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Stamping Pottery


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Does anyone have any good tips on stamping pottery? I can't seem to meet at the same point I start at. If I start in the middle of a bowl and work my

way around I never end up in the right place. More like a wavy line instead of straight. Thought about shining a laser pen on my pot and working in

a level circle around, but a level lasers cost $$$. Any good tips would be helpful. Thanks in advance!

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Are you attempting this on a wheel or banding wheel?

Stamping? Or including?

You can section and mark your pot as many times as you need then" join the dots" with  your  tool.

Is this what you are trying to do? Or do you have a stamp you wish to imprint around your pot with?  It would be the same thing really.

You can buy sets of measuring discs which make it easy to measure off your pot.

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to get it level horizontally, put the piece on a banding wheel.   take a large lump of clay and make a christmas tree shape tall enough to hold a pencil horizontally at the place you want the level line.  then it is up to you, work without a line or turn the banding wheel with the pencil point touching the pot to make an impression.

the spacing of each element of the stamp is a matter of judgement, stamp with pretty accurate spacing until you get near the end and then adjust by eye.  the viewer usually cannot tell it might be a little bit off.  

the easiest way is to look straight down at the pot and make a tiny mark at the top, bottom and both sides.  that divides it into 4, then halve that and do it again until you have it done.  perfection is not required.

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Stamping is something that has to have some planning most of the time. Much of this has to depend on when to stamp, and then where to stamp.

Timing is important. If you are just interested in stamping on decoration and are working with wheel thrown pottery then you may stamp before shaping. In this case the stamp needs to be wet to press into the wet surface, otherwise it will stick. After your stamping, shape from the inside.

If you are stamping after the pot is made, or before a handbuilt pot is assembled, do it in the cheese hard stage and make certain to have some support to counter the pressure of the stamp. On a work board, or with a rounded object on the inside of a rounded form to press against, thus not misshaping the pot.  

Most of the others here have talked about the layout and planning. Often I set up a top and bottom line on a border that I inset the clay on either side to make a band around the pot to stamp into. Think carefully when doing this because this band will form a major design element of the form. Too high, and it emphasizes the neck, too low the foot. In the center it cuts the form in half.

 

best,

Pres

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