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Tools for throwing dry


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I know this was directed for a specific person but I also dry throw. I use lots of metal tools/ribs. Flexible metal ribs for the insides and flattening the floors. Hard flat metal strips or razor blades to help pull walls. I think one of the better points of dry throwing is getting more out of your clay and better development of shape. However things tend to be on the thinner side for me which can be good or bad depending on your style. Clay can torque or tear depending on how short the clay is but using metal tools puts less resistance and can help. 

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As with Black Dog, Doc. I throw pretty dry. I center normally, usually about 20# or so, then open up with a wheel pounding motion, and finish using water to smooth bottom and work the sides up the first 18" or so. Then I let the form set up on the wheel while turning slow for a while, and come back later to finish pulling with pointer finger tip supported by thumb, and inside fingers the same. This is done dry, to complete the cylinder, then start the shaping, again dry. I don't add any more water, and usually use ribs, wooden or metal to shape and smooth. Throwing with the finger tips cuts down on drag, but I have a tendency of leaving very distinct throwing lines on the pot that I often like to smooth up with the ribs. Many times I only shape from the inside with no outside support, or shape from bottom to top, and back down. 

 

best,

Pres

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Guest JBaymore

Just to be clear, when I say I throw "dry", it means in comparison to most people.  I use very little water.  I mainly throw using slurry rather than water....and not a lot of it most of the time.  Haven't had a splash pan on a wheel in 40 years.    But I do use some slurry (or water).  Just not much.  As I throw, I scrape the slurry accumulating on my hands off between "pulls" (or whatever) and put it back onto the surface of the piece. 

No special tools.... same concept of ones most everyone uses....wooden knives, wooden and plastic ribs, and so on.  Almost never use a sponge.... just dip fingers in slip (or water) when needed; gets plenty on there.   I NEVER use flexible metal ribs on a wheel (potential rotating razor blades).  On the wheel, I trim mostly with Japanese kanna.  For larger amounts of clay I often "punch open"..... got that idea from Hamada.

(Moving this thread to "Studio Operations" since it is not clay and glaze technical oriented.)

best,

......................john

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I like to hold a damp sponge in my right (outside) hand. This greatly reduces the amount of water needed. I don't like using slip, it's too inconsistent and doesn't last very long. For me the best balance of having a good feel of the clay, and thwarting friction, is to have a damp sponge in one hand and the other hand clean and dry. Other tools like ribs are not related to throwing dry. These are for shaping forms and creating nice surfaces. 

To each their own techniques. 

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It doesn't sound like anyone else's throwing completely dry like I do.  I even go so far as occasionally wiping off slip that I might've squeezed some too wet clay. As a hobbyist beginner, throwing one-off stufh, I find a lot of advantages to throwing dry. I can screw around   with it forever until I get something I like. I can throw a lot thinner, taller or wider.  The only disadvantage I found is that you lose some feel, which means that sometimes I can accidentally get things so thin that they are fragile.  

I've developed a set of roller-based throwing tools that I coat with coconut oil to keep clay from sticking.   

 

 

P1120835 (Small).JPG

RollerTools (Small).JPG

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Guest JBaymore

When I was employed at MassArt (a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away) I had the chance to learn to blow glass from Dan Dailey and Joe Upham.  As a 'plastic material', it blew me away.  It could have drawn me away from working in clay.... except for one key factor; you always had a tool between you and the material.  That was the deal killer for me.

So I would not really enjoy using the rollers and such.  I like to "touch clay every day".

But I find the IDEA very fascinating.  Love to see a video of your technique.

best,

.................john

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You're one of the old masters who can make it work without my kind of trickery.

As far as my technique goes, it's exactly like wet throwing except there's a roller on the inside and outside instead of fingers.  If I ever make a video, I'll certainly post it. I wouldn't want y'all to miss my fantastic  beginners throwing wizardry :P

There are some strange things you can do with dry throwing that I haven't figured out how to make best use of.  If you throw a tall cylinder and let it dry overnight on the bat, as you'd expect it to be quite stiff.  You can actually pick up the cylinder and bat by the edge top edge of the cylinder.  However, if you do a straight pull with a roller on the inside and outside crushing it what little you can, the whole thing softens up tremendously . Then you can continue to  lift clay in the normal manner. I think it's thixotropic phenomenon.

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On 11/3/2017 at 10:37 AM, JBaymore said:

When I was employed at MassArt (a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away) I had the chance to learn to blow glass from Dan Dailey and Joe Upham.  As a 'plastic material', it blew me away.  It could have drawn me away from working in clay.... except for one key factor; you always had a tool between you and the material.  That was the deal killer for me.

So I would not really enjoy using the rollers and such.  I like to "touch clay every day".

But I find the IDEA very fascinating.  Love to see a video of your technique.

best,

.................john

I went to school in Phila. with Dan Dailey! Small world. I blew glass there too.I throw dry. I use ribs as I described  in the ribs post.

 

 

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