tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6961789.post-23305053029510318602008-03-14T10:02:00.003-05:002008-03-14T17:17:10.740-05:00This is a little trick that I picked up from my friend <a href="http://www.stonymeadowpottery.com/">Jordan Taylor</a> for throwing platters. I find it extremely useful so I thought I would pass it on to all of you and maybe you'll find it useful too. <br /><br />The <span style="font-weight: bold;">quarter trick</span> solves three problems that arise from throwing platters:<br /><ul><li>Instead of having to both wedge and center one large mass of clay, you can break it down into two pieces which reduces the strain on your body</li><li>It helps you more easily judge the thickness of the floor of the platter and adds consistency if you're doing multiples.</li><li>And it allows you to compress the floor of the platter REALLY well so you don't have to worry about any future problems of cracking.<br /></li></ul><div style="text-align: center;">So here is the <span style="font-weight: bold;">quarter trick</span>:<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://potteryblog.com/uploaded_images/first_lump_of_clay-708195.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://potteryblog.com/uploaded_images/first_lump_of_clay-708170.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Wedge up and center your first lump of clay. This piece is going to be the floor of your platter. I used 8 lbs of clay which gives me a slightly narrow but thick foot (great for putting holes into so you can hang it). You can vary the weight depending on the ultimate size of your platter. But I find that the 8 - 9 lb. range works for a variety of sizes of platters since the size foot isn't necessarily that different.<br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://potteryblog.com/uploaded_images/centered_clay_with_quarter-765865.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://potteryblog.com/uploaded_images/centered_clay_with_quarter-765861.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Center your clay and compress the heck out of the floor. Place a quarter in the center of your centered clay (I use a 1974 quarter).<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://potteryblog.com/uploaded_images/second_lump_of_clay-740228.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://potteryblog.com/uploaded_images/second_lump_of_clay-740149.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Wedge up your second piece of clay and place it on top of the quarter. I tend to use between 8 - 12 lbs. of clay for this second piece, depending on the ultimate shape of the platter.<br /><br /></div><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://potteryblog.com/uploaded_images/quarter_exposed-797961.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://potteryblog.com/uploaded_images/quarter_exposed-797947.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Open up the platter and establish the curve. <br />TAKE OUT THE QUARTER!!!!<br />And clean it off so it doesn't become part of your reclaim. (I speak from experience on this one.)<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://potteryblog.com/uploaded_images/wet_stoneware_platter-735440.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://potteryblog.com/uploaded_images/wet_stoneware_platter-735438.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>Then finish off your platter as usual and be aware of the thickness of the floor.<br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://potteryblog.com/uploaded_images/Soda-fired_platter_with_shells-776303.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer;" src="http://potteryblog.com/uploaded_images/Soda-fired_platter_with_shells-776217.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a>This platter isn't actually the platter that is throw above. That platter is sitting in my studio waiting to be trimmed. But this platter was thrown in the same way.<br /></div>Emily Murphyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02405853235523900054noreply@blogger.com