Shimpo Rk-3E Without Bat Pin Holes - Please Help Me

[elcimen]

Hello to all 

 

I bought a wheel Potter Shimpo RK-3E.  O Wheelhead não tem  bat pin holes

Attached photo of the Wheel

Is there any model for this type of bat Wheelhead?

Can you help me telling where I can buy?

Please send me a link where I can buy.

I'll be happy if you help me

 

Thank you

 

Maria Correia

[bciskepottery]

http://www.potters.org/subject29505.htm/

 

this talks about using bats with no bat pins.

[Biglou13]

Clay balls...bat done

Bat mate or like product

Non slip shelf liner + bat

 

See another thread about drilling.

I decided not to drill. I rarely ever use a proper bat now anyway.

 

Ps no photo attached

[elcimen]

Clay balls...bat done

Bat mate or like product

Non slip shelf liner + bat

 

See another thread about drilling.

I decided not to drill. I rarely ever use a proper bat now anyway.

 

Ps no photo attached

Hi

Thanks for the kindness. Sorry. The photo attached in this post I published today

How do you make a non-slip shelf? What bat do you use?

Could you help me?

I'll be happy

[elcimen]

Hi

Sorry. Here's attached a photo of the wheel.
Thanks for the attention of all who are helping me.
Not advise to make the holes?
Could someone point me to a good bat
I'll be happy

Have a beautiful day

 

[Benzine]

I would just drill some holes for bat pins and add them in. You'll need a decent set of metal drill bits, and you can just use a basic "Socket Cap Screw" for the pins. I just did that to several of my classroom wheels.

 

There is a whole topic here on In the Studio detailing the steps. The main thing is, before drilling the holes, measure, measure, measure.

 

After that, you have a wide choice of bats. I went with some Speedball bats, because they are cheaper than plastibats. Though I will say, the surface of the Speedball bats seem a bit uneven.

[oldlady]

it seems that the work you make is part of the decision to use bats or not.  i have always used bats with pins.  mostly because i return the pot to the wheel several times, during its creation and trimming immediately after throwing,  while slip is added and any decoration inside is done.   then after it pops off the masonite bat without the use of a cutting wire, i put it on the giffin grip for the final outer slip decoration.  all these things need accurate centering of the pot which i have never been able to do by putting the bat on a ring of damp clay.

 

i know there are very skilled potters who can center easily and take care of all these operations accurately but i am not one of them.  

 

so, it is really up to you whether you put pins in the wheelhead.  a machine shop can help if there is one nearby.

[Benzine]

Very well put Oldlady.

 

The reason I added the pins to my classroom wheels, are time and efficiency.

In the past, we would just throw directly on the wheel head. So we'd have to let them dry before removing them, limiting wheel usage. Trying to teach the students how to attach a bat with clay wads, or a clay disc, is an extra step that would take precious time. Using bats that attach with puns, is quick and easy. A student can start, and if they don' t finish, they pull the bat, the wheel is open for someone else, and they can pick back up, when they are ready.

[timbo_heff]

Drill it ! Super easy:

Center a bat with holes on the head.

Just make sure the holes are over a prt of the head that does not have the thicker support trusses.

Drill holes using the bat as guide. Heads are soft: no special bit needed.

Start with smaller bit and step it up until the pins fit snuggly.

Bat pins with wing nuts are at ceramic supply place for about $3 /pair.

 

This is soooo easy.

(Not sure why folks make it more complicated than it is.)

[neilestrick]

1/4 inch hole, for 1/4-20 socket cap screw. Center up a bat, trace the holes. Then use a center punch or awl to make a mark at the center of the hole. This mark should be deep enough that the tip of the drill bit will anchor into it, to keep the drill bit from drifting when you start to drill. It doesn't take much. The wheel head is aluminum, so it will mark and drill easily. As a previous post said, make sure you're not drilling where there is a supporting rub on the underside of the head. Holes should be 10" apart on center.

 

I never take my bat pins off. No reason to. I always leave a bat on the wheel, even if I'm cutting small pots off. On my old wheel that I had to drill for pins, I threaded the holes so I didn't have to put wing nuts on the back side.

[hantremmer]

I found this thread while searching on Google.  I was wondering if small magnet - neodymium - would act as a bat pin for a wheelhead that I don't want to drill.  Apparently they can be hard to pull apart, but I wonder if it would be strong enough not to slide off while centreing.

This is assuming that having magnet on a Shimpo wheelhead wouldn't affect the drive in some way.

[neilestrick]

5 hours ago, hantremmer said:

I found this thread while searching on Google.  I was wondering if small magnet - neodymium - would act as a bat pin for a wheelhead that I don't want to drill.  Apparently they can be hard to pull apart, but I wonder if it would be strong enough not to slide off while centreing.

