Using Ribs

[Columbine]

I've watched people use ribs when throwing and it seems like a good guide. My problem is that when I try to use them I always end up shaving clay off so I usually use a sponge instead. What am I doing wrong?

[neilestrick]

Which type of rib- wood, metal or rubber. And what are you using it for- smoothing or stretching?

[MatthewV]

The angle you hold the rib is important. Hold it so the clay can flow past and only the slurry will be collected. Sponges tend to tear up the surface; I personally don't like the surface finish they leave.

 

For beginners I recommend trying the yellow/green/red (yes, listed out of order) for throwing.

[PRankin]

I use a wood rib for my last pull or two on the outside of a piece to smooth all the finger lines and even out the thickness. I hold it with the edge away from me about a 45 degree angle so it doesn't dig in and let it gently ride along the clay. I then use a metal rib to clean off the water and slurry on the outside and inside. Like everything else in pottery it takes practice and you'll get to "feel" how much pressure to use.

[Marko]

I use a wood rib for throwing and shaping. And a metal rib for clean up and smoothing the shape. I learned alot from YouTube videos. Here's one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMrjvJqpeE4. 

 

I think once you watch someone else you will feel more willing to try what they do. And as you get more experience you will find the force, hehe. It comes with practise. So just spend some time throwing and experiment. Let your mistakes be your stepping stones. Don't be afraid to fail. You only fail if you don't try. And, very important, have fun. We all began at one time, made trials and errors, loved and hated clay, but then you get it. The Ah! factor. Go Batty. 

[rayaldridge]

I only use a flexible metal rib, and only on either the inside or outside of the pot ( though I may smooth both inside and outside, I only use one rib at a time.

 

I use a metal rib because my approach to surface decoration requires a smooth surface without throwing marks.  For closed-in things like mugs, I leave the throwing marks on the inside.  For things like open bowls, I use the rib on the outside after making the initial pulls, but before I move toward the eventual interior curve.  I use the rib on the inside of open bowls to smooth the surface and get a perfect curvature on the interior.

[GiselleNo5]

I don't know how long you've been throwing. For me it's just about 18 months and I'm still getting the hang of ribs. In the beginning they would dig in and then go flying off into the splash pan. Very annoying. I stopped using them altogether for awhile but in the past six months I've introduced them again. 

This is what I've found works for me. 

1. I stay away from metal ribs. I know will be able to use them one day but I almost sliced my finger off the last time it dug in so I've decided that wooden or rubber ribs are safer for my digits right now. I also use nice flexible credit cards to get the slurry off the surface at the end. 

 

2. When I'm shaping the outside of my pot with a rib, I put it almost side by side with the piece. As others have said, the angle is very important. In the beginning I tended to put the rib pointing straight out and away from the piece but now I use it at a much more passive angle. Less shaving, more shaping, which is what I want. 

 

I actually like throwing rings but I usually clean them off the outside of pieces because it leaves a nice smooth decorating surface. Then my pot can have them on the inside to look all nice and handmade and have a bit of subtle texture in there. 

[oldlady]

as others have said, using a rib is a skill.  the angle and HOLDING ON TO THE TOOL  are important.  two students, who drove 45 miles one way to class, had a very hard time with ribs. the instructor showed them repeatedly but no amount of instruction seemed to help.  finally, i said "don't be afraid of the tool, hold it tight".  it worked and they bought a wheel and never had to come back to class.

 

think of the rib as an extension of your fingers.  you hold your fingers at the right angle to the spinning clay instinctively.  hold the rib the same way.

[Marcia Selsor]

I agree with all of the above. We use different ribs for different reasons.

I like a wooden rib for stretching sodium silicate crackled surfaces. the inside need to be wet and the rib is angled and ever so gently pushed.

For smoothing the orb surface or outside I used a soft red rubber rib and a sanded metal rib. I try to eliminate any surface mark for a smooth surface for burnishing.The angle of contact is extremely crucial.

 

Marcia

"Pottery is at once the simplest and the most difficult of all arts. It is the simplest because it is the most elemental; it is the most difficult because it is the most abstract." -Herbert Read

[PRankin]

Holding onto a metal rib was a challenge for me because of wet slippery hands and fingers. I solved this problem by applying self stick Velcro patches to both sides of the ribs where they won't get in the way but make it much easier to hold on to. The one pictured below has been used frequently and cleans up very easily. The patches have been stuck on there for about six months.

[Chilly]

Watch Tim See's videos.  He calls one "the metal rib of death.  Anyone who doesn't know why.........!

