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shooting pots, was re: firecracker pots redux

updated fri 8 mar 02

 

Ned Ludd on wed 6 mar 02


Hi Frank & others

This reminds me of a bout of weirdness I enjoyed at college in
England. Intent on exploring and exploiting the effects on wet pots
of missile impact, I rigged up a kind of shooting gallery in the
ceramics department. Of course, this being dull, decent, safe old
Britain no real firearms were available - alas, I was certainly not
one of the privileged classes to whom the police issued gun
licenses....

Lacking the desired rocket launcher I reluctantly scaled down my
projected mayhem level, and made do with my catapult and ball
bearings... That's a slingshot for you Americans and Canucks. I had
loads of fun, and the holes were soooo cool! Making the riddled,
colander-like pot slowly implode was fascinating. But my shooting
gallery was not so secure, and after a few days of ricocheting stray
missiles whizzing and clanging about my terrified fellow students'
ears, I was advised to cease before I sent anybody to the hospital.

It's a fond memory of the '70's... I'm glad I took my chance. Given
the national phobia of weapons out of the hands of security forces,
these days an English ceramics student would likely have to resort to
nothing heftier than a breath-operated peashooter. Requiring a
license from the local Superintendent, no doubt. What a loss to art!


best

Ned
in Northern California


>Sounds a little like that person who shot their beautiful freshly thrown
>pots
>with a high powered rifle, also in CM some years back.
>Firecrackers?......HA!.
>
>Frank Gaydos
>Enjoying Spring Break.
>Send Rain Please!
>----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>---------------------------
>| > For those who want to try it, take a wad of fairly soft clay say 3"
>| > diameter...insert firecracker into the center of ball with fuse sticking
>| > out. set on ground and light fuse...BANG... if luck was with you you'r
>| ball
>| > of clay is now twice as large as it was...inflated like a balloon. Now

Richard Jeffery on thu 7 mar 02


Ned - you're way behind the times..

all peashooters in educational establishments have had to be fitted with an
anti-blowback device since 1987.

more anti-suck back, really....

you just don't get the muzzle velocity anymore.......






Richard Jeffery

Web Design and Photography
www.theeleventhweb.co.uk
Bournemouth UK



-----Original Message-----
From: Ceramic Arts Discussion List [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG]On
Behalf Of Ned Ludd
Sent: 07 March 2002 05:58
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Shooting pots, was Re: Firecracker pots redux


Hi Frank & others

This reminds me of a bout of weirdness I enjoyed at college in
England. Intent on exploring and exploiting the effects on wet pots
of missile impact, I rigged up a kind of shooting gallery in the
ceramics department. Of course, this being dull, decent, safe old
Britain no real firearms were available - alas, I was certainly not
one of the privileged classes to whom the police issued gun
licenses....

Lacking the desired rocket launcher I reluctantly scaled down my
projected mayhem level, and made do with my catapult and ball
bearings... That's a slingshot for you Americans and Canucks. I had
loads of fun, and the holes were soooo cool! Making the riddled,
colander-like pot slowly implode was fascinating. But my shooting
gallery was not so secure, and after a few days of ricocheting stray
missiles whizzing and clanging about my terrified fellow students'
ears, I was advised to cease before I sent anybody to the hospital.

It's a fond memory of the '70's... I'm glad I took my chance. Given
the national phobia of weapons out of the hands of security forces,
these days an English ceramics student would likely have to resort to
nothing heftier than a breath-operated peashooter. Requiring a
license from the local Superintendent, no doubt. What a loss to art!


best

Ned
in Northern California


>Sounds a little like that person who shot their beautiful freshly thrown
>pots
>with a high powered rifle, also in CM some years back.
>Firecrackers?......HA!.
>
>Frank Gaydos
>Enjoying Spring Break.
>Send Rain Please!
>---------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
>---------------------------
>| > For those who want to try it, take a wad of fairly soft clay say 3"
>| > diameter...insert firecracker into the center of ball with fuse
sticking
>| > out. set on ground and light fuse...BANG... if luck was with you you'r
>| ball
>| > of clay is now twice as large as it was...inflated like a balloon.
Now

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becky schroeder on thu 7 mar 02


ned and richard,

while you naughty boys were busy with blowing things up as boys will, do we
girls were in the girls room making pinkppowderedsoap missiles with the
ceiling being the intended target. so perhaps i now know what i can do in
pottery that would be entirely original. pots with the familiar pink splat
on the sides of them. i'll make a million buck off that idea what with all
the baby boomers wanting to relive their youth and all.

becky schroeder



>
>all peashooters in educational establishments have had to be fitted with an
>anti-blowback device since 1987.
>
>more anti-suck back, really....
>
>you just don't get the muzzle velocity anymore.......
>
>
>
>

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Snail Scott on thu 7 mar 02


At 08:59 AM 3/7/02 -0700, you wrote:

>...in the girls room making pinkppowderedsoap missiles with the
>ceiling being the intended target...what i can do...pots with the
>familiar pink splat on the sides of them...


Try firing them, real low, afterwards. All the
borax ought to flux nicely with the pumice,
though you might lose the color.

-Snail

ASHPOTS@AOL.COM on thu 7 mar 02


when i was a undergrad at USF ,,,, John Tilton was a Grad student and he
was blowing holes in wonderfull big round forms in 1969 or 1970..........his
forms have changed since then

Capt Mark