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The problem with the Strong Arm centering tool is that it doesn't actually center the clay. Yes, it gets it spinning in the middle, but 'centered' is not just a position, it is more importantly also a 'condition'. For clay to be well centered, it must be a smooth, homogenous mass, which is accomplished through coning. If you just force it into the center without coning, it will be uneven and wonky as soon as you try to pull up the walls. You can compensate for it spinning slightly off center as you pull, but you cannot compensate for inconsistent clay. This tool would be great if you have physical limitations, but it is by no means a substitute for actual centering if you have the physical ability to do it right.

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Quality over quantity, Guinea. If you wedge well, or use deairing pug, use the arm to start centering then finish a bit with coning, you should be fine. You may even find it works well without, but well prepared clay to start with is very important, as we all know.

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Quality over quantity, Guinea. If you wedge well, or use deairing pug, use the arm to start centering then finish a bit with coning, you should be fine. You may even find it works well without, but well prepared clay to start with is very important, as we all know.

 

This is totally how I feel. I take my clay out of the bag and I spiral wedge it into a nice cone shape. If I dont I feel like the clay is more of a struggle and it doesn't center nearly as easy. 

 

I highly recommend it. Another thing is most people think wedging is in the back and arms. I find its in the legs and shoulders. You rock and lock shoulders when you go down and release them when you go back with your legs. Atleast I can wedge a huge amount of clay with this method and my arms dont even tire. 

 

I could be wrong on the method for wedging, but when I first started I used my arms and stood still. After about 10 minutes I was exhausted. Then I watched several videos of the old korean potters wedging and they almost dance when they do it. Rocking back and forth and locking their shoulders and arms when they push in on the clay. 

 

I changed to that and it was much better.

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You could also just go, with REALLY soft clay Guinea.  You could even go with softer, than you'd normally throw with, center it, and let it dry, before opening and pulling, so you don't have to worry about it collapsing.  

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Quality over quantity, Guinea. If you wedge well, or use deairing pug, use the arm to start centering then finish a bit with coning, you should be fine. You may even find it works well without, but well prepared clay to start with is very important, as we all know.

 

This is totally how I feel. I take my clay out of the bag and I spiral wedge it into a nice cone shape. If I dont I feel like the clay is more of a struggle and it doesn't center nearly as easy. 

 

I highly recommend it. Another thing is most people think wedging is in the back and arms. I find its in the legs and shoulders. You rock and lock shoulders when you go down and release them when you go back with your legs. Atleast I can wedge a huge amount of clay with this method and my arms dont even tire. 

 

I could be wrong on the method for wedging, but when I first started I used my arms and stood still. After about 10 minutes I was exhausted. Then I watched several videos of the old korean potters wedging and they almost dance when they do it. Rocking back and forth and locking their shoulders and arms when they push in on the clay. 

 

I changed to that and it was much better.

 

So that I don't have to retell the story check out this post of mine:

http://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/8404-humor-the-best-way-to-learn/page-3

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Quality over quantity, Guinea. If you wedge well, or use deairing pug, use the arm to start centering then finish a bit with coning, you should be fine. You may even find it works well without, but well prepared clay to start with is very important, as we all know.

 

This is totally how I feel. I take my clay out of the bag and I spiral wedge it into a nice cone shape. If I dont I feel like the clay is more of a struggle and it doesn't center nearly as easy. 

 

I highly recommend it. Another thing is most people think wedging is in the back and arms. I find its in the legs and shoulders. You rock and lock shoulders when you go down and release them when you go back with your legs. Atleast I can wedge a huge amount of clay with this method and my arms dont even tire. 

 

I could be wrong on the method for wedging, but when I first started I used my arms and stood still. After about 10 minutes I was exhausted. Then I watched several videos of the old korean potters wedging and they almost dance when they do it. Rocking back and forth and locking their shoulders and arms when they push in on the clay. 

 

I changed to that and it was much better.

 

So that I don't have to retell the story check out this post of mine:

http://community.ceramicartsdaily.org/topic/8404-humor-the-best-way-to-learn/page-3

 

 

That is funny! Good work.

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Guinea you might want to call Marc Gaiger, the potter who designed it, and get his take on the comments above.

 

The tool looks very similar to the one I saw in the video I initially mentioned. That potter I think made his himself when he, like you, was faced with giving up the wheel because of severe arthritis. Although I don't remember who he was I do remember that he had been a potter for 4-5 decades and they had both a huge shop and gallery and he was producing professionally using his centering and opening tool so he seemed to have figured out how to throw with it without sacrificing quality. Of course I couldn't access the structure of his pots but he had a throwing demonstration that looked liked it spun true. 