[rayaldridge]

Yeah, I'd guess that in every beginner throwing class, someone cuts a finger to the bone with a metal rib.  I think it happens most often when trying to clean off the edge when it gets too much slurry on it. If you're not careful in pulling your fingers along the edge of the tool, there will be blood.

 

I always bend the rib between my fingers when holding it, because that seems to make the rib much more controllable, and less likely to get away from me.  I put my thumb on the middle of the tool, and use my fingers above and below to bend it.  Depending on the profile you're trying to develop, you would want to flex the rib more or less to match the curvature.

[Benzine]

Ray, I've been teaching high school students, for over a decade, and haven't had one slice themselves on the metal ribs yet.  I have had one hurt cut themselves on a fettling knife.  Most the ones I buy, have almost no edge.  This one had a slight edge, and the student cut themselves because they were actually testing to see how sharp the edge was... On their own hand...

[AndreaB]

I've yet to get to grips with ribs. I always dig into the clay when using them on the inside. I've seen a lot of comments regarding the mud tools ribs and I'm considering ordering some. Can anyone give me more specific details as to what I should get? When looking at Mud Tools site they have three, four, five etc types for each colour. As I'm ordering in Rands I need to be very selective.

 

Have a good Monday

[Pres]

I use all types of ribs, metal, plastic, wood and bamboo, and of course rubber. For me, it is, as others have said, the way it is placed against the pot. Perpendicular to the form is not very good in the beginning or for one not really experienced with the rib. plenty of water, keeping it clean, those also help. I have large ribs I used for throwing plates, bowl ribs that are made of large bamboo spoons with the handle cut off and a hole drilled in the center for grip, symmetric curved ribs, and asymmetric curved ribs, ribs with long handles for bottles and ribs I have hand made or altered for making beet, or rolled decoration in the pot . I use ribs on the inside of pots when I am compressing and thinning walls further with a rib on the outside also. I use the spoon ribs for opening the inside of smaller bowls, quick and efficient. I use the softer ribs when smoothing and compressing plates and bowls, but of late have found no need of them. On larger forms, when I am shaping I like a long straight rib maybe 8" long to work the side of the pot for shaping and working the form before shaping, then a 6" straight rib for shaping the bulge, and a spoon rib for shaping inside curves.

 

Thing of it is, the angle that you hold the rib at changes the shape of any curve so you have thousands of variations off of one symmetric curve, if that rib is not symmetric in the curve, then you really have a lot of options to find the right curve to smooth and shape the form you hold in your mind's eye.

 

 

best, 

Pres

[MatthewV]

I've yet to get to grips with ribs. I always dig into the clay when using them on the inside. I've seen a lot of comments regarding the mud tools ribs and I'm considering ordering some. Can anyone give me more specific details as to what I should get? When looking at Mud Tools site they have three, four, five etc types for each colour. As I'm ordering in Rands I need to be very selective.

 

Have a good Monday

 

The smallest ones are the most recommended. If I were to make a beginner tool set it would include the small green rib. After that, a few of the "boring looking" yellow and red shapes. And the blue ones are too stiff for throwing in my opinion.

 

I have seen a wide variety of personal preference. Most of the time people get attached to the one they have.

[Mark C.]

Benzine any of your high schoolers catch their tie in a spinning wheel? Its can be a big issue-broken necks,concussions (its a hot button issue  right now with power wheels and football) but the best solution is bow ties.Just require bow ties as part of the dress code in pottery class.

[Benzine]

Mark, Ha!  I don't even wear a tie, so they students sure generally don't.  There are a couple occasions, where students do dress up because they have athletic events that day.

 

I guess I did wear a tie a couple weeks ago, just to mess with my students.  They always act like I'm really dressed up, when I just add the tie.  Anyway, I was trimming things on the kick wheel, and I had a nice dust line across my tie, from where the wheel head brushed against it.

 

The worst that has ever happened with a student, was when they had an apron laying across their lap, and it got wrapped around the wheel axle, and pulled off.  Didn't harm them in the slightest, just startled them a bit.  

I have also had the kick wheel launch some flip flops and slip on shoes, on a few occasions, despite my warning of that possibility.  

 

I do believe Pres has a good story about wearing ties...

[Callie Beller Diesel]

When using a metal rib, make sure you scrape the slip off on the side of your throwing bucket, not with your hand. That's the only time I've managed to lay my hand open, and those cuts are bleeders, man!

[PRankin]

And another thing about using ribs... At home I mostly throw standing so my elbows are locked into my ribs for stability.