Bats ( not the flying ones)

[ronfire]

I have been using bats made from 1/2" MDF . I do wire the thrown items but do I have to with the MDF?

Was thinking of making some plaster bats, are they worth the effort and extra space they use up. The MDF ones are simple cheep to build.

Has anyone made some from hydostone, might be able to buy some .

 

 

 

[neilestrick]

With anything but plaster I recommend wiring it. I use Medex bats, which is an exterior grade MDF. The don't delaminate like regular MDF or Masonite. They are absorbent, but not as much as plaster. Plaster bats are only worth it if you have the space for them, as they take up 3 times the space of regular bats.

[liambesaw]

I have hardboard and pie tin plaster bats, I like the hardboard ones much better. I only wire off large or flat bottomed things like plates and casseroles or if I need to free up some bats.

[dhPotter]

Liam do you mean hardiboard? If it is hardboard, what kind?

[liambesaw]

13 minutes ago, dhPotter said:

Liam do you mean hardiboard? If it is hardboard, what kind?

Hardboard, it's the same thing as Masonite, Masonite is just the brand name

[Bill Kielb]

3 hours ago, ronfire said:

I have been using bats made from 1/2" MDF . I do wire the thrown items but do I have to with the MDF?

Was thinking of making some plaster bats, are they worth the effort and extra space they use up. The MDF ones are simple cheep to build.

Has anyone made some from hydostone, might be able to buy some .

 

 

 

I have taken to removing as much as  I can from the batt or wheel head and setting it on an old style cfold paper towel on a suitable ware board or batt. Sometimes I will torch dry just a bit to make for easy removal without deflecting the piece out of round. The cheap paper towel allows the bottom to dry and slide as it shrinks, costs almost nothing and frees up my batts for throwing. Obviously large items are tougher to do this way, but bowls to 12”, pitchers of most kinds and certainly all the mugs ya want work pretty easily.

I pretty much had it with pots stuck to batts for quite some time now..

[Mark C.]

I make my own plaster bats in two sizes-pots dry off them easy

I haver done a write up on that -I use 1# pottery plaster

small bats-throw up to 3-4#s and -meduim size bats -throw up to 10#s

The beauty of plaster bats is even drying the draw back is only wood tools (no wire needed ever)and space as they take up space and they are heavy.Mt pot bottoms dry the same as the tops and pop off the bats easy with a hand motion.

larger it's home made from sink cut outs (spun round on a band saw and drilled with pin holes -thay are formica topped) as well as a large stack of northstar plastic bats -13 inch and 15 inch stacked flat so they stay flat.

in terms of the flying ones our bat box last summer had 14 bats in it. At dusk we counted them coming out a few nights.

[Chilly]

10 hours ago, Mark C. said:

in terms of the flying ones our bat box last summer had 14 bats in it. At dusk we counted them coming out a few nights.

I too have a bat box, but never seen any signs of use.  Maybe I need to set up a camera.....

[ronfire]

I built 2 bat boxes and still have no bats 3 years later.

As for the other bats- I am thinking of making some from hydrostone. Looking for some advise on them.

Think I will form them on a round laminate form with an edge and a slight rounded corner on the inside. I would then press on a bottom form to have pin holes.   Or would it be better pour right side up and finish the top as it dries on the wheel? . How thick should I make them for a 12" bats?

I am currently using  1/2" MDF bats and wire them off.

 

Thanks for any advise.

[Mark C.]

Its easy to pour them right on the wheel head. Coat head 1st.The laminate works fine.I feel the minuim is 1 inch but a bit thicker for a 12 inch is better for long lasting.

When I started out I made these huge bats as you are thinking of doing.I used rio have huge pile of them-I never use tham now.I switched to more managable bats for production about 30 years ago. I usae pie tins to cast them in. I have two sizes-small for most work and meduim. They stick to a  wet clay pad made from scrap clay on wheel head-they fit on wood ware boards so I can carry at laest 7-8 of them at a time.

I use much smaller bats and throw a clay pad on wheel head. The bat sizes are 7 inch and about 9 inch-much less weight and size for most work made.Hyra stone is tougher than #1pottery plaster but also costs more .Never used it.

[Hulk]

Bats - like birds - let fly before launching, hence you'll know when the bat box is occupied. Be sure to clean up that (oh so valuable!) guano whilst fresh, for guano dust ain' good, and guano mold is worse.

[CactusPots]

I use the commercially made Hydrostone (Hydrocal) bats.  Expensive and expensive to ship.  They hold up really well, I have only broken 2 in 20 years and they can be repaired.  If I was going to make some, I'd be looking for an insert like the Hydrostone bats use.  The bat pins are going to be tough on the plaster or hydrocal directly,  I think. My bats ride on a plexiglass bat as the bat pins holes are closer together than the wheel head bat pins.  The wheel bat pins eat into the plexiglass, so I'm pretty sure the life of a plaster bat right on the wheel head bat pins won't be long before they are not tight.

 Most of my clays release just fine from the hydrocal.  I'll wire off at around 8-10 lbs.  Hydrocal is A LOT easier to work with than plaster.  Tougher and it does absorb some.

[Mark C.]

With bats that just use a clay pad no pins are necessary-just pour your own from hydrostone

[ronfire]

I like the pins so will install the gourmets and make some 6x6 inserts for the other bat system I made.

Started another thread for bat building.