Hello anyone else besides me into wheel throwing?

[Crazyfuryan]

It seems like I am the first one to post a msg in the throwing group. Im not sure what to say but is anyone else into throwing? I would be happy to discuss anything about throwing

[Anonymous]

Hi,
I love throwing on the wheel but after a 2 year break I find myself having problems pulling
my walls up and maintaining an equal thickness. Im not entirely sure what I may be doing
wrong but any and all suggestions are greatly appreciated.

[Crazyfuryan]

Hey Snow,

well i think the main reason why your walls are not even and your having trouble pulling up the walls is because the clay is not centered. try practicing centering. if the clay is centered, it would be easier to pull up the clay with even walls. you can try pullin up the clay with a small sponge. i think the sponge should help alot. I hope this helps

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the help, I have since managed to straighten out the uneven ness in my walls, the problems was inconsistant pressure which forced the clay to gather in one spot and thin in another. Centering isnt the issue since i have the same problem when I work from my instructors centered clay and he has been doing this some 20 years.
Perhaps its simple because I work best alone and most of my work is done with fellow students around. When they leave I dont experience these issues.

Thanks for the input.

[Anonymous]

I'll assume that most use 'bats' of some sort usually attached to the wheel with two pegs. Often these bats develope holes for the pegs that are too large. So, #1 is make sure your bat is secure with NO movement or shift as you center or you will just be 'spinning your wheels' ...pun intended...
Next, you must learn to wedge your clay to perfection. Many put up with air bubbles or other inconsistencies in the clay and you are thereby just waisting your time or forcing through a less than perfect form and fooling with other ways to overcome the problem that is there in the compromised clay.

Now you are ready (hopefully the clay is not to stiff or too soft). Put the clay in the center and with a very very slow rotation pat it into as near center as you can (it just saves energy... sure you can put a square block of clay on the wheel and force it to center... but why would you when you can pat it to near center with so little work?).

Now you are ready ... lots of water and "'BE' THE MACHINE" ...lol... I shouldn't laugh, but, well, really, the way to success in centering is in grounding yourself to the machine. That is, imagine that you were made of steel and were actually attached to the machine and that the clay COULD NOT MOVE YOU.... okay, keep that in mind and now take a deep breath and tense every muscle in your body and slowly exhale as you totally intend your hands down in as close to total rigidity as you can muster and will yourself to BE THE MACHINE ... that is, attached as if you were steel so that the clay had no chance of moving you. Now you can center anything and carry this through the whole throwing process and remember. THROWING IS CENTERING ... it is nothing else!
http://www.prismagems.com/pottery

[rickmacepottery]

Thanks for the help, I have since managed to straighten out the uneven ness in my walls, the problems was inconsistant pressure which forced the clay to gather in one spot and thin in another. Centering isnt the issue since i have the same problem when I work from my instructors centered clay and he has been doing this some 20 years.
Perhaps its simple because I work best alone and most of my work is done with fellow students around. When they leave I dont experience these issues.

Thanks for the input.

Interesting here is the comment about "inconsistant pressure." In a way that is correct but in another way it is not correct. You know when you learn to ride a bike? ... it's not something that your brain learns to do it is something that your BODY earns... your body learns balance. Well, it is that way with throwing too. Your body learns what is or is not consistant/inconsistant pressure. That is to say that while you are in the process of throwing, your body is constantly adjusting, without your brain involved, to the need to center... centering centering centering... and what that means is that your body learns to constantly adjust "PRESSURE" ... so it is not really a matter of pressure being consistant or inconsistant ... it's a matter of your body learning to adjust with the rotating clay through your fingers to the clay's need to stay centered for your being able to form a form to the potential of the clay through your fingers. And again, a large key to this it to be one with the machine in rigidity... and many thinks, yes, help... NEVER let your skin 'stick' ... whenever you feel anything less than consistant 'FLOW' through the fingers (as happens when there is a 'dry' spot) you must correct that with more water, or sponging the surface, or 'drying' it sometimes too if that is your wish. Remember... throwing IS CENTERING AND NOTHING ELSE!!!
http://www.prismagems.com/pottery