 

Good luck with it all. I know you love pottery but I would really figure out something so you are not just sucking it up and just going for it, injuring your hands in the process.  

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Yep! Pres is right--no way in heck I'd throw unwedged clay (oh, eww). And I was actually just thinking about how there was no coning!! Uh, not kosher. So, what I was thinking is that I could get the clay to a managable centered-ness so I could cone up more easily. Coning is pretty easy on me, so long as I have lotsa water. After coning, I could use the arm to help re-center and open. :3 Claw-pulling is really painful (and I mean, I thought I broke my pinky knuckle when I did it on my mug form painful), so that opener would reeeeeeally help!

 

Aaaaaand, my fella said he'd build me one!! ^_^ That'll save about $250 in costs.. sweeet!

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GuineaPotter set your wedging table on a 15 degree slant away from you. This allows you to get more of your weight behind wedging as opposed to a flat wedging table. As you wedge larger amounts of clay you will notice the wedging occurs further down the slant but the body is still in about the same position as when you are wedging a small amount of clay. This slanting wedge is better on your wrists and it is easier to get into the rocking motion. Place the high end of the wedging table (the end closest to you) at the distance measured from the floor to the middle of your hand as it hangs by your side. I have my wedging table attached to the wall. Sounds like your fella is handy with carpentry skills so this would not be difficult for him to create.

 

Good Luck!

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Benzine hit it . . . soft clay is your answer.  Stiff clay on a fast wheel will center no easier than stiff clay on a slow wheel.  I recall from beginner's class the admonition to "slow down the wheel" when trying to learn centering. 

 

Look at the video of Warren McKenzie . . . he is in his 90's and uses a kick wheel, not exactly a speed demon wheel.  But his clay is freshly pugged and soft.  You might be better off thinking of, and saving towards, a pug mill that will give you soft clay to use.  No a cheap answer, but it might allow you to continue throwing for a much longer time. 

 

Look at some old Tim See videos -- he does not wedge new clay out of the bag, he cuts it off the block and puts it on the wheel.

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I woud literally sell one of my kidneys on the black market for a de-airing pug mill. Santa is taking his time about it. :D

 

I wish pug mills made real pugs... ;)

 

Perhaps you could apply for a grant to purchase a mixer pug mill - your work and story are compelling. 

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I often change the way that I pull, finding that different hand positions use of fingers or knuckles, different positioning can relieve the stress of repetition. That is one of the reasons I use an elbow for opening up larger bowl forms or a spoon rib for opening smaller bowls. We do know that repetition of stresses on the hands and wrists are ways of developing problems in the joints and muscles. That said, I have been watching a series of videos by Hsin-Chuen Lin, Guinea, you may find his method of opening up and of pulling interesting, maybe even helpful.

 

 

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I am a huge dummy. DUMMY. Troy Bungart made me a gorgeous throwing stick that has a knobby end that I could use to open! I never even thought about that before. :D Derp. That's a great video, too!

 

@S. Dean: ...that's not a bad idea. I wonder where I could go for that. :3

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I am a huge dummy. DUMMY. Troy Bungart made me a gorgeous throwing stick that has a knobby end that I could use to open! I never even thought about that before. :D Derp. That's a great video, too!

 

@S. Dean: ...that's not a bad idea. I wonder where I could go for that. :3

 

I bet these folks can offer some advice  https://www.artisttrust.org/index.php

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I'm gonna throw my hat into the ring here and say, get the Shimpo VL! I absolutely adore mine! I had started out on Brent C's at the community studio. They were nice, but I far prefer my Shimpo these days. There are no issues of the pedal sticking like some of the studio Brent's. Granted, that issue might be due to their age and the fact that so many different people are using them. ;)  

 

As for keeping the unit clean, you are definitely NOT alone! :lol: I could be accused of being down right obsessive about mine! I learned my lesson after just the first time with my wheel. It's far easier to clean it up as I go along than it is to come back the next day and try to get all of the gunk out of it.  If cleanliness is next to godliness, I'm well on the road to sainthood at the very least! LOL!

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I woud literally sell one of my kidneys on the black market for a de-airing pug mill. Santa is taking his time about it. :D

 

I wish pug mills made real pugs... ;)

 

Perhaps you could apply for a grant to purchase a mixer pug mill - your work and story are compelling. 

 

 

Also I have heard good things about Kickstarter helping people purchase larger equipment they couldn't afford right away 

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