Centering Clay When Wheel Throwing Pottery

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Centering Clay When Wheel Throwing Pottery

Uploaded by: eeviljim
Video Description:
Cindy Clarke from Out of the Fire Studio demonstrates how to center clay on the potter's wheel. From dvd available at www.howtomakepottery.com

Tags for this video: center centering Cindy Clarke clay Fire Out pottery Studio throw wheel

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Thanks, as we have ... ( 1 year ago by eeviljim)

Thanks, as we have mentioned elsewhere the whole idea behind our video was to show the techniques Cindy has developed over thirty years of potting. We have tried to keep it simple and direct. It is very gratifying to get feedback such as yours. Jim

Here's another ... ( 1 year ago by RealityMeltdown)

Here's another little tip I sort of figured out in high school pottery class. Centering is a whole lot easier if you put your left elbow against your hipbone and LEAN on the clay. That way you get more constant pressure than you would with mere arm strength. I ended up being one of the people who helped other students center their clay, and this method got me there.

Whatever feels ... ( 1 year ago by eeviljim)

Whatever feels right for you. As I mentioned here, and in more depth on the DVD is to get comfortable and support your arm on your leg. What you will find with more experience is that if you work WITH the clay you don't need a lot of brute strength, even for very large pieces. It's not "Master of the Clay" but rather a partnership.

Thank you for ... ( 1 year ago by lenorelurks)

Thank you for posting this, and the wedging vid. I tried throwing for the first time today, and it's so so hard! But I think that by watching your vids I will find it alot easier! My lecturer has showed us how to throw, but she does it so effortlessly, it's hard to even remember what she's saying! So I will try your method and see what happens next time!

i just took my ... ( 10 months ago by mousymonroe)

i just took my first pottery class today, and boy was i frustrated! i couldn't even really understand how the instructor could feel or see how the clay wasn't centered, but watching your video and listening to your explanation makes it now seem doable. i can't wait to try it!

Thanks for your ... ( 10 months ago by eeviljim)

Thanks for your comments. That was the whole idea behind making the video, helping beginners realize it is "doable".

this video is great ... ( 9 months ago by altaud)

this video is great
i cant wait to try that technique
cant you use a sponge while doing this to help center it?

This is one of the ... ( 9 months ago by Marihani)

This is one of the best explanations of centering small pieces that I have seen. The only thing I could add is to keep your eyes closed when moving from the wheel to the piece to see if the piece is really centered. I find that if I close my eyes, I am much more aware of how centered my clay is.

That is a good tip ... ( 9 months ago by eeviljim)

That is a good tip for sure. As we have tried to pass along, these are guidelines not rules, it really all comes down to whatever works the best for you.

You could use a ... ( 9 months ago by eeviljim)

You could use a sponge, however sponges tend to add or remove moisture and introduce their own set of problems. As always, these are not hard and fast rules.

It sure does come ... ( 9 months ago by Marihani)

It sure does come down to that. I am so glad that there are many potters sharing what works best for them, so that I have more things to try and see if they work for me!

i have one more ... ( 8 months ago by altaud)

i have one more question
how do i handle a bigger piece of clay?
cause whenever i try it it just seems to become lobsided and falls apart

It is not easy to ... ( 8 months ago by eeviljim)

It is not easy to give you a specific answer without actually seeing what you are doing. The same principles apply to larger pieces. Possibly work up to larger pieces in incremental steps. Keep in mind these are clips from the DVD only and not the full segment. We hope to be shooting and posting some more videos in the near future which will use larger pieces of clay and also better lighting!(yay!).

These small videos ... ( 7 months ago by MasterFritts)

These small videos have helped me tremendously. So much so I went and bought your DVD. I cannot wait for it to get here. Keep up the great work.

That's great to ... ( 7 months ago by eeviljim)

That's great to hear and I mailed your DVD yesterday. We're going to start shooting new video next week (fingers crossed!)called "Get a Grip and Put a Lid on It". Self explanatory title the video will feature different methods of making handles and lids. A third video to follow will be called "Get it Together" and will show how to construct pieces from teapots to large vases. Thanks again. Jim and Cindy

Awesome, I look ... ( 7 months ago by MasterFritts)

Awesome, I look forward to those. :)

I finally got ... ( 6 months ago by MasterFritts)

I finally got around to posting here about the DVD I got. If you have not gotten it. GET IT!! What they offer here is nothing compared to the DVD. It is excellent. I highly recommend it!!

(blush)Thank you ... ( 6 months ago by eeviljim)

(blush)Thank you for your comment and recommendation. We appreciate it!

My pleasure this ... ( 6 months ago by MasterFritts)

My pleasure this DVD really helped a lot. Cannot wait for the next one :)

I've spent half a ... ( 4 months ago by soupatwork)

I've spent half a year trying to understand what I've been doing wrong with centering! Today I deliberately centered it within seconds, first try! I'll buy the video first chance I get!

Thanks, always ... ( 4 months ago by eeviljim)

Thanks, always happy to receive comments, especially positive ones! To all those who have been asking we are still working at making more videos available. Soon.

Where do you buy ... ( 3 months ago by treborly)

Where do you buy these tables? and how much are they?

I'm not sure where ... ( 3 months ago by edabcan)

I'm not sure where they came from. They were studio props where we filmed this. We did not film this one in our own pottery studio. The film studio is no longer in business. Sorry!

Helpful, but it's ... ( 1 month ago by offonoff66)

Helpful, but it's still hard. I did see a cool new thing when I was looking for a new Brent wheel - something called a QuickCenter and it totally centers the clay for you! It looks awesome!

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