Hendrix, Taylor J. on sun 9 may 04
Hey Bob,
Let me tell you my experience with hardibats made with the same material
Wayne is talking about.
When the bats are virgins, they don't want to let go of the wheel head
for anything, but they sure eject the ball of clay at the most
inopportune time. Once you have thrown at least one ball of clay on
them, they work pretty much like what I would imagine plaster bats to
work like: they stick well with slurry and dry the bottom of pots well.
However! Once you have used these beauties for a time, they start to
get hairy. Let me explain. Hardibacker is a cementous material with a
fibrous filler. This filler begins to rise from the surface. This
really helps to grip that ball of clay when you are forming, but it also
makes it a bit harder for the pot to release. They do release, but at
times I have to do a bit of pulling to remove my pots as the rims have
gotten too far ahead of the bottom of the pot in dryness. I have found
that running a needle tool or piece of strapping steel under the edge of
the pot before lifting the bat will give the pot a good head start on
releasing. I would try leaving a pot on a raised bat just to see if it
will release without cracking. I have had some high footed bowls do
just that with no problem at all. Just a bit too firm for easy trimming
afterwards. Timing will be everything.
They do help to dry out the bottom of the pots much quicker than plastic
bats, so much so that my fishing line braided cut off wires are pretty
much useless when I am done throwing my piece. I don't dawdle either
when I throw. Trimming while the pot is upright on the bat is eased as
well. I can have an almost finished outer foot ring if I have the right
tool to hand. When I finish, I either do the above step with the pin
tool or I will wire off with my ligature wire.
I like these bats very much and attaching them is a snap if you have
access to grog less slip. It doesn't take much at all. A quick dunk of
the bat in water to prime it and 'dampen' its thirst for moisture, a
quick swipe with a hand covered in slip, place it centered on the wheel
head, thump, thump, thump and away we go. Actually no thump
necessary--sucks right down.
Watch those fingernails! And keep turning.
Taylor
Waco, Texas, USA
http://www3.baylor.edu/~Taylor_Hendrix/tjpots.htm
-----Original Message-----
From: Clayart [mailto:CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG] On Behalf Of Robert
Huskey
Sent: Sunday, May 09, 2004 9:28 PM
To: CLAYART@LSV.CERAMICS.ORG
Subject: Re: CLARIFICATION: Was Bats for Less
Wayne ,
Can you let the pot dry on the bat without cutting it off.
I
mean will it pop off the bat like on a plaster bat .
...
wayneinkeywest on sun 9 may 04
A few souls took me up on my idea of creating
wedging surfaces and bats from HardieBacker.
If you do so, please be aware that there are
(in the US, at Home Depot) at least three,
maybe four varieties of "tile backer board"
I was NOT referring to:
WonderBoard
HardieBOARD
DUROCK
The HardieBacker I used was just that, with that
name as it's _brand name_and is meant strictly
for use as a WALL tile underlayment.
My most sincere apologies for any confusion
I may have caused. It was not intended.
Sheepishly,
Wayne Seidl
Key West, Florida, USA
North America, Terra
Latitude 81.8, Longitude 24.4
Elevation 3.1 feet (1m)
Robert Huskey on sun 9 may 04
Wayne ,
Can you let the pot dry on the bat without cutting it off. I
mean will it pop off the bat like on a plaster bat .
Thanks , Bob Huskey -- Tallahassee , Florida
> A few souls took me up on my idea of creating
> wedging surfaces and bats from HardieBacker.
> ,
>
> Wayne Seidl
> Key West, Florida, USA
> North America, Terra
> Latitude 81.8, Longitude 24.4
> Elevation 3.1 feet (1m)
>
wayneinkeywest on mon 10 may 04
Bob/ Taylor/ All:
First off, I haven't experienced the bat hairiness that Taylor has.
The 1/4 inch stuff I'm using doesn't seem as prone to it.
Maybe because I've learned to throw drier, maybe
because i throw with slip and never clean the bat,
don't know. I use a steel rib or a scraper
once the clay/slip/slurry on the bat is pretty dry,
and into the recycle it goes. I do sponge the bat
off while throwing, but only if I need to (excess slip from
tall necked containers, too much clay that would interfere
with cutoff etc.)
Second, I almost always cut the bottom before
removing the bat and piece from the wheel. My bottoms
tend toward thin (overzealous opening, I assume).
