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I trimmed some small mugs using porcelain clay ( always a bit of a struggle for me !!!) But today noticed some became almost” impossible “to trim Am trimming without a foot ..... But found that the bottom of the mug started a “ ripple effect( if this the right term ) which continued less than half way down “ Am wondering is this due to 1) not being well centered for trimming ? 2 )Not following the inside shape Or due to some other reason ?? Kind regards Nicky

For a few months now I've had an issue about centering when trimming. I use a Giffin Grip and love it, but something has started going wrong somewhere and I can't figure out what it is. My items come off the wheel (I use bats) centered and level. When they're ready to trim, I put them on the GG and they're NEVER centered! I've used a small level to test the level of the GG surface, so I don't think that's the problem. I always use a needle tool to lightly mark the bottoms so I'll have a visual of how far in to make the trim. When I put the needle tool on now, the bottom is up to half an inch off center! It's as though they lean while drying, but I don't know why they would do that. This problem is driving me crazy because I feel as though I'm losing almost all my work or just following it through and trying to compensate for the 'off-ness' in other ways, such as putting a mug handle on the leaning side in order to visually balance it. I'd rather identify the problem and fix it, but no matter how many sleepless hours I log, I can't seem to come up with what's causing it. When it first started, I thought the GG was not level on the wheel. I have not tried recentering for trimming by using clay lugs like I used to. I was never much good at that, thus the reason for getting a GG. That worked wonderfully for three years and now ... not. I can't make large items, so most of my ware is shorter than seven inches. Maybe some of my problem comes from unsteady hands, but I can't figure why the pieces seem nice and well-made enough until I get them to the trimming stage. I've got too much invested in time and dollars just to quit, but I get so upset I don't throw for weeks at a time. I realize that behavior just feeds the other issues, so whatever suggestions you have will be appreciated. Thanks, Marian