[Mark C.]

I suggest small bats to throw them on-off the hump will take you way long to learn. You want to try not to distort them-hence small bats. The other way is to slide them off a bat like in yedrow videos .
Work in series-weigh all the clay balls same weight and throw 20-30 at a time. If they are all wrong wedge them up and start over. This is the long hard slow learning of throwing-there is no shortcut.Handles are a all together new skill to be learned.
I suggest pulling your handles and cutting them off at slight angle then attach them- this is easier for beginning than pulling them off the mug.
Mark

[justanassembler]

Mark C., on 28 September 2012 - 11:40 AM, said:

I suggest small bats to throw them on-off the hump will take you way long to learn. You want to try not to distort them-hence small bats. The other way is to slide them off a bat like in yedrow videos .
Work in series-weigh all the clay balls same weight and throw 20-30 at a time. If they are all wrong wedge them up and start over. This is the long hard slow learning of throwing-there is no shortcut.Handles are a all together new skill to be learned.
I suggest pulling your handles and cutting them off at slight angle then attach them- this is easier for beginning than pulling them off the mug.
Mark

Throwing off the hump does take time and practice to learn, but in the end it saves time--what the hurry? Im not sure that "it takes too long" is ever really a good reason not to add a tool to your toolbox--unless of course you're under a deadline... Even then, get out what needs to be gotten out, and learn something new that will save you time in the long run, or offer you an alternative that might be helpful in other arenas also...

[yedrow]

I agree that handles are best pulled. I don't even like pulling extruded handles since the top is either too close to the width of the bottom or it is pinched.

Mugs are some of the best practice you can get throwing. They are small, sellable, and can be made quickly. Since they can be made quickly the practice is more intense.

I tell people that you should treat the clay like a string. When you pull on a string a tension will build in it as your fingers slide along the length of the string. The clay is like that. As you pull it up you will develop a tension between the point you are pinching and the base of the pot. If you can feel that tension you can time the lift (in a musical instrument sense). When you get control of that time you will get a good powerful lift. Also, try lifting toward the center of the wheel, not strait up. You can move the clay out easier than you can move it in. It is good to be able to lift in, strait up (cylinder) and out (bowl). The base of the mug will control what shape it will be, relative to the aesthetic you are pursuing (sloped in, sloped out, cylinder, round, etc). If you slope in a bit you can see that control happening.

Oh yea, also cut something like every tenth mug in half, bottom to top. Look at the cross section. The wall of your pot should be about the same thickness just below the rim as it is at the base (the rim should be mouth-friendly thick). If it is notably thicker at the base, try to do a shorter pull on your first lift with the intention of making the clay even, not getting height. Then with your next pull or two try to get height. It is always best to start out from a predictable point.

Joel.

[nancylee]

justanassembler, on 28 September 2012 - 03:21 PM, said:

Mark C., on 28 September 2012 - 11:40 AM, said:

I suggest small bats to throw them on-off the hump will take you way long to learn. You want to try not to distort them-hence small bats. The other way is to slide them off a bat like in yedrow videos .
Work in series-weigh all the clay balls same weight and throw 20-30 at a time. If they are all wrong wedge them up and start over. This is the long hard slow learning of throwing-there is no shortcut.Handles are a all together new skill to be learned.
I suggest pulling your handles and cutting them off at slight angle then attach them- this is easier for beginning than pulling them off the mug.
Mark

Throwing off the hump does take time and practice to learn, but in the end it saves time--what the hurry? Im not sure that "it takes too long" is ever really a good reason not to add a tool to your toolbox--unless of course you're under a deadline... Even then, get out what needs to be gotten out, and learn something new that will save you time in the long run, or offer you an alternative that might be helpful in other arenas also...

I think Mark suggested speed in learning because of my shop and my need to make mugs for Christmas. I do know that I should learn all techniques properly. I am not one to cut corners generally.
Nancy

[nancylee]

yedrow, on 28 September 2012 - 10:55 PM, said:

I agree that handles are best pulled. I don't even like pulling extruded handles since the top is either too close to the width of the bottom or it is pinched.

Mugs are some of the best practice you can get throwing. They are small, sellable, and can be made quickly. Since they can be made quickly the practice is more intense.

I tell people that you should treat the clay like a string. When you pull on a string a tension will build in it as your fingers slide along the length of the string. The clay is like that. As you pull it up you will develop a tension between the point you are pinching and the base of the pot. If you can feel that tension you can time the lift (in a musical instrument sense). When you get control of that time you will get a good powerful lift. Also, try lifting toward the center of the wheel, not strait up. You can move the clay out easier than you can move it in. It is good to be able to lift in, strait up (cylinder) and out (bowl). The base of the mug will control what shape it will be, relative to the aesthetic you are pursuing (sloped in, sloped out, cylinder, round, etc). If you slope in a bit you can see that control happening.

Oh yea, also cut something like every tenth mug in half, bottom to top. Look at the cross section. The wall of your pot should be about the same thickness just below the rim as it is at the base (the rim should be mouth-friendly thick). If it is notably thicker at the base, try to do a shorter pull on your first lift with the intention of making the clay even, not getting height. Then with your next pull or two try to get height. It is always best to start out from a predictable point.

Joel.

[nancylee]

Thank you, Joel! I never heard about that string idea, nor did I learn about pulling in. I think that will help me a lot!
Nancy