this morning and got ready to flip one of the
>pieces I was working on so the bottom wouldn't crack. The shoulder was
>too sharp and the whole thing just fell in on its self. Though not a
>frequent problem, ocasionaly I like to make vessels with extreemly sharp
>shoulders. Does anyone have any tips on how to keep sharp shoulders
>from colapsing when fliped to dry, or a different technique where
>flipping is not required. The size/volume I am dealing with is
>approxamately 24 to 28" tall and 18 to 24" in diameter.
>
>Thanks
>
>Ryan
>
>
>______________________________________________________
>Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
>

Jan Mandrake on mon 23 feb 98

Ryan--have you ever tried dying the pots on sheetrock ?(with the edges taped
to keep out plaster contamination of the clay). The sheetrock wicks the
moisture away some--haven't had a cracked pot bottom since I tried this method
--your pots are larger than what I throw, but it might be worth a try.
Jan

Lili Krakowski on wed 25 feb 98

Having a hard time visualizing the pots. However: I gave up flipping the
pots a while ago, because, and I ain't complainin' arthritis makes me
clumsy. I lift the pots and put them on about 1/2 inch of newspaper
sitting atop some sort of rack (old stove racks or, for smaller pots, a
few chopsticks. This allows both a wicking effect and air underneath. I
find this works well for me. Try it anyway.

On Sun, 22 Feb 1998, ryan hunt wrote:

> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> I went in to the studio this morning and got ready to flip one of the
> pieces I was working on so the bottom wouldn't crack. The shoulder was
> too sharp and the whole thing just fell in on its self. Though not a
> frequent problem, ocasionaly I like to make vessels with extreemly sharp
> shoulders. Does anyone have any tips on how to keep sharp shoulders
> from colapsing when fliped to dry, or a different technique where
> flipping is not required. The size/volume I am dealing with is
> approxamately 24 to 28" tall and 18 to 24" in diameter.
>
> Thanks
>
> Ryan
>
>
> ______________________________________________________
> Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com
>

Lili Krakowski

paul wilmoth on wed 25 feb 98

Ryan,

Throw a 2 or 3 inch wide coil the diameter of the shoulder and as high al
the neck.Set the pot to be trimmed on the coil (lay plastic down on the
coil so it doesn't stick to the pot) and all of the weight of the pot
will be carried by the coil and not the cantilevered area of the form.

Hope this helps - Paul

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