How Can I Get the Rims and Edges as Smooth as Possible?

[Eliska Novak]

Hey again,

I just started a new project and I was wondering how to get the rims and edges as smooth as possible on a large vase.

Usually they come out quite sharp.

Thank you!

[oldlady]

try using a wet chamois held in your fingers as you finish the last of the rim.   a small piece will do.  press lightly to round the edge and hold it there for several revolutions of the wheel.  you can adjust the shape as you like with its help.

[Bill Kielb]

Smooth them with a chamois while throwing. If there is grog in the clay you may very lightly dress the edge after bisque to smooth out the grog with very fine sand paper and a proper attention to dust and  mask of course.

Often for grogged clays if you smooth with a sponge while green you will raise the grog so to speak. When bisqued, the clay may shrink back as well and expose more grog, hence the sanding solution.

some folks smooth and compress with a chamois while throwing…….. but I have seen folks use a piece of plastic as well. Anything that gets the edge to lay down and roll over smoothly actually.

[Hulk]

If you cut away some clay from the top edge, the clay will typically "hold" the resultant sharp corner - spend a bit of time re-rounding that top edge.

I'm looking to have the rim almost finished by the time the piece is half thrown, as most of the work from there is raising the lower half, whilst the upper half can easily be "over worked" to become too wet, too thin, too worn away, particularly the rim.

Almost always I run a rib over the outside to smooth the clay and remove slip - this leaves a bead of slip at the rim.
For open forms, I'm also ribbing the inside; otherwise, I'm sponging away the wet from the inside, then smoothing with a finger up to the rim.
A light re-touch with the aforementioned chamois redistributes that bead of slip on the rim there...

[JohnnyK]

Hi Eliska...along with the methods above, you might take a look at this video by Ann Ruel which gives you multiple ideas for rim treatments: 

 

[Babs]

I use the skin between my  first and second finger  mostly but with grogged clay, as above. Chamois.