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a new "pottery tool" may help taylor

updated thu 11 may 06

 

Lili Krakowski on tue 9 may 06


One of the recurring problems is that the potter thinks the shape flares a
lot more than it does/should.

I cannot explain the illusion (is it an optical illusion? If not, what is
it?) that these bottles, jugs, which Taylor is struggling with start with
teensy feet and Spinnaker out, and come back in to small necks. Even vases
that do that much more than the shape T intends do not go off as sharply as
all that. (Maybe it's the light)

Hence: Go to a "craft" store or a fabric store that sells quilting stuff.
Buy one of the plastic sheets that quilters use, I think, for making
patterns. These are transparent sheets with inches marked off --grids,
squares, super graph paper pattern. Not cheap but they come in different
sizes. Around $15 I think.

Anyway. This overlaid on a picture of a jug, pot, etc will show how very
LITTLE these jugs actually flare...These overlays are wonderful for
analyzing the actual shape...

And if one places a pot in front of such a plastic sheet pinned to the wall,
it gives on a different perspective...

These plastic things also come as strips--and these are great for
spacing/laying out designs around a pot.

Lili Krakowski

William & Susan Schran User on wed 10 may 06


On 5/9/06 11:08 PM, "Lili Krakowski" wrote:

> Anyway. This overlaid on a picture of a jug, pot, etc will show how very
> LITTLE these jugs actually flare...These overlays are wonderful for
> analyzing the actual shape...
>
> And if one places a pot in front of such a plastic sheet pinned to the wall,
> it gives on a different perspective...

One way I've taught my students to create narrow-necked bottle forms is to
use a template.

The template is cut from wood, or preferably plastic. The "negative" curve,
cut to match the desired profile, like this: )] is held against the exterior
of the pot.

A slightly thick cylinder is thrown, leaving the top with sufficient
thickness of clay to pull the neck. The template is held on the outside and
a rounded rib or piece of AOL CD obtained free from a retail store (finally
found a use for them) is used on the interior of the form. Using no water,
the interior rib slowly moves up the wall to stretch out the clay to the
template shape. Using no water allows extended work time without weakening
the clay. Be certain both ribs are held so the clay is moving away from the
edges of the rib & template as the wheel turns to prevent chattering.

After the belly/shoulder are formed, then the top is collared and the neck
is thrown - but use no water! Only use slip created during centering. This
way no excess water is used and you don't have to be concerned about getting
water out from the interior of the pot.


-- William "Bill" Schran
Fredericksburg, Virginia
wschran@cox.net
wschran@nvcc.edu

lee love on wed 10 may 06


--- In clayart@yahoogroups.com, William & Susan Schran User
wrote:
This
> way no excess water is used and you don't have to be concerned about
getting
> water out from the interior of the pot.
>

The companion to the throwing stick is the sponge on a stick. ;^)

What is nice about the stick is that the pot is formed from the
inside. You more easily get a feeling of volume rather than
containment. The Korean method of making a cone to the height of
the pot, running a dowl down the middle and then ballooning the form
out with a throwing stick from the inside, is like magic. And with
this method, you are not as likely to end up with a thin lip.

Another possible way is John Reeves' english pitcher method
which works good with forms with small diameter bases: throw a
pancake. Next, center and pull up a bottomless cylinder. You
are pulling up the base of the form first. When the base is how you
like it, firm it up a little with a torch or dryer. Then attach
the pancake as the base of the pot. Trim the edge to fit the bottom.
Let this dry, covering the bottom half with plastic. When it is
firm enough to handle, flip the cylinder over and attach to the wheel
head with clay (or giffen grip.) Then throw the rest of the form
from the open end of the cylinder. Nice thing about this method is
that the form can be dried quickly, because the base has already had a
head start.

--
Lee In Mashiko, Japan
http://mashiko.org
http://seisokuro.blogspot.com/