Once I've dragged the wire (or Mel-san's neat little string
cutoff tool) across the bat, I remove bat and all, and let
the piece sit there on the bat until it's firm enough to move
by "hands on". Finger distortion be damned, it's too easy to
grab another bat, and be patient.
Taylor, you will find that once your piece reaches leather
hard, flipping it over and replacing it on the bat will solve
that "drying faster at the rim than on the foot" problem you
are having. Something to do with trapping moisture "inside"
the piece allows it all to dry a lot more evenly, once the
bowl/cup/plate is sitting on its rim on the bat.
I have left pieces that were thick bottomed on the bat without
cutting through, until it dried. With a very few exceptions,
the bottom cracked, since the clay can't move on the bat
as easily as it can when cut through. Thin bottomed pieces
fared better, probably because the bottom dried faster, and
popped off. Must be the elimination of stress
that made the difference.
There are two sides to the HardieBacker. One side is
much smoother than the other. I use smooth side to the pot.
Last, I have bat pins. Wouldn't give 'em up for the world.
Don't know, therefore, how moisture on "both" sides of the
bat is going to affect things. I've used dripping wet bats
(rain) and it didn't seem to be a problem.
I think what we need to realize here is that there _is_ going
to be a learning curve with any "new" tool. HardieBacker
bats are not as difficult (for me) to use as the black plastic
bats. And you can't beat the price.
Just my 2¢. YMMV of course.
Best Regards,
Wayne
Wayne Seidl
Key West, Florida, USA
North America, Terra
Latitude 81.8, Longitude 24.4
Elevation 3.1 feet (1m)
----- Original Message -----
From: "Hendrix, Taylor J." Hey Bob,
Let me tell you my experience with hardibats made with the same
material
Wayne is talking about.
When the bats are virgins, they don't want to let go of the wheel
head
for anything, but they sure eject the ball of clay at the most
inopportune time. Once you have thrown at least one ball of clay on
them, they work pretty much like what I would imagine plaster bats
to
work like: they stick well with slurry and dry the bottom of pots
well.
However! Once you have used these beauties for a time, they start
to
get hairy. Let me explain. Hardibacker is a cementous material
with a
fibrous filler. This filler begins to rise from the surface. This
really helps to grip that ball of clay when you are forming, but it
also
makes it a bit harder for the pot to release. They do release, but
at
times I have to do a bit of pulling to remove my pots as the rims
have
gotten too far ahead of the bottom of the pot in dryness. I have
found
that running a needle tool or piece of strapping steel under the
edge of
the pot before lifting the bat will give the pot a good head start
on
releasing. I would try leaving a pot on a raised bat just to see if
it
will release without cracking. I have had some high footed bowls do
just that with no problem at all. Just a bit too firm for easy
trimming
afterwards. Timing will be everything.
They do help to dry out the bottom of the pots much quicker than
plastic
bats, so much so that my fishing line braided cut off wires are
pretty
much useless when I am done throwing my piece. I don't dawdle
either
when I throw. Trimming while the pot is upright on the bat is eased
as
well. I can have an almost finished outer foot ring if I have the
right
tool to hand. When I finish, I either do the above step with the
pin
tool or I will wire off with my ligature wire.
I like these bats very much and attaching them is a snap if you have
access to grog less slip. It doesn't take much at all. A quick
dunk of
the bat in water to prime it and 'dampen' its thirst for moisture, a
quick swipe with a hand covered in slip, place it centered on the
wheel
head, thump, thump, thump and away we go. Actually no thump
necessary--sucks right down.
Watch those fingernails! And keep turning.
Taylor
Waco, Texas, USA
On Behalf Of Robert
Huskey
Wayne ,
Can you let the pot dry on the bat without cutting it
off.
I
mean will it pop off the bat like on a plaster bat .
...
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Roger Korn on tue 11 may 04
Wayne wrote:
...
There are two sides to the HardieBacker. One side is
much smoother than the other. I use smooth side to the pot.
This is the key. I was dubious, but I had a scrap from a tile job and
tried it and liked it.
Roger
--
McKay Creek Ceramics
In OR: PO Box 436
North Plains, OR 97133
503-647-5464
In AZ: PO Box 463
Rimrock, AZ 86335
928-567-5699
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