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If a bubble is popped deep in the form, I use a round
fingertip- or spoon- shaped wooden tool as a finger extension to smooth
over the resulting blemish.
In order to make pots similar in size for sets, etc.
calipers are nice. Pictured are metal calipers, a wood jig with the
lower part for fitting inside a cannister or casserole, and the upper part
is the same width, for making matching lids. Also pictured is a bent
wire which I use to measure and cut off goblet stems.
(the stems are thrown upside down, off the hump, and
the tool is held even with the top, and pushed over with the short end
of the wire into the clay to cut off the stem). With sufficient practice,
most calipers are not needed--size can be controlled by the weight of clay
used.
The chamois (cham'-ee) is a rectangular piece of rawhide
kept wet when used, and pulled tight between the hands while draped over
the lip of a pot to smooth and compress the lip. Most pots benefit
from being chamoised, as sharp edges on pots chip easily.
(Kemper WT20 Trimafoot)
When a pot is finished, I trim cylindrical shapes like
mugs, tumblers, and vases on the wheelhead to remove excess clay with this
tool.
First point the tip straight down and cut in to reshape
the bottom. Then point the tool towards the wheel center, flat part
down, and slowly lower it from the tip outwards to remove the clay you
have cut off. Kemper makes a nice version, which I believe
used to be called the Trimafoot. Although made from hardwood, expect them
to wear out with use.
(In the photos yarn is used to make the process
easy to see.)
The last part of throwing the pot is releasing it from
the wheel (or bat). I make a cutting wire from 25 lb. fishline and
two washers. To secure the ends to the washers, slip some fishline
through the hole in the washer. Bend the line back so it is lying
next to itself, and tie a simple overhand knot in the doubled line, slipping
the washer through in the process. Pull the knot tight close to the
washer. Trim off the inevitable extra pieces. This knot will
hold without slipping.
Pot lifts, as pictured, can remove any shapes which won't
suffer from a bit of distortion in moving. They have a semicircular
cutout which should be about the size of the pot being lifted. They come
in several sizes. I use them for vases, pitchers, mugs, but avoid
them for larger bowls and plates, due to deformation. If you
do not have a source to buy these, they can be cut from sheet metal, but
the round inner part is difficult to cut with tin snips (unless you have
the ones designed for it.).
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