I lost a tiny strip of leather that I use to smooth off the top of my work in some of my reclaimed clay. I found it while throwing an awesome huge pot and had to trim off below and finish the pot as another project. The worst thing anyone else has done TO ME on a wheel.....was to push on my foot pedal and make MY VERY FIRST MUG fly off and land nearby. Why was the mug on the wheel while adding the handle? It was a very crowded college studio and no room to work.I kept the mug anyway. Memories.
Hi Gerda, you just need to run a wire underneath the plate. when the plate is dry enough you can lift it up. Others that have used plaster bats more may suggest not using a wire and that the plaster will let the plate release when it is ready.
question: when you use plaster bats, do you use them dry or whet? I suppose they are easely home made, I have lot's of experience using plaster but none using plaster as a bat on the wheel.
I also wonder, If you use them dry (as it seems from the video) don't they easly come off the wheel?
The advantage is to use them dry. so it dry the pot from the bottom too. If you dampen it a bit when you apply the ball the pot shouldn't pop off. now the underside does release fairly easy when you pull up but no so easy it comes off when you throw
I was using a tile insert bat system when a tile that wasn't quite stuck down lifted up and caught an edge in the tile holder.... the tile with pot attached flew six feet away into a block wall. I forgot to mention that it glanced off my leg first. Left a huge cut and bruise on my leg and the tile exploded when it hit the wall.
I use a brick to rest my left foot on. When I was cleaning up the floor, I put the brick on the wheel head. Didn't realize that I hadn't turned the wheel off, kicked the foot peddle which sent the wheel head spinning and of course flung the brick into my neighbours work area. Fortunately no one was working there at the time.
Have also done the same thing with my slurry bucket, not so dangerous, but very messy!
Worst thing I have done on the wheel was (try to) center 25lbs. The bat came off of the wheel head and all 25lbs flew to my water bucket which was full of slip. Lets just say it was a big big mess and thank god for squeegees. This was during class so I had 15 people point and laugh. It was an epic fail :O(
Since then i can center bout 30lbs but i really dont need to in order to make something huge. :O)
One of my recent frustrating screw ups.... I just threw an awesome big platter. I grabed the wire to run the plate. I saw the wire had dry clay on it, so I moved the wire to the side and slide the dry clay off. I turned back to the platter and it was filled with hundred of bits of dry clay from my wire cleaning. Totally ruined the surface of my platter. :(
Ahh, one time while I was shaping a pot, I just needed one tiny more pull to finish the top, but that tiny pull ended up pulling the bat from the wheel and the piece just flew right into my black shirt (Porcelain too).
I use one of those extra long denim aprons when I throw, and I use a kick wheel. I usually don't bother with the leg ties. One day one of the ties got wrapped around the wheel shaft while i was centering. I almost did a face-plant into the clay ball when the apron looped around my neck pulled me down. Actually ripped the stitching out of tries around my waist the trying to resist the pull while tring to stop the wheel.
I use plaster bats and about the same thickness as yours. If I hit it like you did, it will crack for sure. They DO release when they dry, which is nice. Never had a problem with plaster chips causing explosions as some of the old wives tales say.
I've had many a plaster chip make it through the kiln just fine. It leaves a black mark in the clay though, but doesn't crack or explode and glazes over fine, especially in Raku. Definately a myth to bust.
Tim, did you mean to write, "attaching a bat without pins" rather than "bins"? Not trying to be an ass here, I really was just wondering what a bin was, and if I was missing something. LOL .
I had made a large for me vase and it was green dry. I had it on the wheel spinning slowly as I took a video, I decided to tip it a bit to video inside, The rim broke off in my hand and the pot was ruined. Beside that I am poking my fingers into my wet pots by not paying attention to where my hands are.
The flaw in this story is my bat was way to wet. I had just washed my black plastic bats. I slapped down 10 pounds of clay . Thought I had the skirt of the clay well adhered to the bat. As I started my first "cone up" the ball slipped on the puddle it sat in was thrown forward off the wheel hitting my bowl of slip (which was pretty damn full) causing it to smash on the floor and cover about a 100 square foot area in mud. I could not even guess how much water the clean up took.
@Thepotterstone I live in the desert, and water costs a fortune. Rather than clean up with water, I let the mess dry, and use a huge paint scraper. Doesn't get all the clay up, but minimizes the water consumption.
I hope when you do that, you wear a mask and air out well before working without the mask again. The advantage of using water is that you don't get all that fine dust floating around.
My first time teaching I was pulling up and trying to look like I was good and one side of the bat came off and the pot and bat went spinning around knocking my water over and everything around me. It was humbling and messy.
I lost a tiny strip of leather that I use to smooth off the top of my work in some of my reclaimed clay. I found it while throwing an awesome huge pot and had to trim off below and finish the pot as another project. The worst thing anyone else has done TO ME on a wheel.....was to push on my foot pedal and make MY VERY FIRST MUG fly off and land nearby. Why was the mug on the wheel while adding the handle? It was a very crowded college studio and no room to work.I kept the mug anyway. Memories.
melissaplexy 1 month ago
halo,
How do you the plate from the bat pls?
thx, Gerda from Belguim
leeuw666 2 years ago
Hi Gerda, you just need to run a wire underneath the plate. when the plate is dry enough you can lift it up. Others that have used plaster bats more may suggest not using a wire and that the plaster will let the plate release when it is ready.
timseepots 2 years ago
THX!
leeuw666 2 years ago
question: when you use plaster bats, do you use them dry or whet? I suppose they are easely home made, I have lot's of experience using plaster but none using plaster as a bat on the wheel.
