How to Make 4 Footed Pottery?

[nancylee]

Hi all,

i know how to make three footed, “tripod” pottery such as the kind Sandi Pierantozzi makes, as I bought her video here. I may have asked this already, but how do you make feet like that with 4 feet? 

These are tripods on etsy: 

https://www.etsy.com/market/tripod_mug

I've been playing with it, and I don’t think you can do the same technique. I was thinking of maybe cutting away clay fromthe bottom? Any ideas, much appreciated!

Nancy

[JohnnyK]

Hi Nancy,

Are you trying to do the pinching method or the foot-ring method? With the pinching method, instead of a triangle, you would have to squeeze a square and then pinch the corners. I would pinch opposite corners first and then do the same with the remaining corners until you bring the bottom together. I think the footring method is easier. You just have to be accurate with your layout of the 4 feet. you would form your pot with a bottom thick enough to trim a footring to the height that you desire or do a flat-bottomed pot and add a footring of the desired height, layout the 4 feet and carve away what you don't want. I've used the first footring method for making my berry bowls. 

The primary reason for doing three footed pots is for stability. Tripods are a lot more stable than quadpods.

Hope this helps...

JohnnyK

[nancylee]

1 hour ago, JohnnyK said:

Hi Nancy,

Are you trying to do the pinching method or the foot-ring method? With the pinching method, instead of a triangle, you would have to squeeze a square and then pinch the corners. I would pinch opposite corners first and then do the same with the remaining corners until you bring the bottom together. I think the footring method is easier. You just have to be accurate with your layout of the 4 feet. you would form your pot with a bottom thick enough to trim a footring to the height that you desire or do a flat-bottomed pot and add a footring of the desired height, layout the 4 feet and carve away what you don't want. I've used the first footring method for making my berry bowls. 

The primary reason for doing three footed pots is for stability. Tripods are a lot more stable than quadpods.

Hope this helps...

JohnnyK

Hi JohnnyK,

Yes, that is what I'm trying to do - the pinching method. But I have seen the footring method too, but couldn't look it up, cause I didn't know what it was called! So you make a thick bottom, then carve the upward curve into it? I will go check to see if I can find some videos to help me see it, also. Thank you very much,

Nancy

[S. Dean]

Nancy,

Here's a video of Kyle Carpenter, a potter from Asheville, NC, cutting 4 feet into the foot ring of  a wheel thrown bowl that's been altered into an oval shape.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtAOYrPmvd4   

-SD

 

 

[nancylee]

On 7/16/2018 at 10:27 PM, S. Dean said:

Nancy,

Here's a video of Kyle Carpenter, a potter from Asheville, NC, cutting 4 feet into the foot ring of  a wheel thrown bowl that's been altered into an oval shape.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dtAOYrPmvd4   

-SD

 

 

Thank you! 

Nancy

[preeta]

Nancy here is a Tara Wilson video.  It does not show exactly what you want but gives you an idea.  I can’t remember if she shows the feet on part 1 or 2 . Maybe 2 I think. 

I love altering.  I get mostly ideas from demos on YouTube. My favourite artists to watch are Martha Grover, Tara wilson and the Moravian pottery demo. There are a couple more but I can’t remember their names.  I don’t exactly copy them but get ideas. 

why do you want to make a 4 footed cup? Instead of a tripod?

fyi: I love this shape of Tara Wilson’s flask. I made variations of it in many sizes and they are always snatched up at our student sale   

 

[S. Dean]

7 hours ago, preeta said:

<snip>  I can’t remember if she shows the feet on part 1 or 2 . Maybe 2 I think <snip>

 

Preeta - Thanks for posting this.   The finishing of a pot with 4 feet is definitely in Part 2: 

 

[S. Dean]

Another Tara Wilson video courtesy of Ceramic Arts Dailey/Ceramic Arts Network here:

 

 

[Pres]

I use a piece of brass pipe to cut my foot ring into 3 or four sections. Depending on what the size of the pot/foot ring the pipe is larger or smaller. I trim out a foot ring on the bottom of a pot, then place the pipe on the inside of the foot ring and push outward at a downward angle cutting the foot ring with a round arc. Repeat 3 more times for a four footed base.

 

best,

Pres

[Dick White]

If you are trying to make a 4-pinched-in-feet pot/mug vs. the 3-pinched-in-feet, it is very simple. Use the thumb and forefinger of both hands (4 pinching points) rather than just the thumb and forefinger of one hand with the forefinger of the other hand (3 pinching points). The challenge is, as JohnnyK points out, accurate layout of the 4 pinch points so that the feet end up even and level.