This is assuming that having magnet on a Shimpo wheelhead wouldn't affect the drive in some way.

Nope. It wouldn't be strong enough. Plus most wheel heads are aluminum, so you'd need to attach a steel bat to the wheel first.

[Mark C.]

If you do not want bat pins  for whatever reason just use a clay pad or wet cloth (chamois) to hold bats.

I throw all my small stuff on plater bats with a clay pad on wheel head.

[Min]

Never use pins or clay pads either. If your batts are porous the Xiem Batmate is brilliant. My largest plaster batt is around 18" in diameter, it doesn't budge on the Batmate. Wood batts up to around 8" don't budge, larger than that and I can push them off. They are made to go between a batt and the wheel-head over the bat pins but it works without pins just fine. When it gets too wet I run a rib over it to squeegee the slip off and it's good to go again. No clay pancakes or donuts to recycle.

[hantremmer]

Thanks for the comments.  My Shimpo came without bat pins and so I didn't want to drill them fresh.  One slight error on the measurement and it's a problem.

15 hours ago, Min said:

Never use pins or clay pads either. If your batts are porous the Xiem Batmate is brilliant. My largest plaster batt is around 18" in diameter, it doesn't budge on the Batmate. Wood batts up to around 8" don't budge, larger than that and I can push them off. They are made to go between a batt and the wheel-head over the bat pins but it works without pins just fine. When it gets too wet I run a rib over it to squeegee the slip off and it's good to go again. No clay pancakes or donuts to recycle.

You're saying you just plop the Batmate right onto the wheelhead and  it sticks?  Do you wet the wheelhead before hand or what?

EDIT

Does it stay still when trimming and throwing?

[Min]

59 minutes ago, hantremmer said:

 

You're saying you just plop the Batmate right onto the wheelhead and  it sticks?  Do you wet the wheelhead before hand or what?

EDIT

Does it stay still when trimming and throwing?

You run it under the tap, squeeze out most of the water but don't wring it out then lay it on the wheelhead and press it down. I don't wet the wheelhead first. I don't know how much water you throw with but if it gets too wet the Batmate will slide when you are pushing on the clay, I just run a rib over it and push the water / slip off and it's good to go again. I use it with all my plaster batts, and wood ones up to around 8", I don't have any non porous batts so I don't know if it would work with those.

For trimming I use a large neoprene disc that sticks to the wheel head with a bit of water. No clay wads to hold the pots down. I wipe the wheelhead  and the top of the disc with a damp sponge, pots stick to it and don't get dinged up on the rim since the surface is somewhat giving. I do keep a finger lightly resting on the top of the pot but I think thats just from habit. The neoprene works for everything I make except bottle forms, for those I use a clay chuck. Neoprene discs are hard to find over on this side of the pond, I don't know who would carry them in the UK. (Seattle Pottery Supply carries them on the west coast) 

[hantremmer]

Thanks Min.  LAst question - do you have any experience with the 14".  Also thanks for linking directly to the Batmate and the neoprene tip.

 

EDIT - Asking if there's any difference between them  in perforamcne so I can choose the one to buy.  My Shimpo has a 14" wheelhead.

[Min]

I have a 14" wheelhead so I use the 14" Batmate, they are made of the same material just a different colour, sized for the wheelhead.

[hantremmer]

Thanks, Min.  I'll order one. 

[fergusonjeff]

After 3 years of using my batmate just an Min described, I bought a new one.  Of course I cannot find it now, so I just bought a large synthetic chamois at the hardware store.  Half the cost of a batmate and I cut out 2 12" circles and had lots of scrap.  Works just as well as the batmate for the first few weeks so far.  I use it entirely with plaster bats ranging from 7 to 12".  I have to re-wet the batmate a little each time, but I just throw some water on with a sponge. 

[Mark C.]

yep- synthetic chamois work the same only cheaper.

[Min]

I did try one but it really didn't work, I put it through the wash thinking there might be sizing on it but didn't help. Batts kept coming loose. Nothing worse than having loose batts flying around.  Guess there are different qualities of synthetic chamois. 

[hantremmer]

Good tip.  Luckiky the Batmate isn't that expensive and I added some other tools to the order. If it doesn't work or wears out, I can try the chamois.

[hantremmer]

Batmate arrived.   I used it with 8" square MDF bats, thin ones.  I was able to cone soft clay without issue, but on two separate pots something shifted as I was knuckling up.  Not sure if it was the batmate or the bats.  I can tell its got potential, but I might need to learn how to use it.

[fergusonjeff]

It will work better with more absorbent bats.  Plaster works very well, but I have not tried it with any wood bats.