I also wonder, If you use them dry (as it seems from the video) don't they easly come off the wheel?
thanks, evelien
sven77b 2 years ago
The advantage is to use them dry. so it dry the pot from the bottom too. If you dampen it a bit when you apply the ball the pot shouldn't pop off. now the underside does release fairly easy when you pull up but no so easy it comes off when you throw
timseepots 2 years ago
thanks for the info,
love all your posts by the way,
I send a link to all my students
very usefull info!! Thanks!!
sven77b 2 years ago
I was using a tile insert bat system when a tile that wasn't quite stuck down lifted up and caught an edge in the tile holder.... the tile with pot attached flew six feet away into a block wall. I forgot to mention that it glanced off my leg first. Left a huge cut and bruise on my leg and the tile exploded when it hit the wall.
aaroncole007 2 years ago
I just saw one of them on a wheel yesterday!
NancyToday 2 years ago
heh heh, I've thrown a few on my wheel as well
teriberi1960 2 years ago
I use a brick to rest my left foot on. When I was cleaning up the floor, I put the brick on the wheel head. Didn't realize that I hadn't turned the wheel off, kicked the foot peddle which sent the wheel head spinning and of course flung the brick into my neighbours work area. Fortunately no one was working there at the time.
Have also done the same thing with my slurry bucket, not so dangerous, but very messy!
teriberi1960 2 years ago
Worst thing I have done on the wheel was (try to) center 25lbs. The bat came off of the wheel head and all 25lbs flew to my water bucket which was full of slip. Lets just say it was a big big mess and thank god for squeegees. This was during class so I had 15 people point and laugh. It was an epic fail :O(
Since then i can center bout 30lbs but i really dont need to in order to make something huge. :O)
defiantwyant 2 years ago
One of my recent frustrating screw ups.... I just threw an awesome big platter. I grabed the wire to run the plate. I saw the wire had dry clay on it, so I moved the wire to the side and slide the dry clay off. I turned back to the platter and it was filled with hundred of bits of dry clay from my wire cleaning. Totally ruined the surface of my platter. :(
DirtKickerStudio 2 years ago
Ahh, one time while I was shaping a pot, I just needed one tiny more pull to finish the top, but that tiny pull ended up pulling the bat from the wheel and the piece just flew right into my black shirt (Porcelain too).
tmachris91 2 years ago
I use one of those extra long denim aprons when I throw, and I use a kick wheel. I usually don't bother with the leg ties. One day one of the ties got wrapped around the wheel shaft while i was centering. I almost did a face-plant into the clay ball when the apron looped around my neck pulled me down. Actually ripped the stitching out of tries around my waist the trying to resist the pull while tring to stop the wheel.
Sorka42 2 years ago
OMG your lucky to be alive that will just pull you apart. reason number one not to wear an apron.
timseepots 2 years ago
I use plaster bats and about the same thickness as yours. If I hit it like you did, it will crack for sure. They DO release when they dry, which is nice. Never had a problem with plaster chips causing explosions as some of the old wives tales say.
pensandcalls 2 years ago
I think we have a myth to bust then
timseepots 2 years ago
I've had many a plaster chip make it through the kiln just fine. It leaves a black mark in the clay though, but doesn't crack or explode and glazes over fine, especially in Raku. Definately a myth to bust.
offcenteredpotter 2 years ago
Tim, did you mean to write, "attaching a bat without pins" rather than "bins"? Not trying to be an ass here, I really was just wondering what a bin was, and if I was missing something. LOL .
offcenteredpotter 2 years ago
no... uBsate NY we call em bin and beanut butter, bickles, bencils, we replace the p's with be, some beoble don't get it I guess. lol
timseepots 2 years ago
I'll remember this so I can learn the language if I ever visit "ubstate" New York. LOL
offcenteredpotter 2 years ago
I had made a large for me vase and it was green dry. I had it on the wheel spinning slowly as I took a video, I decided to tip it a bit to video inside, The rim broke off in my hand and the pot was ruined. Beside that I am poking my fingers into my wet pots by not paying attention to where my hands are.
Thanks for the instruction...
MarksPottery 2 years ago
The flaw in this story is my bat was way to wet. I had just washed my black plastic bats. I slapped down 10 pounds of clay . Thought I had the skirt of the clay well adhered to the bat. As I started my first "cone up" the ball slipped on the puddle it sat in was thrown forward off the wheel hitting my bowl of slip (which was pretty damn full) causing it to smash on the floor and cover about a 100 square foot area in mud. I could not even guess how much water the clean up took.
Thepotterstone 2 years ago
@Thepotterstone I live in the desert, and water costs a fortune. Rather than clean up with water, I let the mess dry, and use a huge paint scraper. Doesn't get all the clay up, but minimizes the water consumption.
nottonite 2 years ago
I hope when you do that, you wear a mask and air out well before working without the mask again. The advantage of using water is that you don't get all that fine dust floating around.
Marihani 2 years ago
My first time teaching I was pulling up and trying to look like I was good and one side of the bat came off and the pot and bat went spinning around knocking my water over and everything around me. It was humbling and messy.
timseepots 2 years ago
I've had a bat come off like that before but it swung around and whacked my right on the knee, leaving a nice bruise.
itsagonzothing 2 years ago