Throwing Basics Answers

Dry Center:

slap clay with both hands into cone shape.  Dry Slap is done at 1/16 wheel-speed or less. Gas pedal sits on right side. Bucket sits on left side. To Get Groovy the right hand middle finger cuts shallow grove at base of clay cone at 3 o’clock.

 

Bear Claw:

The left hand fingers are lightly squeezed together and curved with the wrist/arm tensed. The “up” pressure for centering is done by pushing with Left Hand Heel/Palm, while using the fingers to gently squeeze the clay back into the palm.

 

Make Friends: Using the softest touch possible ride the hand on clay and keep adding water to cut friction so it doesn’t get sticky.

 

Home position: a. Leg Location (2” from splash guard)  b.  Left hand knuckle location is 9-10 o’clock  c. Thumb location tip is up near center.  d. Left Arm Location near 8 o’clock mid-thigh closer to knee. Hand is in Bear Claw posture.

 

Get Groovy: Right hand middle finger pushes through sponge (wet center) to make groove at 3 o’clock at the bottom on the outside of the clay.

 

Wet Center:

Use Home Position & brace arms on legs near mid thigh left arm at 8 o’clock. The wheel speed is ¼-1/3 wheel-speed. Use left hand first to wet center the clay. Water is used to cut friction. 1. UP PRESSURE Make friends with the clay in the Home Position,  Knuckles of left had are 9-10 o’clock,  up push comes from the heel & palm of the left hand and then the left hand fingers squeeze the clay back into the palm forcing the clay to rise 2. DOWN PRESSURE; left hand shifts slightly up, right hand fingers assist in the downward pressure and press down over the base of the left thumb. (do not push left thumb tip into clay),  continue the left hand wet up pressure as you push down. This will assist in controlling the clay to center as you push down. Get Groovy at the bottom.  Repeat steps 1 & 2 till clay is not wobbling and centered.

 

Choke Compression Hold  

The Choke Hold is done with your thumbs inside opening at 10 & 2 o’clock and fingers on the out side gently squeeze down and back towards your body with your fingers and thumbs.

 

 

Re-Center & Compression: Compression packs the clay particles back together. Compress after each step, to compress the clay, wipe & dry & compress with your throwing sponge at 3 o’clock on the bottom and rim or cracks will follow.

1. Easy Re-center; (a) Get groovy, then press sponge inward against wall while slowly moving up to the rim at 3 o’clock. (b) Use left hand Wet Center Up Pressure. (c) Use Choke Hold.  2. Sponge Compression; throwing sponge is used at 3 o’clock.

 

Drop Hole:

(a)     Fingers at 12 o’clock outside clay and thumbs rest in center dimple, (b) Right thumb presses down and bends as you press downward  (c) Stop hole ½” before wheel-head (d) Left hand braces right hand fingers and thumb (e) Choke Hold compression.  (f) dry bottom check thickness.

 

 

 

 

Opening:

1. fingers outside & thumbs inside both at 12 o’clock 2. Right thumb bends and pushes out to open clay. 3. Choke Hold opened clay. 4 Sponge compress and dry inside bottom. 5. Get Groovy

 

First Pinch-Pull:

(MaMaMia) 1. Fingers outside & thumbs inside at 12 o’clock. 2. Bend & squeeze tips of thumbs and middle fingers toward each other stop when they are ¾-1 inch apart. 2. Hold this gap for 5-10 wheel revolutions (15 seconds).  3. Gently pull gap upward stretching the clay upward into a “pulled wall” 4. Sponge compress & dry inside bottom. 5. Choke Hold the walls. 6. Repeat process to make wall taller.

 

Vase/Cylinder: Fingers initiate and control pinch pulling back and up towards body while thumbs have a very light touch on the inside.

 

Bowl: Thumbs initiate and control pull up while pushing away from body. Fingers have a very light touch on outside.

 

Split Hand Pull:

Once the wall is too tall to get your MaMa-Mia pinch to the bottom you will need to use the split hand pull. Left arm comes off leg left middle fingers are used vertically inside at 4 o’clock right fingers are used horizontally outside opposite left fingers. As you pull-up the wall rotate the hands clockwise and inward to the center of the wheel.

 

Shaping:

Belly; left hand holds sponge inside at 3-4 o’clock, gently push out; right hand is outside barely touching-supporting wall opposite sponge. Collar; sponge in right hand presses in at 3 o’clock as left hand gently supports inside opposite sponge.

 

Removal:

Use Rib to cut groove at bottom of wall.  Dry cut pot then wet cut pot. 2 fingers of the left and right hold the cut wire down against the wheel head with the wire stretch tight and pushed down against the wheel head.  The triangular rib tool has several functions it scrapes trims shapes and is held using right hand’s thumb and middle finger at 3 o’clock). After the wet cut slid the pot lifters about ½ inch under pot wall then twist as you are lifting

 

What is water used for? (Cuts friction; to make it slip!)

 

The thumbs drop the hole with the right thumb leading the action. The left thumb braces or follows the right thumb.

 

The Mama Mia Pinch (Bear Claw hand with fingertips bent outside at noon,  thumb inside aims between 2 middle fingers and gaps at 1-3/4 of an inch.

 

First 5 steps of throwing and wheel speed;  (Dry Center 1/16 speed or less, Wet center ¼-1/3 speed, Drop the hole 1/3 speed, Open ¼ speed, Mama Mia First pinch-pull ¼-1/3 speed.

 

Basic throwing tools we have used at the wheel are the throwing sponge, triangle rib, cut wire, and wash cloth.

 

Pug mill machine that prepares the clay by compressing the clay particles to remove the air and its on-off switch is located on the machine’s left end.

 

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